SLU Nutrition and Dietetics Internship Blog: A Taste of the Middle East

Written by: Iman Rasheed

Let's take a trip to the Middle East, specifically Palestine. This dish is very close to home to not only me, but also my family. Now, this dish is not only a Palestinian dish, it is loved and desired all over the Middle East and has been apart of Arab cuisine for centuries. This beloved dish is called, Shishbarak (شيشبرك‎). It’s a dumpling-like dough, stuffed with flavorful ground beef and boiled in a mouthwatering tangy yogurt sauce. This recipe is perfect to make with your family. Before we get into the Palestinian recipe of this dish, lets talk about the history behind it.

https://www.google.com/search?q=palestinian+shish+barak&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS813US814&hl=en&sxsrf=ALeKk036teQS92LqTp2yZANeLOec5BcoWQ:1616009273514&source=lnms&tbm=isch&biw=865&bih=718#imgrc=5WR37wP-cj3iSM

Shish Barak originated from the pre-Islamic Persia in the 14^th century. The original Persian version is called Joshpara, which literally means to boil a bit. The name was then changed to gosh e- barreh, which translates to lambs ear because of the shape of the duplings. It is made from wheat dough squares and filled with ground meat and can be served hot or cold. The dish then traveled to the Levant (Palestine, Syria and Lebanon), they then made the recipe into their own, adding pine nuts a little bit of rice and serving it hot. Then renamed it shishbarak. All three countries have their own variation of the recipe.

Now, this recipe is time consuming, but the ingredients are fairly simple. Palestinians are known for their flavorful dishes that only require a few simple ingredients. Palestinians adapted to utilizing only their local harvest, and making the most out of whatever they have on hand. This dish has three parts to it. So, to make it easier I will split up the recipe into the three parts; the beef stuffing, the dough and finally the yogurt sauce.

The beef stuffing:

· 1lb lean ground beef

· 4-5 tablespoons olive oil

· 1 medium onion (finely chopped)

· 1-tablespoon salt

· 1 tablespoon arabic all spice

· 1 tsp black pepper

· 1 tsp cinnamon

· 1 tsp ground cardamom

First, drizzle some olive oil in a pan and turn the heat to medium. Fun fact: Palestine is known for their olive trees and olive oil. Place the beef into the pan and sauté it. Once the beef starts to brown add in the onions, and the spices and stir ensuring everything is mixed well, and the beef is fully cooked. Once fully cooked, remove from heat and allow it to cool while you make the dough.

https://missmuslim.nyc/palestine-in-a-bite-shish-barak/

The dough:

· 2 cups flour

· 1 tablespoon salt

· 3/4 cup of water (give or take)

Add the flour and salt into a bowl, and gradually add in lukewarm water. Kneed the mixture with your hands until it no longer sticks to your hands and holds its shape. If you find yourself with too much water just sprinkle more flour into the mixture. Your goal is for it to look like pizza dough. Now comes the fun part, its time to roll out your dough. First, sprinkle some flour on your counter top and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it is as thick as a quarter. Then grab a small cup or a cookie cutter that is about 1 inch in diameter and start cutting your dough into circles.

Next, you want to grab your small circle dough and stuff it with your meat filling. Place ¼- ½ tsp of beef (depending on the size of your circles) into the center of dough and create a moon shape with it. Then, close the moon by sticking the two ends together to create a dumpling shape. Repeat the process till you finish all your dough and meat.

https://www.cheftariq.com/recipe/shish-barak/

Yogurt Sauce:

· 1 tub of 2lb whole milk yogurt/or if you have it kishik

· 1to 2 cups of water

· 1 tablespoon of corn starch

· ½ c of uncooked rice

· 1 egg

· Handful of peeled garlic

· 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

· 30-40 pieces of Shish-barak

· 1-2 tablespoons of salt

· A few stems of fresh cilantro

We have finally reached the last step and the easiest step! What you will want to do now is add the yogurt/ kishik (dried, fermented product made from sour milk or yogurt), the salt, the water and the rice (make sure the water covers all the rice) into a pot on medium heat and continue to stir it and then gradually add in your dumplings. Make sure they don’t stick together, give it one good last stir and allow it to cook all together for about 20 minutes. You know your dish is ready when your rice is fully cooked. Transfer the contents of the pot into a large pan for serving. You can top it off with some cooked pine nuts, sautéed onions, and fresh cut parsley/ cilantro!

VIOLA! There you have it, a traditional Middle Eastern Dish. Sahtain (Sahh- tan), which is an Arabic expression most commonly used when a person is dining. It translates to a wish for double health – for you to enjoy your food before and after eating it. I hope you all try this dish for yourselves, because it is truly so many Middle Easterners favorite dish. To end here are the nutrient facts and a fun TikTok I made with my family about this dish. Enjoy!

Tiktok: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSTLqSmkVng

Nutrient Facts: