Have you ever cooked kousa bil laban, ablama fatteh, or sheikh el mahsi bil laban as it's also called? Kousa bil laban is a traditional Middle Eastern dish with courgettes (they’re also known as zucchini in English and Kousa in Arabic) stuffed with minced meat in a creamy, flavorful yoghurt sauce. This dish is perfect for a hearty and satisfying meal, and it’s a great idea if you want to experiment with something new!
The dish is quite simple to make and starts by hollowing out small courgettes and stuffing them with a mixture of spiced rice and minced meat. The courgettes are then simmered in a creamy yoghurt sauce that is flavoured with garlic, mint, and other spices until tender and fragrant. It’s served hot and typically garnished with fresh herbs and pine nuts.
One of the great things about kousa bil laban is that it is highly customizable - there are many variations. You can adjust the spices and herbs to your liking, or even substitute the meat with a vegetarian or vegan filling. Some recipes use bulgur or quinoa instead of rice or include different vegetables like eggplant or bell peppers. It also tastes amazing when cold or reheated, so that makes it an excellent choice for meal prep.
Types of courgettes: How many are there?
As with most vegetables, you can’t just find one type. Courgettes (aka zucchini) come in many shapes and sizes. Some of them are:
- Classic green courgette: This is the one you find most often. It has a dark green colour and a cylindrical shape.
- Yellow courgette: This looks similar to the green courgette but with a yellow colour. It also has a slightly sweeter taste, and it’s used in cooking for its vibrant colour.
- Round courgette: This one is a green courgette that’s round in shape, like a ball. It tastes similar to the green zucchini and it’s perfect for stuffing.
- White courgette: This one has many names: Kousa (meaning zucchini in Arabic), Lebanese, Arabic, Grey or theMexican Grey zucchini! It has a lighter green colour than the classic courgette. Its thinner skin makes it perfect for grilling and roasting.
- Tromboncino: This is an elongated and curved courgette that looks like a trombone. It has a sweet flavour and a firm texture.
These are just a few examples of the many types of courgette that exist. Each has its own unique flavour and texture, which makes them a versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of recipes.
How to cook stuffed courgettes: The ingredients!
We are not experts in recipes - we’ll leave that to other creators. But what we are experts in is the ingredients. We can recommend the most authentic ingredients to create the perfect meal! And we know how hard it is to find the right, authentic courgettes to make kousa bil laban.
The white courgette, or Arabic courgette, is not an easy find in the UK, but you can easily order it online from us here. We have two options, the whole courgette, or you can buy them pitted, meaning cored, cleaned and wrapped neatly in packages ready to be stuffed, making it even easier for you to cook this recipe. We also have another hard find item in the UK, the courgette corer, a very useful tool to hollow courgettes and other vegetables. As for the rest of the important ingredients:
- For the meat you can use both minced beef or lamb, we offer a variety of halal minced meat here.
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Pine nuts are really important and give character to this dish.
- If you choose to add rice to the stuffing, we recommend the short rice which absorbs less liquid and gives a more solid texture.Try Egyptian rice or Italian arborio risotto rice.
- For the yoghurt sauce, you can use any plain yoghurt or labneh.
- Other ingredients are fresh mint, garlic, lemon and various spices. We recommend using 7 spices for this recipe.
What to serve with Kousa bil laban?
In Kousa bil laban, the courgettes aren’t the only highlight: Rice is the co-star. Kousa bil laban is typically served with a mix of white rice with vermicelli pasta. The rice should be long or medium grain (a different type than the one used to stuff the courgettes) combined with sauteed broken vermicelli pasta. We highly recommend you try this side with not just kousa bil laban!
All in all, kousa bil laban is a delicious and comforting dish. A crowd pleaser that looks impressive and is sure to become a new favourite! Whether you're looking for a hearty dinner or a special occasion meal, this dish is the perfect choice. So next time you're in the mood for something new and exciting, give kousa bil laban a try and discover the delicious flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine!
Kousa Mahshi - another way to cook stuffed courgette!
Kousa Mahshi directly translates from Arabic as “stuffed courgette”. This dish is a little different from kousa bil laban, not because of the ingredients to fill the hollowed-out courgette, but because the stuffed courgette is cooked in a flavourful tomato and garlic sauce rather than yoghurt. There are many similarities too, namely that there are lots of variations and popular ingredients, which include the type of halal meat used and variations that are vegetarian and vegan!
You might have guessed by now but across the Middle East there are many vegetables that are made into dishes this way, not just the courgette. Peppers and aubergines (eggplant) are popular vegetables for stuffing, and vine and cabbage leaves are also used to create stuffed parcels, with similar ingredients.
So, fancy trying stuffed courgettes but want a bit of a helping hand? Check out two great pre-prepared dishes from the independent chefs at MyJam. Enjoy the authentic taste of Egyptian cuisine with Mama Nevin’s mixed stuffed peppers, zucchini and aubergine, and mixed mahshi from Alaz.
Don’t forget to check out myjam.co.uk or download the app. We’ve got the widest choice of Middle Eastern cultural foods in one place - there are thousands more authentic groceries to find, all for delivery across the UK.