Kousa mahshi, or stuffed zucchini, is one of my favorite Jordanian dishes both to make and to eat. It's quite quick and easy to make in the Middle East, as you can find the kousa (mini zucchini) already hollowed out and prepared for you at the grocery store (
see picture). However in the US, you'll have to spend some more time hollowing them out on your own. If you need instructions for that, I found
this to be a useful video tutorial. Once you have your hollowed out zucchini, follow the instructions below.
Tools:
sharp knife
large pot
blender
large spoon
Ingredients:
For zucchini stuffing:
2-3 cups short grain rice
1/4-1/2 lb ground beef
1-2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
1 small can tomato paste
3 tbsp mixed spice/ Middle Eastern spice
salt
pepper
cumin
For sauce:
7 tomatoes (give or take a few depending on size)
2-3 cloves garlic
1-2 yellow tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
water
salt
pepper
Serve with a side of:
plain yogurt
plain white rice
Steps:
1) Soak rice overnight or for at least 1 hour. Rinse and drain rice before use.
2) Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large pot on the stove. Add minced garlic and diced onions. When onions have begun sweating, add diced tomatoes. Turn to low heat and stir frequently. Add tomato sauce, and water, salt and pepper to taste. Let sauce simmer while you prepare the rest of the meal.
3) In a separate bowl, combine rice and ground beef. You can choose how much beef to put in based on you and your guests' preferences. And just as when making grape leaves, substitute chopped chickpeas for ground beef if you're looking for a meatless dish.
4) Add tomato paste, chopped onions, salt, pepper and spices. Mix with your hands. (Before mixing with your hands, make sure to have the hollowed out zucchini near by so that you don't have to touch too many things with your raw meat hands.)
5) When rice mixture has reached an even consistency, use your fingers to stuff the zucchini about 3/4 full with the rice mixture. Be sure not to pack it in too tight. (If you pack it in tight, the sauce wont be able to get to the way end and cook all the rice!) As you stuff each zucchini, place it in the pot of simmering sauce that you started earlier.
6) Cook all stuffed zucchini in sauce for 30-45 minutes. Be sure to stir once or twice so that each kousa can cook evenly. When you think rice may be done, take out one kousa and cut it in half. Wait for it to cool and try the bottom half of the kousa to see if the rice is cooked.
7) Serve over plain white rice and a side of plain yogurt.
