Zucchini Stuffed in Yogurt

Ingredients

• Zucchini, hollowed and washed
• Yogurt (cow or goat)
• Cornstarch — 3 tablespoons
• For every 1 kg zucchini use 1 cup Egyptian rice
• Minced meat — 200 g per cup of rice, or to taste
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Ghee or oil for the zucchini filling
• A head of garlic
• Dried mint
• Ghee for the yogurt
• For more of Israa's yogurt recipes see Laban Emo

Method

1. Wash the rice to remove the starch and drain it, then add the minced meat with it, salt, spices and about 1 tablespoon of ghee or oil.
2. Mix the filling, then stuff the zucchinis and parboil them in water.
3. At this time, put the cold yogurt in the pot and add the cornstarch with a little water—about half a cup—and whisk with a hand whisk.
4. Place the yogurt pot on the heat, stirring constantly until the yogurt heats up and becomes slightly thick.
5. Reserve only a little of the zucchini cooking water so the yogurt picks up the zucchini flavor, and discard the rest.
6. After the yogurt thickens, pour it over the pot of zucchinis in which we kept only a little cooking water... and gently shake the pot to combine. Do not stir much so the zucchinis do not break.
7. Let them simmer on low heat until the zucchinis are completely cooked.
8. When the stuffed zucchini in yogurt is ready, fry the crushed garlic head in a little ghee, then add dried mint on top of the garlic, sauté briefly and pour this topping over the yogurt pot.
9. Adjust the salt and let the pot simmer for just a few additional minutes, then serve the zucchini in yogurt.
10. Esraa Salem Smak
11. For more of Esraa's yogurt recipes, see 'Laban Emo'