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Lebanese Shish Barak (Meat Dumplings in Yogurt Sauce)

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Lebanese Shish Barak meat dumplings in smooth yogurt sauce with cilantro and garlic.
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Shish Barak are small Lebanese meat dumplings folded by hand, baked until lightly golden, and finished in a warm yogurt sauce.

Prepare a fragrant beef filling, fold small dough rounds around it, bake the dumplings, and temper the yogurt so the sauce stays smooth.

Keep the yogurt sauce below a simmer and whisk constantly while adding the hot stock to prevent curdling.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the dumplings warm with extra cilantro, toasted garlic, and a simple cucumber salad.

Lebanese Shish Barak dumplings being folded beside minced beef and yogurt sauce.

Recipe Notes

The dumplings can be folded and frozen on a tray; bake from frozen with a few extra minutes before adding them to the sauce.

Lebanese Shish Barak meat dumplings in smooth yogurt sauce with cilantro and garlic.

Lebanese Shish Barak

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Handmade beef dumplings baked until golden and served in a smooth garlicky yogurt sauce.
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Lebanese
Calories: 680
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
 
 

Dumpling Dough
  • 2.5 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 0.75 cup warm water
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
Beef Filling
  • 0.75 lb ground beef
  • 1 small yellow onion finely minced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
Yogurt Sauce
  • 4 cups plain whole-milk yogurt room temperature
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Rolling Pin
  • Baking sheet
  • Large saucepan
  • Whisk

Method
 

Make the dumplings:
  1. Mix the flour, warm water, salt, and olive oil into a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes, cover, and rest for 20 minutes.
  2. Cook the beef, onion, garlic, cilantro, allspice, and cinnamon in a skillet over medium heat for 8 minutes until browned and dry. Cool completely.
  3. Roll the dough thin and cut 2-inch rounds. Add 1 teaspoon of filling to each, fold into half-moons, and pinch the edges together. Arrange on a lined baking sheet.
  4. Bake at 400°F (205°C) for 18 to 20 minutes until the edges are lightly golden.
Make the yogurt sauce:
  1. Whisk the yogurt and chicken stock together in a large saucepan. Heat over medium-low, whisking frequently, until steaming but not boiling.
  2. Warm the olive oil in a small skillet and fry the sliced garlic for 1 to 2 minutes until pale gold. Stir the garlic oil and cilantro into the yogurt sauce.
Combine and serve:
  1. Add the baked dumplings to the warm yogurt sauce and simmer very gently for 5 minutes.
  2. Spoon into bowls and serve with extra cilantro and a cucumber salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 680kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 37gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 980mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10g

Notes

  • Cool the beef filling before folding so the dough stays easy to handle.
  • Do not boil the yogurt sauce.

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