Arabic Stuffed Zucchini in Tomato Sauce / Kousa Mihshi Recipe Recipe
Kousa
Mihshi (Stuffed Zucchini) is an Arabic main dish and widely popular in
this region. Minced beef / lamb is mixed with raw rice and spices and then
stuffed inside the cored Kousa / koosa (marrow squash / Arabic zucchini) and
cooked in tomato paste. I used minced chicken instead of red meat.... I got the
basic recipe from my maid and then I searched on the net and made this dish to
suit our taste buds.... While searching the net I remember reading on one site
that you can make a vegetarian version of this dish by replacing the meat with
chopped mushrooms, I never tried it though.... If you like zucchini you will enjoy this
mildly spiced dish. Serve as a main dish along with some nice salad....
- Arabic Stuffed Zucchini in Tomato Sauce / Kousa Mihshi
- 5 small Arabic zucchini / Kousa (Koosa)
- 125 gm minced beef / lamb / chicken
- ½ cup basmati rice, rinsed
- 1 small packet tomato paste
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley leaf
- 1
- small potato (optional)
Method:
Cut
the stems from zucchini and scoop out each zucchini with a zucchini corer or apple
corer, removing all seeds and leaving shells about ⅓ inch thick. Discard pulp
and seeds. Rinse out the inside of zucchini with water, drain and keep aside.
Check out this video to see how to core and stuff the zucchini.
In
a bowl, combine meat, rice, half of parsley, mint and coriander, ½ tsp pepper
powder and salt.
Stuff each zucchini with the mixture. Leave about a
half inch of room at the end as rice will expand. Also do not stuff the mixture
too tightly as the expanding rice will break the zucchini. (You
can cover the top of zucchini with a round cut piece of potato, so that the
filling won’t come out while cooking, this step is optional only as an extra precaution).
Heat oil in a big pan, add chopped onion and garlic
and fry for 5 minutes or until light brown.
Add
diced tomato, tomato puree, chilly powder, all spice powder, pepper powder and
salt to the onions. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Add stuffed zucchini to the pan.
Add
enough boiling water to cover the zucchini and let simmer over medium heat for
45 minutes or until the meat and rice in the stuffing is cooked thoroughly. (make
sure not to stir a lot or the zucchini will break and the filling will come
out).
Squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice over
zucchini and sprinkle the cinnamon powder and left over parsley, mint and
coriander leaves.
Allow to cook for another 10 minutes or so or until
the gravy is thick.
Serve with a bowl of salad.
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