Kusa mahshi

Stuffed courgettes.

Another thing i love about this cuisine are the many variety of stuffed vegetables you can get.  From courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes to vine and cabbage leaves.

Kusa mahshi are courgettes that have been cored out and are usually stuffed with a mixture of rice and mince meat.  They are usually then cooked in a tomato based sauce. In this version, i have stuffed them with mince only, as i wanted to serve them with rice.

Ingredients

14 small courgettes

2 cans of tinned tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

1 small onion, sliced

2-3 spoons of garam masala/seven spice mix

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon of crushed chilli flakes

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

oil

for the filling:

250g mince (chicken/lamb/beef)

1 small onion, finely cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 teaspoons of garam masala/seven spice mix

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon of crushed chilli flakes (optional)

Method:

Combine all the ingredients for the filling.  core out the courgettes using an apple corer.  (you can get specific courgette corers from some middle eastern shops).

note: 

keep the pulp of the courgette that you have cored out.  chop finely and fry in some oil.  cook till soft.  put on a plate and sprinkle over salt, lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.  serve as a mezze / snack with some flat bread. delicious!

back to the kusa mahshi....

Stuff the courgettes with the meat mixture and set aside.

  In a pan, heat a little oil and fry a small sliced onion till soft.  Add the garlic and cumin seeds.  then add the tomatoes and rest of the spices.  Bring to the boil and cook for about 15-20 mins.  You may want to blend the mixture now, as this gives a smoother sauce.  Add the stuffed courgettes and allow to cook on low heat for 1 - 2 hours, or until the courgettes are tender.

Drizzle with olive oil and serve with rice and yogurt.