Kousa mahshi

Kousa mahshi is a traditional Levantine dish that consists of zucchinis that have been cored and filled with a mixture of rice and minced meat. Typically, the vegetable used for stuffing is a type of summer squash called kousa, which is paler in color and smaller than a zucchini, while the traditional choice of meat is lamb, although beef can also be used instead of it.

The rice-and-meat filling is usually flavored with samneh (clarified butter), fried onions, pine nuts, and herbs and spices such as allspice, coriander, parsley, cumin, and black pepper. Once stuffed, the zucchinis are typically simmered in water or broth (often tomato-based), while sometimes they can also be fried before the cooking process.

There are many versions of this specialty, including kousa mihshi bi bandoura (stuffed zucchinis with tomato sauce) and kousa mihshi bi laban (stuffed zucchinis with yogurt sauce), and there are also vegetarian versions that call for using chickpeas instead of minced meat for the filling.

Stuffed zucchinis are typically eaten as a main dish or a side, and they are usually served with accompaniments such as lemon wedges, steamed rice, mashed potatoes, yogurt, or bread.