Levantine-style zucchini in yogurt (kousa bil laban)
Zucchini in yogurt is one of the most venerable dishes of Levantine cuisine.
Zucchini stuffed with meat and rice cooked in yogurt stabilized over heat and crowned with the garlic and coriander fry. The dish of laden tables that heads the Levantine Ramadan spread.
Cut off the tops of the zucchini and core them with a corer into a thin-walled shell without piercing their base. A thin wall absorbs the yogurt, and a small hole empties the filling into the pot. Keep the pulp for another dish, for Levantine households do not throw away zucchini pulp.
Mix the ground meat with the washed rice, the spices, a pinch of cinnamon, and salt, and stuff the zucchini only two-thirds full. The rice will swell and claim its space, and a packed filling splits the zucchini while cooking.
In a pot of boiling water with a little salt, boil the stuffed zucchini for a quarter of an hour until half-softened. It will finish cooking in the yogurt, and fully boiling it here makes it fall apart there.
Whisk the yogurt well with the cornstarch dissolved in a little water and the egg, and put it over medium heat stirring in one direction without stopping until it reaches its first boil and thickens. The moment the yogurt passes safely means the dish has survived: no splitting after it.
Gently transfer the zucchini into the pot of stabilized yogurt and leave it over low heat for twenty minutes, during which it absorbs the yogurt and its rice cooks fully. Shake the pot rather than stirring with a spoon so they are not torn.
In a small skillet melt the ghee and fry the crushed garlic with the dried coriander until their aroma, known to every Levantine home, wafts up, and pour it over the pot and sprinkle the dried mint, and serve it hot on its own or with vermicelli rice.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Levantine-Style Stuffed Zucchini in Yogurt, and how to fix them:
The cornstarch or egg was absent, or it was left without stirring before the first boil. The triple stabilization (cornstarch, egg, and constant stirring) is a safety contract whose terms are not breached.
It was stuffed to its top or cored with a thin wall that got pierced. Two-thirds is the stuffing ceiling, and coring with care.
We shortened the first boil. A quarter-hour boil then twenty minutes in the yogurt. Their sum is what cooks the rice.
Light yogurt or too little cornstarch. Thick full-fat yogurt and a full spoon of cornstarch, and it thickens more the longer it rests over heat.
Hot with its fresh garlic fry. Its Levantine glory.
Two days gently. Reheated over low heat without a violent boil that splits the yogurt.
Cooked yogurt inevitably splits after thawing.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zucchini stuffed with meat and rice | Small kofta balls with zucchini pieces | ~ | The busy-day version with no coring or stuffing |
| Cow's yogurt | Goat's yogurt | 1:1 | A more venerable sourness in the tradition of old homes |
| Meat in the filling | Rice with mashed chickpeas | ~ | A vegetarian version while keeping the stabilization as is |
| Ghee in the fry | Olive oil | 1:1 | Lighter, and the Levantine aroma stays with the garlic and coriander |
| Ingredient | 4 servings | 2 servings | 8 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zucchini | 1 kg | 500 g | 2 kg |
| Yogurt | 1 kg | 500 g | 2 kg |
| Meat | 250 g | 125 g | 500 g |
Stir the yogurt in one direction only until its first boil and do not cover the pot before that. Erratic stirring and a hasty lid are the most famous cause of the yogurt splitting in this dish for beginners.
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