Ablama (Lebanese Stuffed Courgettes in Yoghurt Sauce)

About This Recipe

Ablama is a cherished Lebanese home dish in which small courgettes (kousa) are cored and packed with a fragrant mixture of minced lamb, rice and warm spices, then gently simmered until tender. What sets ablama apart from other stuffed-vegetable dishes is its silky cooked-yoghurt sauce, stabilised with egg and cornflour so it never curdles, and finished with garlic and dried mint. The courgettes are sometimes browned in butter first for extra richness, then bathed in the velvety white sauce until everything melds. Served over vermicelli rice, it is a comforting, slightly tangy dish that showcases the Levantine love of yoghurt cooked into savoury food. It is the kind of meal that fills a Lebanese kitchen with the smell of mint and garlic.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8 smallcourgettes (kousa)(pale green if available)
• 250 gminced lamb(or beef)
• 80 gshort-grain rice(rinsed)
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 0.5 tspground allspice
• 1 tspsalt(plus more for sauce)
• 2 tbspbutter or ghee
• 1 kgplain whole-milk yoghurt
• 1 largeegg
• 1 tbspcornflour(slaked in cold water)
• 3 clovesgarlic(crushed)
• 1 tbspdried mint
• 1 tbspolive oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Core the courgettes

   Trim the stem ends and hollow out each courgette with a vegetable corer, leaving walls about 5mm thick. Work carefully to avoid piercing the sides. Rinse and drain the shells, then lightly salt the cavities.

   Save the courgette flesh — it can be sautéed with onion and egg for a quick side the next day.

2. 2

   Make the stuffing

   In a bowl, combine the minced lamb, rinsed rice, cinnamon, allspice, salt and olive oil. Mix thoroughly with your hands until evenly blended. The rice will absorb the meat juices and swell as it cooks.

3. 3

   Stuff the courgettes

   Loosely fill each courgette with the meat mixture, leaving about 2cm empty at the top so the rice has room to expand. Pressing too tightly will cause them to split during cooking.

   Filling them only three-quarters full is the single best way to keep them from bursting.

4. 4

   Brown in butter

   Melt the butter in a wide pot over medium heat. Gently roll the stuffed courgettes in the foaming butter for 4-5 minutes until lightly golden on all sides. This step adds a nutty depth to the finished dish.

5. 5

   Simmer the courgettes

   Add just enough water to barely cover, season with a little salt, cover and simmer gently for about 25 minutes, until the courgettes are tender and the rice is cooked through. Drain off most of the cooking liquid, reserving a cup.

6. 6

   Stabilise the yoghurt

   While they cook, whisk the yoghurt, egg and slaked cornflour in a saucepan with a good pinch of salt. The egg and cornflour are essential — they keep the yoghurt from splitting once it heats.

   Whisk constantly in one direction; stirring back and forth encourages curdling.

7. 7

   Cook the yoghurt sauce

   Set over medium-low heat and stir the yoghurt continuously in one direction until it comes to a bare simmer and thickens to a pourable cream, about 8-10 minutes. Never let it reach a rolling boil.

8. 8

   Finish with garlic and mint

   Pour the hot yoghurt over the courgettes and simmer together 5 minutes. Quickly fry the crushed garlic and dried mint in a little butter until aromatic, stir through the sauce, and serve hot over vermicelli rice.

   The sizzled garlic-and-mint finish is the signature aroma of ablama — add it just before serving.

Variations

• •

  Use a mix of courgettes and small eggplants for a heartier sheikh-style platter.

• •

  Add a handful of pine nuts to the stuffing for crunch and richness.

• •

  Make it vegetarian by stuffing with rice, chickpeas, tomato and herbs instead of meat.

• •

  Stir a little tahini into the yoghurt sauce for a nuttier Levantine twist.

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat very gently over low heat, stirring, as the yoghurt sauce can break if overheated.

Frequently Asked Questions