Cucumbers Aren’t Only for Salads—Here is Why You Ought to Cook dinner Them

This dish takes its cue from khiar mahshi—stuffed cucumbers—a hyper-regional specialty recognized largely in Nablus, and to a lesser extent in Jerusalem, Hebron, and Palestinian diaspora communities in Jordan linked to these cities. It is a quietly exceptional preparation that by no means traveled far however leaves a deep impression the place it is made.

Historically, agency cucumbers are hollowed out and filled with a mix of spiced rice and lamb, usually together with pine nuts, then stacked in a pot and simmered till virtually totally tender. The cooked cucumbers are then seared in loads of ghee till their edges flip golden, then dusted generously with cardamom. They’re completed with a tangy yogurt sauce made with the scooped-out cucumber pulp, garlic, and salt. It is a distinctive, particular dish—wealthy and aromatic, and I assure it is not like anything that hits the desk.

However to make this dish in its conventional kind, you want a really particular software: the mana’ret koussa, which interprets from Levantine Arabic as “zucchini corer.” Regardless of the identify, it is not restricted to zucchini—it is used throughout the Levant to hole out all types of greens, together with small squashes and eggplants, in addition to carrots and turnips. I usually joke that within the Center East, we now have an innate urge to stuff any vegetable that may be stuffed—a lot in order that we also have a devoted software for it. Within the Levant, this software is a everlasting fixture in virtually each kitchen. However since this helpful software is not practically as widespread within the US, I used to be impressed to deconstruct the dish. And sure, I do know deconstruct sounds straight out of a mid-2000s restaurant menu, however right here it is much less about gimmick and extra about practicality. 

On this model, as an alternative of hollowing and stuffing cucumbers, I put together the elements individually after which layer them collectively. The spiced rice and meat are cooked as a stand-alone pilaf, which kinds the bottom of the dish. The cucumbers are salted, seared, and seasoned. Lastly, every thing comes collectively on the plate with toasted pine nuts, a drizzle of ghee, and a spoonful of yogurt-mint sauce. The flavors echo khiar mahshi, however the methodology is streamlined and requires no particular instruments.

Why You Ought to Cook dinner Your Cucumbers

Cucumbers should not be relegated solely to salads and sandwiches. Sure, they’re crisp and refreshing when chilly, however cooking transforms them into one thing smooth and succulent. Their delicate, grassy taste turns into concentrated and extra savory, with a delicate sweetness that pairs superbly with wealthy meat, heat spices, and daring sauces. It is why they seem in Chinese language dishes similar to stir-fried cucumbers, through which they’re tossed into sizzling woks and shortly cooked with garlic, soy sauce, and chile flakes, changing into tender and deeply flavorful. They’re additionally cooked in Vietnam, Korea, Thailand, and components of India, the place they slip into stir-fries, soups, and curries.

In Jordan, the basic native cucumber selection is good for khiar mahshi when harvested at a mature stage, since its bigger dimension and thicker pores and skin make it simple to core and stuff, and durable sufficient to carry collectively throughout cooking and searing. These aren’t all the time simple to search out in Jordan, since smaller, tender-skinned cucumbers are sometimes most popular and the dish is not widespread sufficient to create demand for sturdier ones. One of the best counterpart for it within the US is the American cucumber (additionally referred to as a typical cucumber or backyard cucumber). These cucumbers are naturally firm-skinned with a texture just like the mature cucumbers typically present in Jordan, in order that they make an excellent stand-in. As soon as the cucumbers are seared, you will use the identical skillet to shortly toast a handful of pine nuts within the residual ghee. In only a minute or two, they flip aromatic and golden.

On this recipe, that transformation begins earlier than the cucumbers ever hit the pan. They’re salted in a colander for about 20 minutes, a step that concentrates their taste and attracts out extra moisture in order that they’ll sear as an alternative of steam. As soon as drained, they go into loads of sizzling ghee, the place they prepare dinner simply lengthy sufficient to remain tender and juicy with out falling aside, their sides taking over a deep golden shade that intensifies their taste.

The cucumbers are then seasoned with a beneficiant quantity of cardamom. Once I spoke to my uncle from Nablus, who’s one of the expert cooks and bakers in my household, he advised me to not maintain again with the spice. He is made this dish for me a number of instances, and I developed this recipe beneath his steering. To cite him: “Cucumbers love cardamom.” He’s proper. Whereas I used to be growing this recipe, I began with only a timid pinch when seasoning the cucumbers, solely to search out it disappeared into the background. I stored including extra till I landed at a full teaspoon to season two cucumbers. Cardamom’s virtually menthol-like high quality performs effectively with the cucumber’s naturally refreshing taste, making it surprisingly well-suited to a beneficiant hand. Ghee, which is what’s historically used to sear the stuffed model, provides a buttery, nutty richness that adheres to the golden seared cucumbers. Olive oil can be utilized as an alternative, however you will miss out on the toasty depth that ghee brings to the cucumbers.

The Hashweh

The cooked cucumbers sit on a base of hashweh—a warmly spiced rice-and-meat combination whose identify actually means “stuffing” in Arabic. It reveals up in nearly every thing: stuffing zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, turnips, onions, rooster—even quail. It is the Center Japanese counterpart to stuffing or dressing, however not like the model most Individuals reserve for the Thanksgiving desk, hashweh is an on a regular basis staple. 

Hashweh can also be usually served by itself, pilaf-style, topped with shredded rooster and nuts, quite than used as a filling. Its signature taste comes from a beneficiant combination of spices that outline its character. Cinnamon provides heat, whereas coriander contributes a citrus-like be aware. Allspice provides a piney carry, and cardamom balances with a floral, virtually cooling edge. Black pepper provides simply sufficient chunk to sharpen all of it, making a filling that is daring, aromatic, and deeply comforting. 

The method of creating hashweh begins with onions gently cooked in fats till golden, earlier than spices are briefly bloomed. Floor lamb or beef is then browned till no pink streaks stay, and rice is added to toast frivolously with the aromatics. Inventory is poured in and stirred, loosening the flavorful browned bits from the underside of the pan, and the combination gently simmers, lined, till the rice is tender and the flavors are totally absorbed into every grain. What you find yourself with is a deeply seasoned rice-and-meat base that may stand by itself. Lamb brings deeper taste and is the extra conventional choice, however beef makes an excellent substitute.

The Cooling Sauce

To stability all that richness, the dish is completed with a garlicky, minty yogurt sauce. It provides a cooling high quality that performs in opposition to the spiced hashweh, whereas additionally nodding to the cucumber-yogurt sauce historically served with stuffed cucumbers.

Find out how to Serve Hashweh and Khiar

Historically, khiar mahshi is served merely, topped with the cucumber-yogurt sauce. Right here, the hashweh is plated first, then topped with the seared cucumbers, a scattering of toasted pine nuts, and a drizzle of the ghee they had been cooked in for additional crunch and richness. A spoonful of the yogurt sauce goes excessive, tying every thing collectively. It is a dish that proves, indisputably, that sure, you completely ought to prepare dinner your cucumbers.

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