Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Zucchini)
Tender zucchini stuffed with rice, ground beef, onion and tomato, then simmered in pomegranate molasses and lemon. Six servings, 45 minutes to prep.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 105 min
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
What you’ll need — tap to tick off as you go
- 500 g
- 150 g
- 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp
- 1 tsp
- ½ tsp
- ½ tsp
- 1 ½ tsp
- 1 tsp
- 2 tbsp
- 1 tbsp
- 700 ml
Process
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Wash the zucchini and cut a thin slice off the stem end. Use a kousa corer or a thin apple corer to hollow out the inside, leaving a 5 mm wall and a closed base. Push the corer in and twist, then pull out the pulp; repeat from both ends if needed. Reserve 3 tbsp of the zucchini pulp and discard the rest.
In a bowl, combine the ground beef, rinsed short-grain rice, chopped onion, grated tomato, 1 tbsp tomato paste, olive oil, ground allspice, ground cinnamon, ground black pepper, 1 tsp salt and the dried mint. Mix with your hands until just combined; do not overwork it.
Fill each hollowed zucchini loosely with the meat and rice mixture, leaving about 1.5 cm of space at the top because the rice expands. Do not pack it tightly or the zucchini will split. Tap the base gently on the counter to settle the filling.
Line the bottom of a wide heavy pot with the sliced tomato and any leftover zucchini pulp. Arrange the stuffed zucchini upright and snug in the pot, packing them so they do not fall over.
Whisk the remaining 1 tbsp tomato paste, 700 ml water, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Pour over the zucchini; the liquid should come about three-quarters up the sides. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low, cover and simmer gently for 45–55 minutes, until the zucchini is tender when pierced with a knife and the rice filling is cooked through. Do not stir or the zucchini will break.
Taste the broth and adjust salt and lemon. Let the pot rest off the heat for 10 minutes, then transfer the zucchini to a platter with a slotted spoon and spoon the tomato broth over the top.
Kitchen notes
Kitchen notes
- The most common mistake is overfilling: rice swells to nearly double, so leave 1.5 cm of headroom at the top of each zucchini or the skins will burst during simmering.
- Choose small, firm, straight zucchini about 12-15 cm long. Large watery ones collapse and turn mushy; if yours are big, halve them crosswise and core both halves.
- Keep the simmer at low and never stir the pot. Shake the pot gently by the handles if you need to move things; a spoon will tear the soft skins.
- The zucchini is done when a knife slides in with no resistance at the thickest part and the rice is no longer chalky. If the rice is still firm after 55 minutes, add 100 ml hot water and simmer 10 more minutes.
Substitutions
- ground beef→ground lamb or a 50/50 beef and lamb mix for a richer flavor
- short-grain rice→medium-grain rice, rinsed well; avoid long-grain basmati as it stays firm
- pomegranate molasses→1 tsp honey plus 1 tsp lemon juice
- dried mint→1 tbsp chopped fresh mint added to the filling
Storage & reheating
Cool leftovers completely, then store the zucchini with some of the broth in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, place them in a covered saucepan with 2-3 tbsp water or broth over low heat for 10-12 minutes, or microwave covered in 1-minute bursts until hot. For longer storage, freeze the zucchini and broth in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently, as the texture softens after freezing.
FAQ
The questions we get asked most
Why did my kousa mahshi split open while cooking?
The filling was packed too tightly or the simmer was too vigorous. Rice expands by about half its volume, so leave 1.5 cm of empty space at the top of each zucchini and keep the pot at a bare simmer with the lid on. Also avoid stirring; shake the pot instead.
Can I use a regular vegetable peeler or knife to hollow the zucchini?
A long, thin corer made for kousa or a metal apple corer works best because it keeps the walls even. If you only have a paring knife, cut the zucchini in half crosswise and use a small spoon to scoop out the center, leaving a 5 mm shell. Uneven walls are what cause blowouts.
How do I know when the rice inside is fully cooked?
Insert a thin knife into the center of a zucchini and taste a grain of rice from the opening. The rice should be tender with no chalky bite, and the zucchini should give no resistance to the knife. This usually takes 45-55 minutes at a low simmer; if the rice is still firm, add hot water and cook 10 minutes more.
Can I make kousa mahshi ahead of time?
Yes. Stuff the zucchini up to 24 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate them in the pot with the broth. Bring to a simmer and cook as directed, adding 5-10 minutes because they start cold. You can also fully cook them a day ahead and reheat gently in their broth; the flavor improves overnight.
Can I freeze stuffed zucchini?
Freeze fully cooked zucchini with their broth in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a covered pan over low heat. The zucchini will be softer after freezing, so this is best when you plan to serve them with rice or yogurt rather than as a neat platter.
What can I use instead of ground beef to make it vegetarian?
Replace the beef with 250 g cooked brown lentils or 200 g finely chopped mushrooms plus 50 g toasted pine nuts, and add 1 extra tbsp olive oil. Increase the rice to 200 g and season a little more strongly, since lentils and mushrooms absorb more salt than meat.
Why is my filling dry and crumbly?
Lean meat with too little fat or too much rice makes a dry filling. Use beef with at least 15 percent fat, keep the rice-to-meat ratio at roughly 1 to 3, and add the grated tomato and olive oil called for. The broth also steams into the open tops, so never fill the pot with liquid above three-quarters of the zucchini height.
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