rolf
Hello,
I am planning to cook koussa me7she for tomorrow. I'm just wondering if you geeks have any advice to give on how long to cook them, and particularly on where to find the best koussa and what kind of rice is the best to stuff them with?
So I thought, what better place to ask then LEBGEEKS!
J4D
Im 100% sure you will not be able to do them well from the first time :P
Use "Egyptian rice" also called short grain rice. They need to cook for a bit more than an hour on low flame ( until the rice cooks good.
Good luck! Show us some pics of the masterpiece when you are done :P
monkey-d-luffy
throw all the koussa from the window and cook a juicy steak - a koussa hater
scorz
@rolf If you want to add a special taste to your koussa add some piece of " kastaleta ghanam " - I don't know what it's called in english :\ -
PS: "kastaleta el ghanam" is very rich in "dehne" You don't have to eat them if you don't like it but It give a fu*kin awesome taste!
You can add some sliced tomatoes if you want.
Metalloy
you should consider another variation of.the koussa if you are doing it "bi Laban", called koussa "khyariye" meaning the cucumber-like koussa which is quite thr opposite of koussa me7shi since you actually peel off the outer crust and cut the inner of the koussa in circles ( it will resemble cut cucembers hence the name) and this is what you cook adding to them some meat.
mesa177
Like J4D mentioned, use Egyptian rice and if you don't know this already, you need to slightly cook the minced meat before adding the rice to it (wash the rice before mixing with the meat).
Ironically, the best zucchinis are found in Sabra at a store run by Abou Hussein (the first store on the right side at the entry of Sabra). They're fresh and you won't have to worry about them having a bitter after taste which some zucchinis and mikte have when they grow big in size.
Choose zucchinis that are big in size (smaller ones are used for ablama). Do not fill the zucchinis all the way; you need to keep each zucchini empty at the top so that at least the tip of your pinky fits in.
I highly advise using deep red tomatoes in addition to the tomato paste (Al-Tawous brand recommended) for the gravy (i.e. مرقة ). The more ripe they are, the better the taste.
Honestly, I find the kusa me7she a pretty heavy dish, and prefer the ablama dish. Also, ablama is easier to cook than kusa me7she and the burnt ends makes the kusa yummier. For ablama, you need to use small-sized zucchinis and stuff them with minced meat before frying them. Also, use Ashoka rice or Basmati rice on the side (tastier than Egyptian rice).
This is all I can think of for now.
solo220
Your biggest problem is putting the rice inside Koussa.
Metalloy
yea ablama is tasty too and on the lighter side, and Mesa seems to really knows what he's talking about so pay attention in here.
rolf
Wow! Thanks guys for all your feedback and tips! Now I really have to make this Koussa Me7she, no excuse!
It sounds good, I'll take this opportunity to experiment, I always though Koussa me7se tasted a little dull. Some here have already given me ideas about some variations.
I'll make sure to post photos.
And a special thanks to Mesa for the detailed recipe, and of course all the others who shared their ideas or opinion.
:)
Rubz
Dont forget to pre-soak the rice, to avoid your koussas exploding :D
Joe
Kudos for daring this attempt. I've taken up cooking a few years ago, and thoroughly enjoy it. I've always considered "Koussa Me7she" the ultimate dish.
Waiting for your pics :)
Tarek
i always cook in Congo , use the Italian soft rice , meat to rice ration should be 1/3 , don't over-stuff the koussa . the cooking time is between 25 to 40 minutes ( medium heat )
xazbrat
They do have kousa pre-emptied if you want to go that route--hardest part after that would be stuffing them.
as for variations, add a couple of hot peppers with the tomatoes and cook them. Don't slice them or the heat will go everywhere. You could also add a chicken or parts of them underneath to increase the protein too.
and additionally, FWIW, my family uses Italian rice, not egyptian rice. No idea why though.
Georges
You'll end up calling roadster diner for food! Trust me you will.
duckster
I think the rice and minced meat should not be cooked prior to filling the zucchinis. I could be wrong.
Also there is not specific requirement to use egyptian rice. I actually recommend uncle ben's.
Wash the rice well until the water loses its "white" shade, then strain the water out. Following that, place it in a big bowl and add the minced beef on top. Use your knuckles to mix the minced beef and rice together. Allow at least 3-5 minutes for this procedure so that the rice is evened out inside the mince. Also, you need to add salt and pepper (abido's "7 pepper" is recommended) while mixing things.
As for the zucchinis, you obviously need to use a specialized tool to dig into it. It's very important that you do not over dig otherwise you will perforate the zucchini. Also, as a fellow user mentioned above, make sure to leave a few milometers of space at the entrance. Do not over-stuff it, otherwise it will cause the zucchini to break when cooking.
Make sure you align the zucchinis well inside the deep pan (usually in a circular fashion), so as not to cause them to crush each other, yet at the same time maximizing the usable space. Also, it's wise to put a plate on top of the whole bunch so that it applies mild pressure to them without breaking them. Of course, you'd have to cover the whole thing even with the plate inside.
By the way, I think this approach is not applicable for zucchinis that are going to be cooked in tomato sauce. In which case, you simply add the tomato paste to water (+salt / pepper to your liking) then drop the zucchinis inside it and let it boil.
Don't take my words for granted, but that's how I think it's done.
Rubz
The rice is presoaked, then mixed with the minced meat with some vegetable ghee, crisco or something, ad seasoning (saalt pepper etc) and stuff'em thats how i makem :D
use tomato paste in water with a maggi cube to boilem if you wana make the tomato kousa but please dont put pieces of fresh diced tomatoes, those chunks ruin the whole dish for me:p