Lamb Dumplings in Yogurt (Shish Barak)
Tiny hand-pinched dumplings filled with spiced lamb, simmered gently in a warm garlicky yogurt sauce and finished with sizzled garlic, dried mint and toasted pine nuts. A beloved Lebanese winter classic, worth every minute at the counter.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the dough
In a bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the olive oil and warm water a little at a time, kneading until you get a smooth, soft dough that is not sticky — add a splash more water or a little flour if needed. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20–30 minutes; this relaxes the gluten so it rolls out thin without tearing.
- 400 g flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 180 ml warm water
✅ Done when: the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky to the touch
Mix the filling
In another bowl, combine the minced lamb, onion, allspice, cinnamon, pepper and salt. Knead the mixture with your hand for a minute so the spices spread evenly through the meat; the filling is used raw, as it cooks fully inside the tiny dumpling while it boils.
- 300 g lamb
- 1 onion
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the meat mixture looks evenly mixed and slightly sticky
Shape the dumplings
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Boil the dumplings
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Make the yogurt sauce
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Simmer in the sauce
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Garnish and serve
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Make the dough
In a bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add the olive oil and warm water a little at a time, kneading until you get a smooth, soft dough that is not sticky — add a splash more water or a little flour if needed. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20–30 minutes; this relaxes the gluten so it rolls out thin without tearing.
- 400 g flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 180 ml warm water
✅ Done when: the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky to the touch
Mix the filling
In another bowl, combine the minced lamb, onion, allspice, cinnamon, pepper and salt. Knead the mixture with your hand for a minute so the spices spread evenly through the meat; the filling is used raw, as it cooks fully inside the tiny dumpling while it boils.
- 300 g lamb
- 1 onion
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the meat mixture looks evenly mixed and slightly sticky
Shape the dumplings
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Boil the dumplings
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Make the yogurt sauce
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Simmer in the sauce
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Garnish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Shish barak is one of the great winter dishes of Lebanon, small lamb-filled dumplings boiled and then finished in a hot, garlicky yogurt sauce. It's the kind of recipe passed hand to hand in family kitchens, usually made in big batches so there are hands around the table pinching dumplings together while the yogurt simmers nearby.
Similar dumpling-in-yogurt dishes appear across the old Ottoman world, from Turkish mantı with yogurt and garlic to Armenian and Assyrian versions, a sign of how shared this style of cooking became across the region's kitchens over centuries.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's loved for the contrast between the tiny, delicate hand-pinched dumplings and the rich, tangy warmth of the garlic yogurt sauce, a dish that rewards patience with real comfort.
💡 Fun Fact
Unlike most yogurt-based sauces in the region, which are served cold, shish barak's sauce is one of the few traditionally eaten hot, simmered carefully so the yogurt never curdles.
Lebanon, and across the Levant (Syria, Jordan, Iraq)
33.89°N, 35.50°E
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