Sheikh al-Mahshi

Wash 8 baby zucchini, trim off the ends, and carefully hollow out the centers with a narrow knife or a special coring tool, leaving walls about 5 mm thick; be careful not to pierce the bottom.

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet, sauté the finely chopped onion for 4–5 minutes until golden, add the ground lamb, salt, and black pepper, and cook for 8–10 minutes, breaking up any lumps. Stir in the pine nuts and remove the filling from the heat.

Once the filling has cooled slightly, stuff the zucchini with it, filling loosely and leaving about 1 cm of space at the top so the filling doesn't split the zucchini while cooking.

Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a wide pot, and sear the stuffed zucchini on all sides for 8–10 minutes until lightly golden; turn them gently so as not to damage the walls.

Add 700 ml hot water, bring to a boil, and simmer the zucchini covered for 10 minutes. Remove them and reserve the cooking liquid.

Strain the yogurt into a saucepan, whisk in the eggs, cornstarch, 200 ml of the reserved liquid, and salt. Heat over medium heat, whisking constantly in one direction, until the sauce thickens and just barely starts to simmer; do not let it boil hard.

Gently place the zucchini into the yogurt sauce and warm through over low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, let the dish rest for 5 minutes, and serve hot.