Sheikh al-mahshi
{{Short description|Stuffed eggplant or zucchini dish}}
{{Infobox food
| name_lang = ar
| image = Makhshi1.jpg
| image_size = 260px
| type = mahashi (stuffed vegetables)
| region = Syria
| similar_dish = kousa mahshi
| main_ingredient = zucchini · minced meat · eggs · olive oil · onion · pine nuts · yogurt · starch (to thicken the yogurt sauce)
}}
Sheikh al-mahshi (شيخ المحشي {{IPA|ar|ʃeːx.al.maħʃi}} 'the Chief of fillings'), sheikh el mahshi or shexmahshi (Kurdish) is a popular dish in the Middle East consisting of zucchini stuffed with minced lamb meat and nuts, bathed in a yogurt sauce (the original) or tomato sauce (derivative).{{Cite book|last=Sageer|first=Julie Ann|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/957021040|title=Julie Taboulie's Lebanese kitchen : authentic recipes for fresh and flavorful Mediterranean home cooking|publisher=St. Martin's Publishing Group|others=Leah Bhabha, Alexandra Grablewski|year=2017|isbn=978-1-250-09493-3|edition=1st|location=New York|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MARpDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA101 101]|oclc=957021040}}{{Cite book|last=Osborne|first=Christine|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1035673384|title=An insight and guide to Jordan|publisher=Hippocene|year=1988|isbn=9780870524653|location=New York|oclc=1035673384}}{{Cite book|last=Laird|first=Mary Louise|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30915162|title=Lebanese mountain cookery|date=1995|publisher=D.R. Godine|isbn=1-56792-020-9|edition=1st|location=Boston|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=eTRspB-xvhUC&pg=PA159 159]|oclc=30915162}} {{Cite web|last=Almaani|first=Fidaa|date=2021-02-13|title=طبق شيخ المحشي الشهي|trans-title=The delicious Sheikh Al-Mahshi dish|url=https://alumniyat.net/2021/02/13/طبق-شيخ-المحشي-الشهي/|access-date=2021-09-08|website=الامنيات برس (Alumniyat Press)|language=ar}} {{Cite web|last=حماد Hammad|first=رويدا Rowaida|title=شيخ المحشي" أصوله و طريقة تحضيره"|trans-title=Sheikh Al-Mahshi, origins and method of preparation|url=https://sakaluz.com/?p=14270|access-date=2021-09-08|website=سكلوز (Sakaluz)|date=15 October 2020 |language=ar}} Certain sources point to Syrian origin.{{Cite web|last=شورى Shura|first=حسام Hossam|date=2019-05-07|title=تاريخ الطعام (2) : بالرغم من اختلاف المكونات.. أصل المحشي ليس مصريًا|trans-title=History of food (2): Despite the different ingredients, the origin of the mahshi is not Egyptian|url=https://www.shorouknews.com/news/view.aspx?cdate=07052019&id=ffe012eb-c45a-4e16-bf55-d5d8e21bc785|access-date=2021-09-08|website=خدمات الشروق (Khadamat al-Shuruq)|language=ar-eg}}
Due to its combination of flavors and laborious preparation, this is one of the most appreciated dishes in the Arab world. This esteem is reflected in its name: sheikh means 'chief', that is, it is considered a "sheikh's food".{{Cite book|last=Khan|first=Yasmin|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1084726066|title=Zaitoun: recipes from the Palestinian kitchen|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|others=Matt Russell, Raya Manaa'and, Hosam Salem|year=2019|isbn=978-1-324-00263-5|edition=1st|location=New York|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=6Z1gDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA300 300]|oclc=1084726066}} Unlike kusa mahshi, the filling completely dispenses with rice, and is instead filled with more luxurious ingredients: meat and pine nuts. This dish requires a lot of elaboration, which is why it is considered an honor for guests when it is served in a house.{{Cite book|last=Farsoun|first=Samih K.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55679550|title=Culture and customs of the Palestinians|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2004|isbn=0-313-32051-9|location=Westport, Conn.|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3ntlybo9BEQC&pg=PA66 66]|oclc=55679550}}
Popular legend has it that this dish was found in Syria and the dish spread throughout the Middle East, the Arabs gradually replaced the vegetable filling with meat and onion.{{Cite web|last=Salah|first=Jamal|date=2013|title=Sheij el mahshi, el jeque de los rellenos|url=http://elcucharonenlasopa.blogspot.com/2013/08/sheij-el-mahshi-el-jeque-de-los-rellenos_31.html|access-date=2021-09-08|website=El Cucharón en la Sopa|language=es}} zucchini is more commonly used in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf countries, while in Lebanon eggplants are preferred.
Preparation
In general, small vegetables are used, since large ones are difficult to seed, and require a lot of stuffing.{{Cite book|last=Nader|first=Ralph|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1149091201|title=The Ralph Nader and family cookbook : classic recipes from Lebanon and beyond.|publisher=Akashic Books|year=2020|isbn=978-1-61775-828-7|location=Brooklyn, New York|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=PpGyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA143 143]|oclc=1149091201}} If only large ones are available, it is better to cut them in half. Although less well known, there are also recipes that use tomatoes.{{Cite book|last=Roden|first=Claudia|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/430828581|title=The new book of Middle Eastern food|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|year=2008|isbn=978-0-307-55856-5|location=New York|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=r723owliVz8C&pg=PA319 319]|chapter=Sheikh el Mahshi Banadoura|oclc=430828581}}
The filling begins by lightly toasting the almonds or pine nuts. In addition, a chopped onion is cooked over low heat. Then the minced meat is added and seasoned with the spices to suit each home: cinnamon, black pepper, etc. and salt. Finally, the meat is mixed with the dried fruit.
In the Middle East there is a specific kitchen utensil for emptying vegetables, called in Arabic {{lang|ar|حفارات الكوسا}} (hafārat kūsā) o {{lang|ar|معورة كوسا}} (maʿwarat kūsā) and "sacacorazones" in Spanish. With another utensil there is a risk of breaking the skin of the vegetable and therefore making it unusable.{{Cite web|last=Saleh|first=Maha|date=2016-10-30|title=Sheyj al-mahshi|url=https://www.monitordeoriente.com/20161030-sheyj-al-mahshi/|access-date=2021-09-08|website=Monitor De Oriente|language=es}}
Once all the zucchini have been emptied, they are stuffed. Finally, the zucchini are lightly browned in samneh.
For the yogurt sauce, flour should be mixed with strained yogurt and water, and heated in the pot without stopping stirring, which is difficult. First-time cooks are advised to add egg or an egg-flour mixture to help stabilize the sauce and keep it from splitting. Starch can also be used to thicken it. Finally, the stuffed zucchini are placed in the yogurt sauce and cooked. The dish is commonly served with rice.
Sheikh Mahshi.JPG|Sheikh al-mahshi of zucchini and aubergines in tomato sauce
شيخ محشي.jpg|Sheikh al-mahshi of zucchini in yogurt sauce