Cooked yoghurt sauces are popular in the Levant, Turkey and parts of Central Asia. Some are stabilised with cornflour, but Middle Eastern food expert Anissa Helou recommends egg, which I prefer as it gives a very stable result without changing the texture of the yoghurt. This versatile yoghurt sauce is delicious with shish barak (meat dumplings) as well as over lamb shanks (laban immo). In fact the Lebanese serve almost anything in it, kibbeh balls, eggs, even stuffed zucchini. Use just coriander or just mint if you prefer one or the other, or replace the coriander with parsley. Depending on what I’m serving laban matboukh with, I often keep the herb mixture separate then either stir it into the sauce at the last minute or use it as a garnish. If it’s been sitting for a while, you may need to warm it slightly to use as a garnish as the butter will solidify. You could halve the recipe but that leaves you with half an egg, so I generally make a full quantity and freeze the rest for a later meal.
Makes about 3½ cups (900ml)
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