Dawood Basha
داوود باشا·(da-wood ba-sha)
The Daily Yakhni: Weeknight Stews
Dawood Basha is the crown jewel of the Lebanese yakhni rotation, a comforting meatball and onion stew that demands respect through restraint. Western adaptations often ruin it by dumping in peas and potatoes, but the real secret of a grandmother's kitchen lies in what you don't add. Squeeze the water out of your onions, fry your tomato paste in the meat drippings, and let the warm spices and pomegranate molasses do the heavy lifting. This is pure, unadulterated comfort food that tastes exactly like home.
Before you start
Wring out the grated onions.
Wrap the grated onion for the meatballs in a paper towel or clean kitchen cloth and aggressively squeeze it over the sink until no more liquid drips out.
Ingredients
- ground beef or a 50/50 mix of ground beef and ground lamb1 lb
- yellow onion1 small
- fresh parsley leaves1/4 cup
- Lebanese 7-Spice1 tsp
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- plain breadcrumbs1 tbsp
- all-purpose flour2 tbsp
- ghee or neutral vegetable oil2 tbsp
- yellow onions2 large
- garlic3 cloves
- tomato paste3 tbsp
- crushed tomatoes15 oz
- beef broth or water1 1/2 cup
- pomegranate molasses1 tbsp
- granulated sugar1/4 tsp
- Lebanese 7-Spice1/2 tsp
- pine nuts1/4 cup
- fresh parsley1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Combine the squeezed grated onion, ground meat, chopped parsley, 7-Spice, salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl.
Squeezing the water out of the grated onion is non-negotiable; excess water will cause the meatballs to boil from the inside out and disintegrate.
- 02
Knead the mixture vigorously with your hands until tacky, then roll into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball.
The mechanical action of kneading extracts proteins and acts as the true binder, yielding about 18 to 20 meatballs.
- 03
Dust the meatballs lightly in flour and sear in a heavy pot over medium-high heat with the ghee until browned on all sides.
You don't need to cook them through, just build a crust. Remove them to a plate but leave the fat and browned bits in the pot.
- 04
Reduce the heat to medium, add the sliced onions to the pot, and sauté until deeply softened and golden.
Scrape up the browned fond from the meatballs as the onions release their moisture, then add the minced garlic for the final minute of cooking.
- 05
Stir the tomato paste into the onions and cook constantly for two to three minutes until it turns a deep brick red.
Frying the paste removes its raw, tinny flavor and caramelizes the sugars, creating the rich backbone of the yakhni.
- 06
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, broth, pomegranate molasses, sugar, and remaining 7-Spice, then bring to a gentle boil.
The pomegranate molasses provides a complex, sweet-and-sour Levantine tang that elevates the sauce.
- 07
Return the meatballs to the pot, cover, and simmer gently for twenty minutes.
The flour dusting from the meatballs will naturally thicken the sauce into a luxurious gravy as the flavors meld.
- 08
Ladle the hot stew over vermicelli rice and garnish generously with toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley.
Notes
Spice Substitutions.
If you cannot find Lebanese 7-Spice (Baharat), substitute equal parts ground allspice and ground cinnamon to replicate the authentic aroma of a Levantine kitchen.
Fat matters.
Do not use lean ground beef for this recipe. You need the fat to keep the kafta tender and to flavor the sauce during the sear.
From Cook Lebanese in America.