At Dubai’s Orfali Bros restaurant, Syrian chef and restaurateur Mohamad Orfali reimagines shish barak, a popular Levantine dish featuring beef dumplings in spiced yogurt sauce, as wagyu dumplings served over seasoned yogurt and topped with a spicy, seasoned oil made from sujuk sausage.
Inspired by his riff, I created a version of my own, using a similar treatment to turn store-bought gyoza into a simple but spectacular weeknight meal. I kept the simple garlicky yogurt, but added wilted kale to make this feel like a complete dinner (feel free to swap in Swiss chard, collard greens, or even spinach). Melted butter infused with mild chile flakes, smoked paprika, and cumin adds a finishing blast of flavor that can amp up even the most timidly flavored dumplings. —Zaynab Issa
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What you’ll need
Microplane Grater
$17 At Amazon
Large Skillet
$90 At Amazon
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
$32 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Mix together 1 cup labneh or plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Spread mixture on a platter. Set aside.
Step 2
Toast 2 Tbsp. pine nuts in a dry large skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; let cool.
Step 3
Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in same skillet. Working in 2 batches and adding remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil between batches, cook 24 store-bought beef, chicken, or vegetable gyoza in a single layer, undisturbed, until golden underneath, about 2 minutes. Pour 3 Tbsp. water into skillet, quickly cover, and cook until gyoza are cooked through and deep golden brown on bottom, about 3 minutes. Transfer gyoza to reserved platter with labneh mixture.
Step 4
Reduce heat to low and melt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter in skillet. Cook 1 tsp. Aleppo-style pepper, ½ tsp. ground cumin, ¼ tsp. smoked paprika, and ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt, swirling pan, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour half of chile butter into a small bowl; set aside.
Step 5
Add 1 bunch Tuscan kale, ribs and stems removed, leaves torn, a pinch of salt, and 2 Tbsp. water to chile butter in pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted, about 2 minutes. Spoon over gyoza.
Step 6
Spoon reserved chile butter over gyoza; top with pine nuts and 2 Tbsp. torn mint leaves.
