Ingredients (Serves 6)
1 kg lean ground meat 2 kg 'açır'
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 cup oil
1 bowl garlic yogurt Enough salt and pepper

Preparation
Wash the 'açır' and open the top lids, taste them to make sure they are not bitter. The inside is hollowed out to be thicker than stuffed zucchini. Oil is put in the pot and the bottom is lit. The hot oil is used to add the gherkins and fry them until they wilt. On the other hand, the minced meat is first cooked in water and then oil is added and the frying is started. Then, very finely chopped onion, salt and pepper are added and removed from the heat. The hollowed-out fried 'çırs' are filled with the prepared minced meat and in order to prevent the minced meat from spilling out, they are arranged in a pot, one behind the other, like stuffed vegetables. A spoon of tomato paste is boiled in two glasses of water and poured over the gherkins. 'In order for the Acır not to move and to prevent its contents from emptying, a plate is placed upside down on it and placed on the fire. When it boils, it is cooked on low heat by lowering the heat. The water is completely drained, left in its own oil and placed on a serving plate. A different way of cooking in some houses is to add a small amount of rice to the minced meat instead of onion and cook it without tomato paste. It is eaten with white rice pilaf with garlic yogurt poured on it.

*Acır (Acur) is an Arabic word in Urfa called ‘ayn’.
**It is also made with small eggplants and zucchinis freshly picked from the garden. This dish is called şıhilmahşi in Birecik, and a similar version of the one made with zucchinis in regions with Arab influence is called şıhilmahşi.

Source: Tandırlık Gelen Lezzet / Lütfiye AKALIN