Mutabbaq

Ingredients

Dough

• 400 gplain flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspsugar
• 250 mlwarm water
• 3 tbspoil, plus more for resting

Filling

• 400 gminced beef or lamb
• 3large leeks, very finely sliced
• 6spring onions, sliced
• 1onion, chopped
• 3 clovesgarlic
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspblack pepper
• ½ tspturmeric
• salt

To bind

• 4eggs, beaten

To cook

• ghee and oil, for the griddle

To serve

• lemon wedges
• hot sauce
• sweet tea

Directions

1. Make a firm dough with the flour, salt, sugar, water and oil, and knead it 10 minutes until very smooth. Knead it thoroughly, because the sheet has to be stretched to near transparency and an under-worked dough tears at once.
2. Divide into 4 balls, coat them thickly in oil, cover, and rest at least 2 hours. Oiling and resting is what makes the dough stretchable, and a dough worked straight away simply will not go thin.
3. Slice the leeks as finely as you can and wash them thoroughly in several changes of water. Drain the sliced leeks and dry them well on a cloth. Fry the onion and garlic, add the mince and the spices, and cook until dry and browned.
4. Cook the meat until it is genuinely dry, because any moisture makes the parcel impossible to seal and fry. Spread the meat out on a tray and let it cool completely. The leeks go in raw and they cook inside the parcel in about four minutes, keeping a faint bite.
5. Heat a flat griddle with a good film of oil over a medium-high heat. Stretch a dough ball on a heavily oiled surface with your palms until it is a huge translucent sheet.
6. Lay the sheet on the griddle and pour a quarter of the filling into the centre. Fold the four sides in over the filling to make a square parcel, overlapping and pressing the seams. Work fast and seal it firmly, because raw egg escaping into the oil is the usual disaster.
7. Fry 3 to 4 minutes a side, pressing down and adding ghee around the edges. It is ready when both sides are deep golden and crisp and the egg is set through. Cut it into squares and serve hot with lemon and hot sauce.

Technique

• A sweet version filled with banana and honey is also sold at the same stalls.
• The dough balls freeze well in oil.
• It is heavy food and it is eaten as a meal rather than a snack.

Substitutions

• Frozen paratha or roti sheets, which is much easier and less good.
• Spring onions alone if leeks are unavailable, using a great many.

Variations

• Sweet mutabbaq, with banana and honey.
• Murtabak, the Malaysian version with curry gravy.
• Martabak telur, the Indonesian version.

History

Folded stuffed pancake brought by Yemeni and South Asian traders to Jeddah and sold from evening street griddles.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mutabbaq?

Mutabbaq is a street food from Saudi Arabia: crispy folded pancake stuffed with spiced meat, egg and leek. Folded stuffed pancake brought by Yemeni and South Asian traders to Jeddah and sold from evening street griddles.

How long does Mutabbaq take to make?

Mutabbaq takes 40 min plus 2 hr resting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 pieces. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Mutabbaq?

Yes, within limits. Frozen paratha or roti sheets, which is much easier and less good. Spring onions alone if leeks are unavailable, using a great many.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mutabbaq?

It is heavy food and it is eaten as a meal rather than a snack.