Zanzibar pizza

Ingredients

Dough

• 400 gplain flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 240 mlwarm water
• 4 tbspvegetable oil, plus more for coating

Savoury filling

• 300 gminced beef
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 1green chilli, minced
• 1tomato, deseeded and chopped
• 1 tspground cumin
• ½ tspturmeric
• 1 tspcurry powder
• ½ tspsalt
• 1 tbspchopped coriander
• 4eggs
• 4triangles of processed soft cheese, the classic Forodhani choice
• 2 tbspmayonnaise

Sweet filling, optional

• 2bananas, sliced
• 3 tbspchocolate spread
• 2 tbsppeanut butter
• 1 tbspcondensed milk
• a squeeze of lime

To cook and serve

• 100 mloil and 2 tbsp ghee, for the griddle
• 1lime, in wedges
• pilipili sauce

Directions

1. Knead the flour, salt, water and 2 tbsp of the oil into a soft dough, 8 minutes, then divide into 4 balls, coat them generously in the remaining oil and rest, covered, at least 1 hour. The oil coating is what lets the dough stretch to transparency.
2. Fry the onion, garlic and chilli in a little oil until soft, add the beef and cook 8 minutes over high heat until browned and dry.
3. Add the tomato, cumin, turmeric, curry powder and salt and cook 5 minutes more until there is no liquid left in the pan. Wet filling tears the dough. Cool completely and stir in the coriander.
4. On a heavily oiled flat surface, press and stretch one ball with your palms into a very thin square, 30 cm across, thin enough to read through. Patch any tears with a scrap of dough.
5. Spread a quarter of the beef in the middle in a 12 cm square, crack an egg over it, add a cheese triangle broken into pieces and a spoonful of mayonnaise.
6. Fold the four sides of the dough over the filling like an envelope to make a sealed square parcel, pressing the seams down.
7. Heat a flat griddle or a large frying pan over medium heat with a film of oil and a knob of ghee.
8. Slide the parcel on seam side down and cook 3 to 4 minutes, pressing gently with a spatula, until deep golden and crisp, adding more ghee at the edges.
9. Flip and cook the other side 3 to 4 minutes, until both sides are browned and the egg inside is just set; the parcel should feel firm in the middle when pressed.
10. Cut into quarters, squeeze lime over, add pilipili and eat straight away, standing up, the way it is sold at Forodhani Gardens in Stone Town.

Technique

• This is not a pizza in any Italian sense. It is a stuffed, griddled pastry closer to a Malaysian murtabak, which reached Zanzibar through the Indian Ocean trade, and it is a night-market food invented for tourists and locals alike at Forodhani.
• The stretching is the whole skill. The dough must be oiled and rested long enough to go translucent without tearing, and cooks at Forodhani slap and spin it on an oiled steel counter.
• Ghee at the edges of the griddle is what gives the fried, rich, slightly biscuity crust. Oil alone works but tastes plainer.

Substitutions

• No time for the dough: two spring roll wrappers or a large flour tortilla can be layered and filled, though the texture is crisper and less chewy.
• The processed cheese triangle is authentic to the stalls; a mild grated cheddar or mozzarella is a reasonable upgrade.
• Minced goat, chicken or a plain vegetable and egg filling are all sold at the same stalls.

Variations

• Nutella and banana Zanzibar pizza, the sweet version every stall makes.
• Zanzibar pizza with squid or prawns, common by the harbour.
• Mix mix, the stallholders’ name for a parcel with a bit of everything in it.

History

A Forodhani night-market creation in Stone Town: thin dough folded around minced meat, egg and mayonnaise and fried on a flat plate.

Frequently asked questions

What is Zanzibar pizza?

Zanzibar pizza is a street food from Tanzania: stuffed griddled dough with meat, egg or chocolate; Forodhani Gardens favorite. A Forodhani night-market creation in Stone Town: thin dough folded around minced meat, egg and mayonnaise and fried on a flat plate.

How long does Zanzibar pizza take to make?

Zanzibar pizza takes 40 min plus 1 hr resting of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 pizzas. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Zanzibar pizza?

Yes, within limits. No time for the dough: two spring roll wrappers or a large flour tortilla can be layered and filled, though the texture is crisper and less chewy. The processed cheese triangle is authentic to the stalls; a mild grated cheddar or mozzarella is a reasonable upgrade. Minced goat, chicken or a plain vegetable and egg filling are all sold at the same stalls.

What is the most important thing to get right in Zanzibar pizza?

The stretching is the whole skill. The dough must be oiled and rested long enough to go translucent without tearing, and cooks at Forodhani slap and spin it on an oiled steel counter.