Saudi Mutabbaq with Spiced Minced Meat
Mutabbaq dough must rest submerged in oil for at least 4 hours — the oil works into the dough so it stretches out translucent without tearing. Dough rested for only an hour will rip the moment you pull it.
- Prep
- 270 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 295 min
- Calories
- 420
Mutabbaq is a Saudi street food of South Asian origin that took root in the Hijaz. The dough is stretched extremely thin, filled with minced meat, egg and leek, folded into a square and fried on a griddle. The name itself comes from tabaqa — to fold.
Method
-
1
Make the dough
Knead the flour, salt and water into a soft dough for 8 minutes, then divide it into 6 balls.
⏱ 12 min -
2
Submerge and rest
Put the balls in a bowl and cover them completely in oil, then refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. The oil is what will let them stretch translucent.
⏱ 250 min -
3
The filling
Soften the onion and garlic, add the minced meat and break it up, browning it until all moisture has gone, then the spices and salt. Cool it, then stir in the leek and beaten egg.
⏱ 15 min -
4
Stretch
Oil a smooth surface, take one ball and stretch it by hand from the centre outwards until it is translucent enough to see your hand through. A tear in the middle is fine.
⏱ 15 min -
5
Fill and fold
Place the filling in the centre as a square, then fold the four edges over it like an envelope.
⏱ 6 min -
6
Fry
On a greased griddle or wide pan over medium heat, fry each side for 3-4 minutes until crisp and golden.
⏱ 20 min -
7
Serve
Cut into squares and serve hot with chilli sauce or a dipping sauce.
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Tips that actually matter
- The oil is not a surface coating — the dough is fully submerged for 4 hours, and that is the step that makes it stretch.
- Stretch by hand, not with a rolling pin. A pin cuts through thin dough.
- The filling must be cold and dry — warm filling steams and bursts the dough.
- Medium heat, not high — high heat burns the outside while the filling stays cold.
People also ask
Why does my dough tear while stretching?
It did not rest in oil long enough. Four hours minimum, overnight is better. The oil works between the dough layers and lets them extend without breaking.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes — assemble it completely and freeze it raw between sheets of baking paper, then fry from frozen with two extra minutes.
Can I use chicken or make it vegetarian?
Yes — minced chicken works the same way, or a filling of mashed potato with onion and spices for the vegetarian version.
Cook mode
Saudi Mutabbaq with Spiced Minced Meat
-
1
Make the dough
Knead the flour, salt and water into a soft dough for 8 minutes, then divide it into 6 balls.
-
2
Submerge and rest
Put the balls in a bowl and cover them completely in oil, then refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. The oil is what will let them stretch translucent.
-
3
The filling
Soften the onion and garlic, add the minced meat and break it up, browning it until all moisture has gone, then the spices and salt. Cool it, then stir in the leek and beaten egg.
-
4
Stretch
Oil a smooth surface, take one ball and stretch it by hand from the centre outwards until it is translucent enough to see your hand through. A tear in the middle is fine.
-
5
Fill and fold
Place the filling in the centre as a square, then fold the four edges over it like an envelope.
-
6
Fry
On a greased griddle or wide pan over medium heat, fry each side for 3-4 minutes until crisp and golden.
-
7
Serve
Cut into squares and serve hot with chilli sauce or a dipping sauce.
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