Murtabak / Mutabak / Mattabak / Mutabbaq

A stuffed pancake or pan-fried bread commonly found in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Thailand. Ingredients differ by aria. Originally from Yemen.

(Originally inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi)

Ingredients

• 300g all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 190ml water, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 300g minced beef or mutton (full fat)
• 12 small shallots
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• salt, sugar, white pepper
• 4 duck eggs
• 3 chicken eggs
• 11 spring onions
• cucumber & shallots for pickle
• 10 birds-eye chillies
• 1/2 head medium size garlic
• 75g palm sugar
• 25g granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 300ml water
• enough oil for soaking an frying

Make the pastry

• 300g all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Gradually add 190ml water whilst kneading until smooth. It will be quite sticky.
• Divide into 8-10 portions (balls)
• Soak in oil for at least 1 hour. This is to soften them and make it easier to roll. Keep the oil for frying later.

Pickles

• Boil
  • 1/2 cup of cider vinegar
  • 1 cup of water
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cucumber, seeds removed, finely sliced
• couple of shallots, cut in half
• pour brine over cucumber & shallots – cover completely. Refrigerate at least 1 hour

Filling

• Finely slice 10-12 spring onions – just the green bit (for colour)
• finely slice 10 small shallots and 1 large onion
• In a pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil and cook shallots and onion until fragrant – add 300g of minced beef or mutton (full fat)
• add salt and pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 2 teaspoons curry powder. Add spring onions last.
• Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
• Set aside

Murtabak sauce

• Heat 300ml water
• Add 75g palm sugar & 25g granulated sugar
• add 1/2 head garlic, crushed and finely sliced (not chopped!)
• add 8-10 fresh birds eye chillies, finely sliced
• cook until it thickens.
• add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice at the end
• put in a serving bowl and set aside

Murtabak

• Heat the soaking oil in a frying pan.
• Work each dough-ball on a well-oiled marble slab into a very thin pastry sheet. First flatten with well-oiled palm, then thin it further by pulling at the edges.
• Whisk the eggs and mix with curried meat filling.
• Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling
• Fold the four sides in like an envelope, into a square
• Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Flip and fry other side
• Cut into 2 or 4, serve warm or cold with chilli dip, or with the pickle and a hot and sweet sauce.