Saudi Arabia: Mutabbaq
Mutabbaq is a common street food in Saudi Arabia… according to the internet, which I have to rely on, a lot, having never been to most of the countries F1 races in! I am semi-well traveled, but there is still much of the world I have not had the opportunity to visit. My closest travel destination to Saudi Arabia would have to have been a port day in Istanbul on a cruise, back when I was a teenager. My most salient memories were of the daily calls to prayer that rang out through the city and the markets. That trip also took us to a few of the gorgeous Greek islands and a couple days in Athens. The top food memory of that trip is the fresh feta cheese, I still have not tasted anything nearly as good here in the U.S. (Though if you are curious, the closest I have come is Valbreso Sheep’s Milk Cheese in the metal tin!)
I would love an opportunity to visit more of the world and try all the food I read about, in the meantime it is a fun hobby trying to recreate it at home. I love that so many other people enjoy this hobby too, and I hope my research helps you try new things!
These savory pastries are relatively easy to make, and can be made easier by a common swap out of spring roll wrappers for your own dough. Your final Mutabbaq packets would definitely be smaller, but I think that could be fun as they would be easier to eat in a couple bites. As with most crispy fried up things these are best eaten as soon as they come off the hot pan (with a spritz of lemon). I will admit, I was underwhelmed by the flavors and the inevitable amount of dough that results from folding the packet up to be able to be pan fried, not bad, but just a bit doughy. If I were to make them again I would definitely double the spices. I would also consider the spring roll wrapper trick, as I think it would make the whole process easier without losing much. Given that they were a little bland (in my opinion) a chutney, such as tamarind chutney or tomato chutney, and lots of lemon slices are pretty important, so don’t skip those! You could also serve it with a chopped salad with a punchy vinegar-based dressing to round out the meal and balance the more subtle savory flavors of the Mutabbaq.
Mutabbaq
Dough
3 cups of flour
1 cup warm water
1 large egg
Dash of salt
1 tablespoon oil
Filling
1 tablespoon oil, plus more for pan frying mutabbaq about 4-5 more tablespoons
½ inch or ½ tablespoon grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 green chillis, minced
5 green onions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cups cabbage, shredded/ finely sliced
1 cup green beans, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 teaspoons lemon juice
1 medium tomato, chopped
3 eggs
For serving
Lemon, sliced
Tamarind chutney, or other chutney of your choice (such as this Tomato chutney)
Make the dough:
Mix the dough ingredients well, knead until smooth, and cut it into 6 balls. Let them rest for at least half an hour.
Prepare the filling:
Heat oil in a large pan, add ginger, garlic, and green chili, stir fry for just a few seconds until fragrant.
Add in the onion and whites of the green onion, stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the onions are just soft but not starting to brown.
Add the green beans and stir fry for another minute, add carrots and stir to mix in, cook another minute.
Add cabbage and bell pepper and cook everything together until cabbage wilts and all vegetables are about half cooked.
Stir in salt, pepper, spices, and lemon juice, mix everything together well until spices are fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Take off the heat, add in chopped tomato, and allow the entire vegetable mix to cool completely.
Beat the eggs in a small bowl, add sliced green onions and mix together.
Once the vegetable mixture is completely cooled, pour in the egg mixture and combine.
Make the Mutabbaq:
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a surface that is lightly greased with oil. Roll out very thinly into a rectangle, approximately 10x12 inches. Add about ½ cup vegetable/egg mixture to the center of the rolled-out dough and shape it into an approximate square, then fold over 2 opposite sides of the dough to just overlap each other. Repeat the same with the other 2 sides to create a square packet. *Note, the egg may separate from the vegetable mixture between rolling out and filling the next packet, simply stir the mixture before filling the next mutabbaq.
Add 1 tablespoon oil to heavy heavy-bottomed pan, such as a cast iron pan, over medium heat, and toast the mutabbaq on both sides until well browned and crispy about 4-6 minutes per side.
Serve with lemon slices and chutney.
Adapted from That Translator Can Cook and Paripoorna Paksiddhi Blog