Mutabbaq

Mutabbaq is a savoury pastry of thin dough folded around a spiced lamb and egg filling, then pan-fried until crisp. It is eaten in Saudi Arabia and is also made in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar, where it is sold in bakeries and at street stalls as a snack or a morning meal.

What it really is

A thin sheet of flatbread dough is wrapped around a filling of minced lamb, onion and egg, seasoned with spices. The egg binds the filling as it cooks, so it holds together when the pastry is cut. The parcel is fried in ghee, which gives the outside its golden, crisp surface and a rich flavour. The dough is what sets the dish apart from a simple meat filling: it is thin, and it is folded rather than rolled into a turnover.

Mutabbaq is pan-fried, not baked. The crisp outside comes from the ghee in the pan, so it is best eaten hot, while the crust is still firm.

How it's served

• Hot from the pan, cut into wedges or squares.
• Eaten by hand, often with a cup of tea.
• As a snack or a breakfast, bought from bakeries and street stalls.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the meat: minced lamb. If the filling is made with another meat, name that meat instead.
• Flag wheat in the dough, eggs in the filling and milk from the ghee.
• State that it is pan-fried in ghee, and say if you use another fat. Never mark it vegetarian or vegan.
• Give the size and say whether it is served whole or cut into pieces.