Malawach

Method

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1. Mix the flour, salt, sugar and water to a soft dough and knead 5 minutes until smooth. Rest 10 minutes covered.

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2. Divide into 4 and roll each piece as thin as you can on a lightly oiled surface — thin enough to see through is the target.

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3. Spread each sheet with a quarter of the softened butter, right to the edges.

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4. Roll each up into a long rope, then coil the rope into a flat spiral and press down gently.

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5. Rest the coils 10 minutes, then roll each into a 20 cm round, keeping the spiral flat.

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6. Heat a dry heavy frying pan over medium and cook each malawach 3 minutes a side, pressing gently with a spatula, until deeply blistered and the layers have puffed apart.

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7. Season the grated tomato with salt.

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8. Serve hot, torn, with grated tomato, a quartered egg and zhug.

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Chef’s Tips

• Dry pan, no oil. There is enough butter inside and added fat makes them greasy rather than crisp.
• Oil the work surface rather than flouring it — flour stops the layers sliding and you lose the lamination.
• They must be eaten hot. Cooled, the butter sets and the layers go heavy.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the green chilli in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.

Pairing Suggestions

• Sweet black tea
• Skhug and more grated tomato
• Hard-boiled eggs, always

Storage & Reheating

The shaped raw coils freeze 3 months and fry from frozen with a couple of extra minutes, which is how they are usually kept. Cooked, they are best within the hour.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.