Mutabbaq Recipe | Murtabak (Saudi Street Style Partha) (2024)

Mutabbaq or Murtabak is a delicious stuffed paratha with spicy minced meat, which is a popular street food snack in Saudia Arabia. I've fallen in love with this delicious, filling snack! Learn how to make it at home, with step-by-step photos.

Okay, picture this. A paratha pocket filled with a delicious minced meat and egg filling. It's such a satisfying snack, and it's so much better than having just a plain paratha. I mean plain parathas are awesome, but I think we can all agree stuffed parathas are better. Especially if they look like cute pockets. I mean yummy, crispy, golden pockets.

Let Me Tell You What I'm Talking About

• Delicious, crispy paratha.
• Spicy, full of flavor, minced filling.
• Street style food cravings satisfied.
• Serve it with this Karak Chai, because tea and snacks are best friends?

The Traditional Way

Traditionally, the dough for the mutabbaq (murtabak) paratha is made with all purpose flour and it has to be rolled really thin. I've shown how to do that in the step by step photos below.

The filling is made up of cooked mince meat, eggs, chopped tomatoes and lots of green onions.

And then we pan fry it in a little bit of oil on medium high heat, so that the eggs cook through and the paratha becomes all crispy and golden.

This is all very well and good, and if you have time, by all means go for the authentic way of making this mutabbaq (aka murtabak). BUT if you want an easy way, keep reading below. 😀

The Brilliant Hack

So this is where mutabbaq gets extremely easy to make. Instead of making the dough from scratch, and rolling it super thin, you can simply use spring roll wrappers. YES! This is totally what I would do in my real life. I mean I love to take shortcuts in cooking when I can, and you can trust me when I say this: It tastes as delicious as a mutabbaq made with from scratch.

In the picture below, the mutabbaq (sometimes also spelled as martabak) on top is made with the spring roll wrappers. And by the time I was done photographing this recipe, I couldn't even really tell which was which.

I say this, because I made both versions side by side, and I couldn't really tell the difference. The only difference I could tell was that the hack was way easier. For obvious reasons.

What You Need for the Murtabak Dough

How to Make the Dough

• Add the dough to the bowl of a stand mixer or a mixing bowl if kneading by hand.
• Add the oil.
• Add the salt.
• Knead on slow speed while adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time. You will not need to add all of the water. Knead for about 3-4 minutes until the dough forms into a smooth ball. If kneading by hand this will take about 8-9 minutes. The dough should be smooth, cohesive and non-sticky. It should be a soft dough.
• Transfer the dough to a bowl, and brush with a little bit of oil. Cover and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Set aside while you make the minced meat filling.

What You Need for The Minced Meat Filling

How to Make the Meat Filling

• Heat oil in a frying pan, and add the meat and ginger garlic paste.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the spices.
• Cook for about 8 minutes while stirring until the meat is golden brown and cooked through.

• In a mixing bowl, add two eggs.
• Then add the prepared meat and mix thoroughly.
• Now add the chopped tomato and green onion.
• Mix well. Set aside while you roll the dough.

How to Make It with the Dough

• Divide the prepared dough into 3 small balls.
• Roll out each ball very thin, into a rectangular shape (does not have to be perfect). The dough should be rolled out so thin, that it is almost see through. This ensures a well cooked meat filling and crispy exterior.
• Add meat filling in the middle of the rolled out dough.

• Fold the dough from the sides first, making sure the meat filling is fully covered.
• Then fold from the top and bottom, and slightly press to ensure the mutabbaq is sealed properly.

• Heat a little bit of oil in a fry pan to medium high heat.
• Carefully place the mutabbaq fold side down onto the pan.
• Poke with toothpick to help steam release during cooking.
• Fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then flip to the other side to cook it.
• Make sure to also cook from the edges as well.
• Serve immediately.

How to Make it With Spring Roll Wrappers

• Simply place a spring roll wrapper on a flat surface.
• Add the meat.
• Fold from all sides, and lightly wet the folds with wet fingers so that the pocket seals well.
• Then cook as the same instructions above.

Expert Tips & Tricks

• Make sure to rest the dough for at least 30 minutes, or make it one night before and keep it in airtight container in the fridge. Take out when making the meat filling.
• Cook on medium high heat so that the mutabbaq cooks well from the inside and crisps up too.
• Mutabbaq can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1-2 days. To reheat it, place in preheated oven on a baking tray for 15 minutes or so. It will heat up really well, but might not be as crispy as it is when fresh.
• Green onions tip: I get a big bunch of green onions, and slice them, and then freeze in a ziplock bag. Take them out whenever you need them.

Variations

• Meat: I used minced beef in this recipe, because that's what I had on hand. But you can use any minced meat like chicken or mutton.
• Cheese: You can also add cheese, or go wild and do a mashed potato filling. That would be really delicious too.
• Veggies: You can change up the veggies, bell peppers would be great here too.

More Delicious Snacks to Try

• Chicken Pakora
• Chicken 65
• Crispy Golden Potato Cutlets