Mutabbaq

Mix the flour, dough salt and warm water into a soft dough and knead 10 minutes until very smooth.

Divide into 4, roll each into a ball and sit them in a dish of oil, covered, for at least 1 hour.

💡 The oil bath is what makes the dough stretchable. An hour is the minimum; three hours is better and it will not spoil.

Fry the mince with the garlic, chilli, baharat, pepper and salt until dry and browned, 10 minutes. Cool it, then mix in the raw leek and egg.

On a well-oiled surface, press one dough ball out with your palms and stretch it from the centre outwards until it is nearly transparent.

💡 Stretch, do not roll. Push from the middle with the flats of your hands and let gravity help — a rolling pin tears oiled dough every time.

Spread a quarter of the filling in a square in the middle and fold the four sides over it into a flat parcel.

Fry on an oiled griddle over medium heat, 4 minutes a side, pressing it flat, until deep gold and crisp. Cut into squares.