Dada Cooking

Recipes / Malaysian

Malaysian

Murtabak

Rest an oiled roti dough, stretch it thin on the bench, wrap it around spiced beef mince mixed with egg and onion, and pan-fry it in ghee until crisp on both sides; about 3 hours 20 minutes (mostly resting) for 4.

Murtabak is the stuffed, pan-fried roti of the mamak stall and the Ramadan bazaar: a thin, stretched dough folded around spiced minced beef mixed with egg and onion, then fried in ghee until crisp on both sides. It is cut into squares and served with a quick pickled onion and a little curry for dipping. This home version uses a soft dough that rests in oil for at least 2 hours, so it stretches thin without tearing.

Squares of crisp murtabak stuffed with minced beef, egg and onion on a white plate, with pickled red onion and a small bowl of curry Start cooking mode

Ingredients

Dough

  • 300 g plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 140 ml water
  • 1 tbsp ghee, melted
  • 80 ml (1/3 cup) cooking oil, for resting the dough

Filling

  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp meat curry powder
  • 400 g beef mince, or minced chicken
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 2 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 1 small handful coriander leaves, chopped
  • 4 eggs

To cook and serve

  • 40 g ghee, for frying
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Chicken curry or dhal, to serve

Method

  1. Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Beat the egg with the water and melted ghee, add it to the flour and knead for 8 minutes to a soft, smooth dough. Divide it into 4 balls, roll them in the oil until well coated, cover and rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours.
  2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok over medium heat and fry half the chopped onion with the garlic and ginger for 3 minutes. Add the curry powder and a splash of water and fry for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the beef, salt and sugar and cook for 8 minutes, breaking it up, until browned and dry. Leave to cool for 15 minutes.
  3. Mix the cooled meat with the rest of the raw onion, the spring onions and the coriander. Mix the sliced red onion with the vinegar and sugar and set it aside to pickle.
  4. Heat a large flat pan or griddle over medium heat with 1 tsp ghee. Oil the bench, flatten one dough ball and gently stretch it outward with oiled fingers into a thin sheet about 40 cm (16 in) across.
  5. Beat 1 egg in a bowl and stir in a quarter of the meat. Lift the dough sheet onto the hot pan, quickly spread the egg mixture over the centre in a 20 cm (8 in) square, and fold the four sides over it to make a parcel.
  6. Cook for 3 minutes until golden underneath, drizzle 1 tsp ghee on top, flip it carefully and cook for 3 minutes more, pressing lightly, until the egg is set and both sides are crisp. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
  7. Cut each murtabak into squares and serve hot with the pickled onion and curry.

Tips

  • Chicken murtabak: use 400 g minced chicken and cook it for 6 minutes in step 2.
  • No tearing: if the dough tears, it needs a longer rest. Cover it and give it another 30 minutes.
  • Make ahead: the cooked meat keeps for 2 days in the refrigerator. Mix it with the egg only just before frying.
  • Storage: leftover murtabak keeps for 1 day in the refrigerator. Reheat in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 minutes per side.

Questions

What is the difference between murtabak and roti canai?

Both use the same kind of stretched dough. Roti canai is folded plain into a coil and served with curry, while murtabak is wrapped around a filling of spiced meat, egg and onion, then cut into squares.

Can I make murtabak with chicken?

Yes. Use the same weight of minced chicken and cook it for about 6 minutes, until no longer pink, before mixing it with the egg.

Why does my murtabak dough tear?

It has not rested long enough. Coat the balls well in oil and rest them for at least 2 hours; if it still tears, rest it for another 30 minutes.

Can I make the filling ahead?

Yes. The cooked meat keeps for 2 days in the refrigerator. Mix it with the beaten egg only just before frying.

Is this murtabak halal?

The recipe is pork-free and lists no alcohol. It is not halal-certified: use halal-certified beef or chicken and check that the ghee and curry powder carry halal certification.

A Dada Cooking original recipe. Quantities are metric first, with US amounts in brackets.