The iconic Saudi street food

Name: The iconic Saudi street food (Mutabbaq)
Cuisine: Saudi Arabian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 125 g (4½ oz) minced (ground) chicken thigh; ¼ tsp roasted ground cumin, plus an extra pinch; 25 g (1 oz) coriander (cilantro), chopped; 25 g (1 oz) coriander (cilantro), chopped; 25 g (1 oz) flat leaf parsley, chopped; Small bunch of spring onions (scallions), finely chopped (try to get the onions with longer green parts); Small bunch of spring onions (scallions), finely chopped (try to get the onions with longer green parts); Small bunch of spring onions (scallions), finely chopped (try to get the onions with longer green parts); Handful of chives, finely chopped; 1 red chilli (or as per your preferred level of spiciness), finely sliced; 1 firm tomato, deseeded and diced into small cubes; 1 large egg, lightly beaten; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Sunflower oil (or any neutral oil), for shallow frying; Sunflower oil (or any neutral oil), for shallow frying; 4 large spring roll pastry sheets; Zhoug, Shatta, Jajeek or any sauce of your choice; Zhoug, Shatta, Jajeek or any sauce of your choice; Zhoug, Shatta, Jajeek or any sauce of your choice; Zhoug, Shatta, Jajeek or any sauce of your choice; A green chilli (optional but traditional); A wedge of lemon

Mutabbaq

Preparation info

Makes
16

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Red Sea Cookbook

By Madeeha Qureshi

Published 2026

About

This street food has won the hearts of millions. Now I am sharing it straight from my heart to yours. This is the iconic mutabbaq: soft and crunchy, mouthwateringly fresh and delicately spiced, it makes a perfect snack at any time of the day. Traditionally it’s served with Shatta (an Arab hot sauce) and Zhoug (a Yemenite Jewish dip) and a wedge of lemon.

For me, street food is the index of a nation’s soul: it give

Ingredients

Asia
Saudi Arabia
Snack
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method