Malawach (Yemenite Flaky Pan-Fried Bread)

Method

1. Mix the flour, sugar and some of the salt in a bowl, then add the water gradually, mixing by hand into a ball. Knead on the worktop for 6 min until smooth and soft; a slightly tacky dough is fine, and the softer it is, the thinner it stretches.

   Add in this stepPlain flour 200 gSugar 1 tspSalt ½ tspWater, room temperature 120 ml

2. Divide the dough into one ball per person, rub each with a little ghee, cover with cling film and rest for 30 min. Relaxed gluten lets it stretch thin without tearing.

   Add in this stepGhee (or melted butter) 8 g

3. Grease the worktop and your hands with ghee. Flatten a ball with your palm, then lift and gently pull the edges outwards, little by little, until it is thin enough to read a newspaper through (about 40 × 30 cm); small holes are fine. Brush with the remaining ghee, fold the long sides in by thirds to make a long strip, then roll it up from one end like a snail. Wrap and chill for at least 1 h (you can freeze them at this point).

   Add in this stepGhee (or melted butter) 32 g

4. Bring a pan of water to the boil over high heat, lower in the eggs with a ladle, turn down to medium heat and cook for 10 min. Cool them straight away in cold water, then peel.

   Add in this stepEggs, for boiling 2

   high heat→medium heat

5. Halve the tomatoes, grate the cut sides on a box grater and discard the skins; season with the rest of the salt. For the zhug, chop the coriander (stems too), green chillies (seeded if you like it milder) and garlic very finely, or blitz in a small blender, then stir in the cumin, cardamom, olive oil and lemon juice.

   Add in this stepRipe tomatoes 1Salt ¼ tspCoriander (cilantro) 15 gGreen chillies 1Garlic cloves 1Ground cumin ¼ tspGround cardamom 1 pinchExtra virgin olive oil 1½ tbspLemon ½

6. Put a cold coil between two sheets of baking paper and press and roll it into a disc about 20 cm wide and 3 to 4 mm thick. Heat a dry 24 cm non-stick pan over medium heat, add one disc, cover with a lid and cook for 4 min in total, turning once, until both sides are deep golden and the layers puff. No oil is needed: the fat inside the dough melts out.

   medium heat

7. Push the hot malawach gently from both sides with your hands to open the layers, then serve warm with the grated tomato, zhug and halved eggs. Tear with your hands and dip.