Hawawshi (Egyptian Spiced Mince-Stuffed Bread)
حواوشی (مصر کی قیمہ بھری مصالحے دار روٹی)
Hawawshi is Cairo's answer to a burger: round flatbreads split open, filled with a thin layer of minced beef or lamb mixed with onion, green pepper, chilli, parsley and warm spices, then baked or griddled until the bread turns shatteringly crisp and the meat cooks in its own juices inside. If you love keema with paratha or a bun kebab, this will feel like home. It's easy, needs just pita bread and mince, and is perfect for a weekend lunch.
- ⏱ Total: 45 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the mince with the onion, pepper, chillies, tomato, parsley, garlic, spices and salt. Knead with your hand for 2 minutes until well combined.
Cut a slit along one edge of each pita to open a pocket. Spread a quarter of the mince in a thin, even layer right to the edges inside, and press the bread flat.
Brush both sides with melted butter. Bake on a tray at 220°C for 15–20 minutes, turning once, until the bread is deep golden and crisp and the meat is cooked (or cook on a tawa over medium heat, pressing down, for 6–7 minutes per side).
Cut into quarters and serve hot with tahini sauce, pickles and a salad.
Kitchen notes
Keep the meat layer thin, or the bread browns before the meat cooks.
Squeezing the grated onion stops the filling making the bread soggy.
Some Cairo stalls make hawawshi with fresh dough instead of pita, wrapped around the filling and baked.
Cairo’s street sandwich
Hawawshi is said to be named after a Cairo butcher, Ahmed Hawawshi, who started selling meat-stuffed bread in the 1970s. It quickly spread across Egypt and is now sold from street ovens, butchers’ shops and fast-food restaurants, often wrapped in paper and eaten on the move.
Thin and crisp
The trick is a thin layer of meat. As it bakes, the fat from the mince melts into the bread, making the outside crisp and golden while the meat stays juicy. Grating the onion and squeezing out its water keeps the bread from turning soggy.
Familiar flavours
The filling is close to a South Asian kebab mixture, with onion, green chilli, herbs and warm spices, so Pakistani and Indian cooks will find it very easy to adapt. A pinch of garam masala in place of works perfectly.
Serving
Serve with tahini sauce or garlic yogurt, pickles and a crunchy salad like fattoush. For more Egyptian food, try koshari and molokhia.
Questions people ask
Can I use chicken mince?
Yes. Add a tablespoon of oil to the mixture, as chicken is leaner.
Can I make it ahead?
Fill the breads and keep them in the fridge for a few hours, then bake just before serving.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 30 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
