Hawawshi

About This Recipe

Hawawshi is one of Alexandria and Cairo's most popular street foods — stuffed bread that is baked (or fried) until the outside crisps and the filling inside is fragrant and sizzling. It's named after a character from Egyptian folk culture (Hawawshi was a notorious butcher and popular figure in Egyptian folklore). The filling is generously spiced with green chili, parsley, and onion — wetter than most stuffed bread preparations because the tomato and onion release liquid during cooking. The result is a juicy, aromatic filling inside a crispy, bready shell. In Alexandria, it's often baked in a special domed clay oven that gives it an extraordinary crust.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 wholepita breads or baladi bread
• 500 gground beef
• 1 largeonion(grated)
• 3 wholegreen chilies(finely chopped)
• 1 mediumtomato(grated)
• 1 bunchfresh parsley(finely chopped)
• 1 tspground black pepper
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the filling

   Mix ground beef with grated onion, tomato, green chili, parsley, pepper, cumin, and salt. The mixture will be quite wet.

2. 2

   Stuff the bread

   Carefully open each pita to create a pocket. Fill generously with the meat mixture.

3. 3

   Bake

   Place stuffed breads on a baking tray. Bake at 220°C for 20–25 minutes until the bread is crispy and the meat is cooked through.

Variations

• •

  Deep-fry instead of bake for a crispier exterior

• •

  Add shatta (Egyptian hot sauce) to the filling for extra heat

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Raw stuffed breads keep 1 day in the fridge before baking.

Frequently Asked Questions