Hawawshi (Egyptian Spiced Minced Meat Bread)

About This Recipe

Hawawshi (حواوشي) is Cairo's most popular street fast food — a whole round loaf of Egyptian bread (aish baladi or aish shami) stuffed with a powerful mixture of minced beef, raw onion, garlic, parsley, chilli and spices, then baked or charcoal-grilled until the bread crust crisps and the meat inside steams juicy. The quality of the spicing is everything: hawawshi should be aggressively seasoned — not mild, not restrained. The raw onion mixed into the meat is essential, keeping the filling moist while baking. Hawawshi is sold from street carts throughout Cairo, especially at night, and eaten wrapped in paper while walking.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 smallround flatbreads or pitta breads(thick enough to stuff (aish shami style))
• 500 gbeef mince
• 2onions(very finely diced (or grated))
• 1 bunchfresh parsley(finely chopped)
• 2green chillies(finely diced)
• 3garlic cloves(minced)
• 1.5 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tspground black pepper
• 0.5 tspground allspice
• 0.5 tspchilli powder
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 2 tbspvegetable oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Make filling

   Combine beef mince with onion, parsley, green chilli, garlic and all spices. Mix very thoroughly — almost knead the mixture so the spices fully penetrate the meat. The mixture should smell boldly spiced.

2. 2

   Stuff bread

   Cut each flatbread open along one side, creating a pocket. Stuff generously with the raw spiced meat mixture, pressing it into an even layer. Close and press the bread together.

3. 3

   Oil and bake

   Brush the outside of each stuffed bread with oil. Place on a baking tray. Bake at 220°C for 20–25 min until the bread is crispy and the filling is cooked through and juicy.

   A very hot oven is important — the crust should be almost charred in places, like a wood-fired result.

4. 4

   Serve

   Cut into wedges and serve immediately with a simple tomato and cucumber salad, pickled vegetables and tahini sauce.

Variations

• •

  Grilled version: press stuffed bread on a flat griddle (saja) over medium-high heat, pressing with a spatula

• •

  Mixed meat: 50/50 beef and lamb for a richer filling

• •

  Add diced tomato to the filling for a juicier, saucier result

• •

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

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Leftover hawawshi reheats in a 200°C oven for 8 min.

Frequently Asked Questions