Egyptian Pastry with Minced Meat (Roqaq) is one of the most famous traditional dishes in Egyptian cuisine. It’s characterized by its crispy layers, soaked in flavorful meat broth, filled with seasoned minced meat, and then baked until golden brown, achieving a crunchy exterior and a tender interior. It’s best served hot.
Ingredients
- Roqaq pastry sheets: 1 package
- Ground beef: 1 pound
- Onions: 2 medium, finely chopped
- Ghee: 4 tablespoons
- Meat broth: 5 cups, warm
- Salt: to taste
- Black pepper: to taste
- Mixed spices: 1 teaspoon
- Cinnamon: a pinch, ground
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a skillet. Add the onions and sauté until softened and golden brown.
- Add the ground beef and cook, stirring, until browned and cooked through. Season with salt, black pepper, mixed spices, and cinnamon. Cook until the liquid has evaporated, then remove from heat.
- Grease a baking dish with a little ghee.
- Quickly dip each roqaq sheet into the warm meat broth, then place it in the baking dish. Repeat this process until you have used half of the roqaq sheets, forming the bottom layers.
- Spread the minced meat mixture evenly over the roqaq layers.
- Dip the remaining roqaq sheets in the broth and arrange them over the meat filling until all sheets are used. Drizzle any remaining ghee over the top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crispy.
- Let the roqaq rest for 5 minutes after removing it from the oven. Then, cut and serve hot with salad or yogurt.
