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Masabeeb
Masabeeb (مصابيب): thick Najdi wholemeal pancakes with ghee and date syrup
On winter mornings in Najdi villages around Riyadh, grandmothers ladle a yeasted wholemeal batter onto a hot iron plate and turn out masabeeb, thick, spongy pancakes full of holes. They are stacked on a tray, drowned in melted ghee and date syrup and torn apart by hand with cardamom coffee or tea. The flavour is nutty and only lightly sweet, and the crumb drinks up the topping like a sponge. A common mistake is flipping too soon: let the top set and go matt and full of open bubbles first, or the middle stays raw and gluey. Serve warm, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: keep the heat medium-low and cover the pan for the first minute so the thick centre steams through before the base darkens.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the batter
- 7 oz wholemeal flour
- 1 ¾ oz plain flour
- 1 tsp instant dried yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 ¾ cups warm water
- 1 tsp vegetable oilfor the pan
To serve
- 3 tbsp gheemelted
- 4 tbsp date syrup
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 7 oz wholemeal flour, 1 ¾ oz plain flour, 1 tsp instant dried yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp ground cardamom in a bowl. Whisk in 1 ¾ cups warm water to a thick but pourable batter, like double cream.
Step 2: Cover and leave in a warm place until the surface is covered in bubbles, about 20 minutes.
20 minStep 3: Heat a heavy non-stick pan over a medium-low heat and wipe it with a little 1 tsp vegetable oil.
Step 4: Pour in a ladleful of batter and let it spread to about 15 cm. Cover and cook until the top is set, matt and full of open holes and the base is golden brown, 2–3 minutes.
3 minStep 5: Flip and cook the second side for 30–60 seconds. Keep warm under a cloth while you cook the rest, wiping the pan with oil between pancakes.
15 minStep 6: Stack the pancakes on a plate, pour over 3 tbsp ghee and 4 tbsp date syrup and serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does masabeeb take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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