← All recipes Home / Recipes / Egyptian roqaq flatbread pie with minced beef Egyptian dishes · About 75 minutes Egyptian roqaq flatbread pie with minced beef Mawgoud Kitchen · Published 2026-10-16 · Updated 2026-10-16
Thin layers of dry wheat flatbread with a beef and onion filling, without eggs or cheese; moisten gradually to avoid a soggy pie.
Ingredients Method Before you start Egyptian cuisine Listen to the recipe Start cooking ↓ Print recipe Step-by-step cooking mode Copy recipe link
Total time 75 minutes
Servings 4
Cuisine Egyptian Listen to the recipe Play, pause or resume whenever you like. Available voices depend on your device and browser.
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Ingredients Servings 1 2 3 4 6 8 300 g thin dry Egyptian roqaq flatbread; about 6 sheets trimmed to cover the tin400 g safely thawed minced beef150 g finely chopped onion45 g melted ghee, for filling, tin and layers600 ml warm water, approximately; you may not need it all0.5 tsp salt, or to taste0.25 tsp black pepperSeason savoury dishes to taste. Quantities scale with servings, but cooking time does not automatically multiply.
Add ingredients to shopping ♡ Save recipe Allergen information: Wheat in the roqaq; milk or traces of milk in the ghee. Check the packaging.
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Prepare a roughly 25 x 30 cm baking tin and heat the oven to 200°C. Divide the flatbread evenly between the base and top, trimming or arranging pieces to cover the tin. Wash hands and utensils after raw meat. Thawing time is not included. Heat 10 g of the ghee and soften onion for 4 minutes. Add beef, break it up, and add half the salt and the pepper. Cook for about 10–12 minutes until excess liquid evaporates. Check with a thermometer that the minced beef reaches at least 71°C; colour alone is not reliable. Mix the remaining salt into the warm water in a wide dish, reserving about 75 ml for the top. Grease the tin with about 5 g ghee, leaving about 30 g for the sheets and surface. Briefly moisten both sides of the first sheet, or soften it using a brush and water; do not soak until it breaks apart. Lay it in the tin and brush lightly with ghee. Repeat for the base sheets. Thicker sheets need more water, so the full amount may not be necessary. Spread the cooked beef filling evenly, a little away from the edges. Cover with the remaining sheets, moistening and lightly greasing between them in the same way. Brush the top with the remaining ghee. Spoon over the reserved water gradually, stopping if liquid pools in the tin. Mark squares without dragging the filling. Bake for about 30–35 minutes until browned and set in the centre. Check that the centre reaches at least 74°C. Cover loosely if the top browns too soon and continue cooking. Rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Larger batches need a wider tin or several tins, not simply thicker layers. Serve hot. Cool leftovers promptly in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C, at 4°C or below. Reheat leftovers to 74°C before serving. A helpful tip ✳ Water is intentional here instead of ready-made stock. Safely prepared low-salt vegetable stock can replace it by volume, after checking its ingredients and allergens. Keep the sheets pliable without pooling liquid.
An editorial recipe not yet practically tested by the site team. Check actual doneness; times are approximate.
Before you start Can I use soft roqaq or filo with the same quantities? Not with the same water and method. This recipe is for dry roqaq. Soft flatbread and filo need different moistening, so do not pour this amount over them.
Can I prepare the beef in advance? Yes, if cooled promptly and refrigerated at 4°C or below, then the pie centre reaches 74°C. Do not leave the cooked filling on the worktop for hours.
Storing leftovers: Read safe storage guidance and sources
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