KUTAB: Azerbaijani Herb-Filled Wheat Pancake

by Miami Food Network March 3, 2020

KUTAB: Azerbaijani Herb-Filled Wheat Pancake
A Flatbread Turnover From The Caucasus

Indulge yourself in Kutabi. These traditional Azerbaijani Savory Pancakes will delight your senses and appeal to your taste buds!

More robust than a crepe, more delicate than bread, the Azerbaijani kutab is a kind of flatbread-pancake stuffed with a variety of possible fillings from pumpkin or cheese to spinach, offal, herbs, and even camel meat.

Of all the different types of kutab, we’ve decided to go with the herb (goyerti) variety because we think it best embodies the simplicity of the principle of kutab

Ingredients

For the kutab batter:

2 cups wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons Greek yogurt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup water

For the filling:

1 small white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sorrel(or spinach if not available, with a squeeze of lemon)
1/2 cup spinach, chopped
1/4 cup spring onions, chopped
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
2 tablespoons mint, chopped
2 tablespoons coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons lavashana (or pomegranate molasses)
Salt
Pepper

Preparation

Stage 1: Prepare the goyerti filling

Wash your herbs thoroughly, then dry them well.
Chop your herbs finely, but be careful not to mash them.
In a mixing bowl, mix together one beaten egg, 2 teaspoons of yogurt, your chopped onions, chopped spinach, sorrel, and chopped herbs.

Stage 2: Prepare the Kutab dough

Mix your wheat flour, egg, salt, yogurt, and water in a mixing bowl until a ball of dough form.
Divide the dough into four equal portions, about 100 grams each.
Flatten each ball of dough into a circle about 3mm thick using a rolling pin.

Stage 3: Construct your kutab

Spread the lavashana on top of each piece of flattened kutab dough.
On top of the lavashana, spread some of the herb mixture on one half of the kutab.
Finally, fold the non-covered half of the kutab over the filling, forming a semi-circle.

Stage 4: Toast the kutabs

Toast each kutab in a non-stick skillet over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side.
Once they're done, take your cooked kutabs off the skillet and brush them with melted butter or ghee for serving.
Serve yogurt on the side.

Dust your working counter with flour to keep the dough from sticking.
Do not oil the skillet when toasting the kutabs.
Pomegranate molasses with a bit of lemon juice can be used if lavashana is unavailable.

Wonderful! Stuck pretty close to the recipe and really enjoyed this. Will definitely make again.

- Miami Food Network -

Azerbaijan’s kutab is a versatile regional bite that has many incarnations in its home country: towns like Baku, Shamakhi and even the seaside village of Jorat have their own takes on the kutab, while the dish actually goes by another name in other parts of the country, such as ‘afar’ in Sheki-Zaqatala and ‘kata’ in Karabakh. Those familiar with Turkish food might also pick up on the resemblance to gözleme as well as other stuffed flatbreads that stretch all the way from the Middle East to India.