INGREDIENTS: (Makes 24)

   4 Packets frozen uncooked Roti Paratha* [6 pieces to a packet]
   10 - 12 eggs, lightly beaten with fork
   1 kg minced lamb, mutton or beef
   Cooking oil (I used Canola oil)
   3 tbsps ground coriander
   1/2 tsp ground fennel
   1/2 tsp ground cumin
   1/2 tsp ground white pepper
   2 tsp salt
   6 large onions
   1/2 tsp turmeric
   Generous pinch of salt
   Ghee (clarified butter) for shallow frying

* Sometimes known as Roti Canai, available most Asian grocery stores.

METHOD:

Peel and dice onions. Place in a bowl, season with turmeric and a generous pinch of salt and set aside. 

Remove frozen paratha from 1 packet and separate the pieces from the dividing plastic sheets while still frozen. Smear a little oil on the plastic sheet and replace the frozen paratha on it. (This prevents the thawed paratha from sticking to the plastic.) Place the 6 pieces of paratha individually on the kitchen bench and allow to thaw. (It's easier to do one packet at a time unless you have heaps of bench space!)

Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a wok (or frypan) and stir fry mince until partially cooked and separated.

Sprinkle ground spices and salt over the mince and continue to stir fry until thoroughly cooked.

Scoop out cooked mince into a bowl with a slotted spoon and discard remaining oil/fat. Set aside.

When ready to cook, cover a large plastic cutting board with foil and smear foil generously with oil.

Place one thawed paratha in the centre and with well oiled palm and fingers, gently press and spread the paratha into a very thin oblong sheet, being careful not to tear or make holes.

Smear about 2 tablespoonfuls of beaten egg all over the paratha sheet and scatter a handful of seasoned diced onions in the centre third section of oblong, almost to edge of paratha.

Scatter a handful of cooked seasoned mince over the onions and fold the top and bottom edges of paratha.

Fold the third section of paratha over the filling (to 'capture' a little of the filling) and unfold. [See photos below.] 

Fold the first section over the filling, followed by the third section. 

Press gently to seal. (It is now a murtabak!)

In a large non-stick frypan, heat a dsp of ghee and when hot, lift the cutting board and invert the folded murtabak onto
palm of hand and transfer it to the hot ghee.

Shallow fry in the ghee over medium heat and while one is frying, prepare the next murtabak.

When the next murtabak is ready, turn over the one that is frying before placing the second one next to it.

Continue frying until both sides of murtabak are brown and crisp, adding a little more ghee as needed.

Serve while piping hot with an accompaniment of Lamb Curry.


N.B. When cooking for my hungry tribe, I pre-cook all the murtabak, place them between sheets of greaseproof paper and keep them warm in the oven. Just before serving, I re-heat the frypan on high heat (no ghee necessary) and quickly crisp both sides of the murtabak, two at a time.