Matazeez is a distinct Najdi wheat-and-stew preparation of the Riyadh region, different from the thin-sheet marqouq and the dried-bread qursan. Flat disc-shaped pieces of whole-wheat dough are cooked directly in a rich stew of lamb, vegetables (zucchini, pumpkin, eggplant) and dried lime (lumi), until soft and soaked with the broth. It is a staple of the Najdi family table, eaten communally from a large pot.
Soft, chewy discs of dough soaked in a deep, savoury, faintly sour lamb-and-vegetable broth, the dried lime giving a resinous tang, the pumpkin sweet. Eaten in bowls, it is hearty, complex and the warming face of Najdi cooking.
The whole-wheat dough is rolled thin and cut into flat discs, which are dropped raw into the simmering lamb-and-vegetable stew. They cook in the broth, absorbing its flavour and softening without dissolving. The dried lime (lumi) gives the characteristic tang. The vegetables are added in stages by firmness. The dough cooking in the broth, rather than being layered or dried, is what distinguishes matazeez from marqouq.
Variations
A spicier version adds more black lime. Some cooks use chicken instead of lamb.
On the Palate
Where Matazeez sits in the Saudi flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 40 min
- 110 min
Knead 300g whole-wheat flour with water and a pinch of salt to a firm dough; rest 30 minutes; roll thin and cut into 5cm discs.
- 216 min
Brown 500g bone-in lamb in 2 tbsp ghee; add 1 chopped onion, 1 tsp cumin and 2 pierced dried limes; add 1.5 litres water; simmer 40 minutes.
- 38 min
Add 300g chopped zucchini, 200g chopped pumpkin and 1 chopped tomato; simmer 15 minutes.
- 412 min
Drop the dough discs into the simmering stew; cook uncovered 20 minutes until soft and soaked.
Watch outDrop the raw dough discs straight into the simmering stew and cook them there — they cook in the broth, soaking up its flavor and softening without dissolving; that's what sets matazeez apart.
- 55 min
Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste and salt; simmer 5 minutes more until the broth thickens.
Watch outStir in the tomato paste at the end and simmer until the broth thickens — the pierced dried limes give the signature tang, so let the pot cook down to concentrate it.
- 64 min
Rest 10 minutes; serve in deep bowls.
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