Zanzibar Pizza: The East African Street Food That Earns Its Name

⏱ Prep: 30 min 🔥Cook: 20 min 🍕Makes: 4 🌍Origin: Zanzibar, Tanzania

Zanzibar pizza is not pizza. It is a thin disc of dough stretched directly on a hot oiled pan, an egg cracked and spread across the raw surface, a spiced meat filling spooned on, all four sides folded inward to make a square parcel, then fried on both sides until golden and crispy. It is the signature street food of Forodhani Gardens Night Market in Stone Town, sold by vendors for a dollar or two, cut into squares, eaten standing up by the waterfront. It is closer to a stuffed crêpe or an Indian mutabbaq than anything Italian, but the name has stuck for thirty years.

The dough is simple, flour, water, oil, salt, rested to become elastic, then stretched as thin as possible without tearing. Thinness is everything: the characteristic flaky, almost layered crust comes from dough stretched to near-transparency before it hits the hot pan. The filling is flexible, the classic version is spiced ground beef with onion, garlic, tomato and coriander, plus egg and a spoon of mayo or cream cheese for binding. Sweet versions exist (Nutella, banana, mango) but this recipe covers the savoury original.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 250g (2 cups) plain flour, plus more for dusting
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 150ml warm water, add gradually, the dough should be soft and pliable, not sticky
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, vegetable or sunflower, mixed into the dough
• Extra oil for stretching and frying, oil the counter and your hands when stretching; ghee or oil for the pan

For the spiced meat filling

• 300g lean ground beef, or lamb, chicken mince, or a mix. Lean mince, excess fat makes the parcel greasy and harder to seal.
• 1 small red onion, very finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 medium tomato, deseeded and finely diced, deseed thoroughly, excess moisture from tomato makes the filling wet and the parcel hard to seal
• Small handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1–2 green chilies, finely chopped, optional
• Salt to taste

Per pizza (added during assembly)

• 1 egg per pizza, cracked directly onto the raw dough in the pan and spread gently before the filling goes on
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or soft cream cheese, spread over the egg layer, acts as a binder and adds richness. This is how Forodhani vendors make it.

To serve

• Fresh mango-chili sauce or chutney, the traditional Zanzibar accompaniment. A simple mix of blended fresh mango, lime juice, chili and salt works well.
• Sliced tomato and fresh cilantro

Step by step

1. Make and rest the dough. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add oil and mix through. Gradually add warm water, mixing until a smooth, soft dough forms, not sticky, not stiff. Knead for 3 minutes until elastic. Rub the surface lightly with oil, cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes. The rest develops the gluten and makes the dough stretchable without tearing.
2. Cook the filling. Heat a splash of oil in a pan over medium-high. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and chilies, stir 1 minute. Add the ground beef and break it up well. Cook 4–5 minutes until browned throughout. Add curry powder, cumin and black pepper, stir 1 minute. Add the deseeded tomato and cook 2 minutes. Season with salt. Remove from heat, add cilantro, stir through. Cool completely before using, hot filling tears the stretched dough and makes the egg cook unevenly.Cool the filling completely. This is important. Warm filling in direct contact with the raw stretched dough starts cooking it before it’s folded, making it impossible to seal the parcel cleanly.
3. Divide and stretch the dough. Divide the rested dough into 4 equal balls. Lightly oil your work surface and your hands, do not use flour here; oil allows stretching where flour creates resistance. Take one ball and press it flat with your palm. Using your fingertips, stretch outward from the centre, working around the circle, until it is as thin as you can manage, roughly 30cm across, thin enough to see your hand through it in places. Edges can be slightly thicker. If it tears, patch it gently and continue. Thinness is the key technique. A thick disc produces a bready, dense result without the characteristic flaky layers. Stretch it further than feels comfortable, Forodhani vendors work fast and go very thin.
4. Cook the first side and add filling. Heat 1–2 tablespoons of oil or ghee in a wide non-stick pan or flat griddle over medium heat. Carefully lift the stretched dough and lay it in the pan, it will sizzle on contact. Crack one egg onto the centre of the dough immediately. Using the back of a spoon, spread the egg gently across the dough surface, leaving a 3cm border all around. Spread 1 tablespoon of mayo or cream cheese over the egg. Spoon a quarter of the cooled meat filling into the centre, leaving the same border clear. Do not overfill, the filling should be a thin, even layer, not a pile.
5. Fold into a parcel. Working quickly while the egg is still slightly raw and sticky (this is what seals the parcel), fold all four sides inward toward the centre, one at a time, overlapping slightly to form a square parcel. Press the edges down firmly. The egg acts as glue, the parcel should hold closed without opening.Fold while the egg is still tacky, not fully cooked. Fully set egg is dry and won’t bond the folds. If the egg has already cooked through before you fold, press the edges down firmly and cook seam-side down first to seal with heat.
6. Fry both sides until golden. Cook the folded parcel, seam-side down, for 3–4 minutes until deep golden and crispy on the bottom. Add a little more oil around the edges if the pan looks dry. Flip carefully and cook the other side for 3–4 minutes until equally golden. The pizza should feel firm when pressed, the egg inside is fully cooked, the dough is crispy all over.
7. Cut and serve immediately. Slide onto a board or plate. Cut into 4–6 squares. Serve hot with mango-chili sauce or chutney on the side. Repeat with remaining dough balls, cook them one at a time while the first is being eaten.

Claire’s note

Two things that reliably go wrong the first time. First: overfilling. The instinct is to pile the filling in generously, this makes the parcel impossible to fold cleanly and the filling spills out into the pan where it burns. A thin, even layer is correct. Second: folding too late. The egg needs to still be slightly tacky when the sides fold in, it is the glue. If the egg fully cooks before you fold, the parcel won’t seal and you’ll be chasing filling around a pan. Work fast at the folding stage, practice helps, and the second one is always better than the first.

Filling variations

The savoury meat version is the classic but vendors at Forodhani fill Zanzibar pizza with almost anything. 

• Seafood: small cooked prawns or flaked crab with garlic and chili. 
• Vegetarian: sautéed mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and egg with cream cheese. 
• Sweet: Nutella and sliced banana is the most famous sweet version, skip the meat filling entirely and spread Nutella inside before folding, adding banana slices. Served with honey drizzled over the top.

Serve with

Zanzibar pizza is street food, eaten hot, immediately, with a dipping sauce alongside. The traditional Forodhani sauce is a fresh mango-chili blend: blended fresh mango with lime juice, one green chili, a pinch of salt. Tamarind chutney or any sharp, fruity chutney works well too. For more East and West African cooking: the African food collection covers Nigerian, Ghanaian, Senegalese and Tanzanian dishes including the Tanzanian coconut fish curry.

Add Zanzibar pizza to your weekly meal planner as a weekend project, the filling can be made 3 days ahead and kept refrigerated, making assembly fast on the day. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.

Zanzibar Pizza

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• Author: Claire Bennett
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

A unique street food from Zanzibar, this savoury dish features a thin dough filled with spiced meat, egg, and a rich sauce, all fried to crispy perfection.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 250g (2 cups) plain flour, plus more for dusting
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 150ml warm water
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (vegetable or sunflower)
• Extra oil for stretching and frying
• 300g lean ground beef (or lamb, chicken mince, or a mix)
• 1 small red onion, very finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 medium tomato, deseeded and finely diced
• Small handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1–2 green chilies, finely chopped (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 1 egg per pizza
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or soft cream cheese
• Fresh mango-chili sauce or chutney (for serving)
• Sliced tomato and fresh cilantro (for garnish)

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Instructions

1. Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add oil and mix through. Gradually add warm water, mixing until a smooth, soft dough forms. Knead for 3 minutes until elastic. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Heat a splash of oil in a pan and cook the onion for 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and chilies. Cook for 1 minute. Add ground beef and break it up cooking for 4-5 minutes until browned. Add spices and tomato; season with salt; cool completely.
3. Divide the rested dough into 4 equal balls. Lightly oil your work surface and hands. Stretch each ball into a thin disc.
4. Heat oil in a wide pan. Carefully lift the stretched dough into the pan, crack an egg onto the center, spread it, and add 1 tablespoon of mayo. Add a quarter of the cooled filling.
5. Fold all four sides inward toward the center to form a square parcel. Press edges down to seal.
6. Cook seam-side down for 3-4 minutes until golden. Flip and cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes.
7. Slide onto a board, cut into squares, and serve hot with mango-chili sauce.

Notes

Avoid overfilling the parcels for better sealing. Strike the right balance with the egg for proper folding.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Street Food
• Method: Frying
• Cuisine: African

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 400
• Sugar: 2g
• Sodium: 350mg
• Fat: 22g
• Saturated Fat: 6g
• Unsaturated Fat: 14g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 36g
• Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 20g
• Cholesterol: 200mg