Malawach – Vegan version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 8
   In a bowl, mix the flour, salt and sugar.

   Bowl
2. 9
   Add the water and Knead about 10 minutes, until you get a smooth, soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands.

   BowlStand mixer

   💡If the dough sticks, add a tablespoon of flour; if it crumbles, a tablespoon of water. Good dough is as soft as an earlobe.
3. 10
   Cover and let the dough rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

   💡Oil-and-water dough needs no rising: the rest relaxes the gluten, so the dough rolls out thin without shrinking back.

To assemble

1. 11
   Divide the dough into 6 balls and roll each ball into a circle very thin on an oiled surface.

   Rolling pin

   💡Dough that springs back needs rest: cover the balls for 10 minutes and the gluten relaxes.
2. 12
   Spread the margarine, generously over each round, fold into a rectangle and again into a square.

   💡Folding and rolling dough spread with butter creates layers: over the heat the butter separates them, and the malawach comes out flaky.
3. 13
   Chill the squares for at least 1 hour, then flatten each one with your palm into a thin round.

   Refrigerator

   💡Flatten and fry the folded dough while it's cold: softened butter escapes from the dough, and the layers disappear.
4. 14
   Heat the heavy skillet over medium heat, grease it lightly with oil and fry each Malawach 3–4 minutes per side, until browned.

   StoveFrying pan
5. 15
   Bring a pot of water to a boil, deep enough to cover the flax egg by about 2 cm.

   StovePot
6. 16
   Gently lower the flax egg into it with a spoon.
7. 17
   Turn down the heat slightly and simmer 10–11 minutes.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
8. 18
   Transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water for 5–10 minutes, and peel from the wide end.

   Ice bath

   💡Cold water right after cooking stops the cooking and separates the membrane from the white: peeling is easy, and the yolk doesn't turn gray.
9. 19
   Remove the seeds from the peppers.

   💡The seeds and white membranes are where the heat is: remove them all for a mild schug, leave some in for a hot one.
10. 20
    Grind the peppers in a food processor with the garlic and cilantro.

    Food processor

    💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
11. 21
    Add the olive oil, salt and black pepper and grind to an even paste.

    Food processor
12. 22
    Serve hot with the tomato paste and zhug and the hard-boiled flax egg.