A famous Tunisian starter of paper-thin malsouka pastry filled with tuna, a whole egg and parsley, fried quickly until shatteringly crisp outside with a runny yolk inside.

المقادير

6 malsouka sheets or large phyllo sheets (as a readily available substitute)

6 eggs

1 can tuna, drained (about 200 g)

1 small onion, very finely chopped

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1 boiled and mashed potato (optional, to help bind the filling)

Salt and black pepper

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Lemon wedges, to serve

خطوات التحضير

In a bowl, mix the drained tuna with the chopped onion, parsley and mashed potato if using, and season with salt and pepper.

Lay out one malsouka sheet on a clean, flat work surface.

Place two tablespoons of the tuna mixture in a quarter of the sheet, leaving a small well in the centre for the egg.

Carefully crack a whole egg into the well without breaking the yolk.

Fold the sheet quickly into a half-moon or triangle shape, pressing the edges very gently to seal without pressing on the egg to avoid breaking the yolk.

Repeat with the remaining sheets and filling.

Heat a generous amount of oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat.

Carefully fry each brik for only 60-90 seconds per side until golden and crisp, being careful not to overcook so the yolk stays runny.

Remove immediately onto paper towels to drain excess oil.

Serve piping hot straight from frying with lemon wedges.

نصيحة

Work quickly when folding the brik — the longer the raw egg sits inside the pastry before frying, the higher the risk of it leaking. Don't seal the edges too tightly, to avoid trapped steam bursting the pastry during frying.

Brik is among Tunisia's most famous dishes, made from an extremely thin pastry called «malsouka», similar in thinness to phyllo but prepared through an entirely different method of wiping a thin layer of liquid batter onto a hot surface. Brik is traditionally served during the month of Ramadan as a staple dish on the Tunisian iftar table, as well as being a constant presence on restaurant menus as a popular starter year-round.

The dish's magic lies in the striking contrast between two extreme textures: a paper-thin outer shell fried until it shatters like glass, and a whole egg inside deliberately kept runny, so it bursts on the first bite and mingles with the tuna and parsley filling. Preparing it requires speed and skill in folding and frying to keep the egg runny without leaking out of the pastry before it's fully cooked.