Qutab, Kutab or Azerbaijani Stuffed Flatbread is a popular breakfast recipe and the choices for filling can be unlimited. I made mine with Onion and Cheese filling with some fresh herbs and served it for weekend brunch.
Qutab Flatbread was one of the very first flatbreads that I made for the series. Q is a hard alphabet and I have had struggles in the past when doing A to Z series.
I have tried Quinoa plenty of times before as that is the only thing that would come to my mind. This time though, I had this recipe bookmarked and ready to go a long time ago and made it when my father was here on vacation.
Qutab or Kutab is a very popular flatbread stuffed with cheese, or meat fillings in Azerbaijan and is mostly eaten for breakfast. We can associate it pretty close with our Indian stuffed paratha except for the shape. The Qutab is made as a semi-circle or a crescent-shaped flatbread when compared to our round Indian Parathas.
I used an Onion and cheese-based filling. Having used feta cheese previously when making the Gozleme I decided to use Indian Paneer this time. I also used some mint and cilantro in the filling which made it very colorful and flavorful.
My father who is quite a hard person to please when coming to trying dishes from other cuisines, loved it and that is a great compliment for me and this dish. And then there are my boys who are ever ready to try out any new recipes. They had nothing negative to say about the flatbread.
My Other recipes in the A-Z International Flatbread Series –
A for Aish Baladi
B for Boulanee Katchalu
C for Chickpea Flatbread / Socca
E for Emirati Khameer
F for Fruit Focaccia
G for Gozleme
H for Himbasha
I for Indian Fry Bread
J for Janta Roti
K for Ka’ak
L for Lepinja
M for Mahjouba
N for Norwegian Crisp Bread
O for Onion and Poppy Seed Pletzel
P for Pol Roti
Preparation time - 15 minutes plus 30 minutes resting time
Cooking time - about 45 minutes
Difficulty level - Easy
Ingredients to make Qutab Flatbread | Kutab | Azerbaijani Stuffed Flatbread - Makes 8
For the Dough
- Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
- All Purpose flour - 1 cup
- Salt - ½ tsp
- Oil - 2 TBSP
- Boiling water - as needed (about 3 to 4 cups)
For the filling
- Paneer - 1 cup (or any crumbled cheese)
- Onion - ½ cup (finely chopped)
- Spring onion - 3 (finely chopped with the greens)
- Mint leaves - ¼ cup (chopped)
- Cilantro - ¼ cup (chopped)
- Crushed red pepper flakes - 2 teaspoon (or as needed)
- Salt - to taste
- Oil - 1 TBSP
Procedure to make Qutab Flatbread
To make the Dough -
- Boil about 4 to 5 of the water in a pan.
- In another pan combine the flour and the salt.
- Slowly add the boiling water and stir with a wooden spoon. Keep adding water until a solid mass forms. At this stage cover the dough for a few minutes to cool it down enough to handle.
- Now add the oil and knead the mixture into a soft dough. Sprinkle more warm water if needed.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
To make the Filling
- Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions and spring onions until just soft and translucent.
- Add the salt and crushed red pepper to this mixture and mix well.
- Let this mixture cool down and then add the grated / crumbled paneer, chopped mint, and cilantro and mix well to combine.
To shape and cook the Quatab
- Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Dust each ball with enough flour and roll it into a very thin circle. Place about 2 tablespoon of filling on one half of the rolled dough and cover it with the other half.
- Seal the edges well and cook it on a hot cast iron or a heavy pan. Apply oil on both sides and cook until golden brown.
- Let the Kutab cool a bit and then serve.
Similar Recipes
Recipe
Qutab | Kutab | Azerbaijani Stuffed Flatbread
Equipment
- pan
- Cast Iron Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup Whole wheat flour
- 1 cup All Purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt - ½
- 3 tablespoon Oil
- 3 cup Boiling water about 3 to 4 cups or as needed
- 1 cup Paneer or any crumbled cheese
- ½ cup Onion finely chopped
- 3 Spring onion finely chopped with the greens
- ¼ cup Mint leaves chopped
- ¼ cup Cilantro chopped
- 2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper flakes or as needed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
To make the Dough -
- Boil about 4 to 5 of water in a pan.
- In another pan combine the flours and the salt.
- Slowly add the boiling water and stir with a wooden spoon. Keep adding water until a solid mass forms. At this stage cover the dough for few minutes to cool down enough to handle.
- Now add the oil and knead the mixture into a soft dough. Sprinkle more warm water if needed.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
To make the Filling -
- Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions and spring onions until just soft and translucent.
- Add the salt and crushed red pepper to this mixture and mix well.
- Let this mixture cool down and then add the grated / crumbled paneer, chopped mint and cilantro and mix well to combine.
To shape and cook the Quatab -
- Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Dust each ball with enough flour and roll it into very thin circle. Place about 2 tablespoon of filling on one half of the rolled dough and cover it with the other half.
- Seal the edges well and cook it on a hot cast iron or a heavy pan. Apply oil on both sides and cook until golden brown.
- Let it cool a bit and then serve.
MEETA CHATURVEDI says
Love it!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks
Myriam says
What is the white cream in the bowl aside the Qutabs? Looks like yogurt. Thanks
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Yes. I served it with some hung yogurt.
code2cook says
yummy, this qutab or kutab bread looks like afgani bolani, yeah filling is definitely different. And with this flatbread surely a tempting and lip-smacking. feels like grabbing them and just have them with my tea.
Padmajha PJ says
Elders don't like our experiments much but kids are so supportive in trying out whatever dish we experiment with right! And no wonder this one was a hit with that paneer filling!
Ritu Tangri says
When so many favorite ingredients are there in a bread who can dare to say anything negative and this Qutab is one such bread. Excellent pick for the alphabet
preeti garg says
Great choice... love the paneer filling... and looks so delicious.
Srivalli says
This is a lovely choice sandhya. I too made this and love the paneer filling. The final pictures have turned great.
Renu says
Wow this looks delicious, I had shortlisted this one but dropped the idea. Now I feel I should have. This looks delicious.
Erin Vasicek says
Oh yum! I visited Baku a couple years ago and remember eating this deliciousness
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Erin, that is so amazing! I am really looking forward to traveling a little more to enjoy the native food.
Mayuri Patel says
Its very rare to find something with Q so easily...you're lucky you found it before the other letters. And what a wonderful tempting flatbread you've made. Its amazing how flatbreads from that part of the world look so similar to the Indian flatbreads.
M.Gayathri Raani says
Same pinch Sandhya even I made the same but slightly differently. Your version with paneer, onions and mint looks awesome and I would love to taste a slice..
harini says
Wow wow and Wow! to impress one's dad with an international flatbread is not easy and you did it. Awesome, Sandhya. With the paneer and the herbs this one is definitely a winner.
Vaishali Sabnani says
Wow ! That’s such an amazing bread with a delicious creamy filling . Paneer and onion combo is a excellent combo , the onion giving it that crunch - oh I loved this bread , beautifully prepared bread !
Priya Suresh says
Qutab looks just prefect especially for the stuffing.. paneer and onion in filling makes me hungry already. Very tempting to the core. Feel like grabbing a piece and having rite now.
Sowmya says
Wow! Paneer and onion filling would make the flatbread so flavourful and delicious! And the pics are simply too drool worthy!