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Emirati · Gulf Arab

Chebab

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

جباب · chebab

Soft yeasted pancakes scented with cardamom and saffron, cooked on a flat pan and drizzled with date syrup. A favourite Emirati breakfast, often eaten with cream cheese.

Chebab is an Emirati bread from United Arab Emirates, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with all-purpose flour and cardamom. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
45 min
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
361

Ingredients

4 servings (about 12 pancakes)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flour, sugar (opens in a new tab), yeast, cardamom (opens in a new tab) and salt in a bowl. Add the egg (opens in a new tab), milk (opens in a new tab) and saffron (opens in a new tab) water and whisk to a smooth batter, slightly thicker than crêpe batter.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cover and leave somewhere warm until bubbly on top.

    • 45 min

  3. Step 3

    Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat and wipe with a little ghee (opens in a new tab). Pour in a small ladle of batter and let it spread into a 12 cm round. Cook until the top is covered with holes and set, then flip briefly.

    Some cooks only cook one side, leaving a pale, lacy top.

    Batter being spread in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Serve warm, drizzled with date syrup or honey (opens in a new tab), with cream cheese (opens in a new tab) on the side.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
United Arab Emirates · Commonly attributedAssociated with the Emirates; similar pancakes are made across the lower Gulf.Also popular in Oman, QatarMore food from United Arab Emirates
Dish
Breakfast · Brunch · Breads & flatbreads · Sweets & confectionery
Cooking method
Pan-fried
Taste
sweet, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly · Everyday
Cook more with
All-purpose flour · Cardamom · Sugar · Dried yeast · Egg · Milk
Techniques
Pan-frying

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk, ghee, cream cheese
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

361 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 183 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 13%
  • Carbohydrate 66%
  • Fat 21%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy361 kcal198 kcal
Protein11.4 g6.2 g
Carbohydrate59.2 g32.4 g
Net carbohydrate57.2 g31.3 g
Sugars11.4 g6.2 g
Added sugars6.3 g3.4 g
Fibre2 g1.1 g
Fat8.4 g4.6 g
Saturated fat4.4 g2.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol65 mg35 mg
Sodium207 mg113 mg
Salt equivalent0.5 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
222 mg
Calcium
127 mg
Iron
3.2 mg
Magnesium
26 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
93 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
1.5 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
210 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: honey, cream cheese.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep the cooked chebab stacked under a clean tea towel so they stay soft.

Common mistakes

  • A pan that is too hot browns the outside before the thick batter sets in the middle.

Serve with

  • With karak chai or Arabic coffee.

Storage

  • Keep covered at room temperature for a day, or freeze between sheets of baking paper.

Reheating

  • Warm briefly in a dry pan or microwave.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3, 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 10 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 45 min

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Bake · about 20 min

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  4. Start to finish: about 1 h 15 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Gummy or wet crumb

    Likely causes

    • Under-baked
    • Sliced while hot
    • Hydration too high for the flour

    What to do

    • Bake to 93–96 °C inside (cakes: clean skewer)
    • Cool completely on a rack before slicing
    • Reduce water by 3–5% or use a stronger flour
  • Collapsed or sunken middle

    Likely causes

    • Oven door opened too early
    • Too much leavening or sugar
    • Under-baked centre
    • Over-proofed yeast dough

    What to do

    • Don't open the oven for the first two-thirds of baking
    • Measure leaveners exactly with spoons, levelled
    • Test the centre before removing
    • Proof less
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Cracked or domed top

    Likely causes

    • Oven too hot (crust sets before the centre rises)
    • Too much leavening
    • Overmixed batter

    What to do

    • Lower the oven 10–15 °C
    • Use the exact leavening amount
    • Fold just until combined
  • Big holes or tunnels

    Likely causes

    • Overmixed batter (cakes, muffins)
    • Air trapped while shaping bread
    • Uneven proof

    What to do

    • Mix quick breads only until no dry flour shows
    • Degas gently and shape tightly
    • Proof covered in an even, warm place
  • Dry or crumbly

    Likely causes

    • Too much flour (scooped, not weighed)
    • Over-baked
    • Too little fat or sugar

    What to do

    • Weigh flour, or spoon it into the cup and level
    • Check 5 minutes early
    • Don't cut fat or sugar by more than a quarter without another moisture source

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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