On this week’s edition of Cheap Eats on Dubai92, Arva spoke about a super simple but always delicious za’atar cheese roti from one of the many streetside bakeries around town.
What’s This Week’s Cheap Eat?
Every week our founder Arva Ahmed goes on air on one of our favourite local radio stations, Dubai92, to share the best food in Dubai or the neighboring Emirates that’s also incredibly cheap!
This week she shared one of her all-time culinary loves, freshly baked za’atar cheese pastry. Most streetside bakeries will have a version of this, but the one she spoke about was the one she got from Aisha Roti in Karama. You can find it right here.
What This Za’atar Cheese Roti Looks Like
Here’s a quick Instagram reel showcasing this piping hot fragrant stuffed bread.
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Tune In
Tune in to the segment on Dubai92’s Instagram account or check out the transcript below.
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Transcript
Arva:
Alright, so this week we’re gonna hit the streets for a classic Za’atar cheese roti. Now you can get these at pretty much every streetside bakery. We have a lot of these in old Dubai. Unfortunately the newer part has fewer of these bakeries, but I have never really been to one where I didn’t like it because…fresh bread, no brainer.
And this specific one is in Karama, it’s called Aisha Rotti. And theirs is a little bit different because I feel like in most cases, when you say Za’tar Cheese Roti, what they do is they fold it over, sort of like a calzone?
Jono:
Yep.
Arva:
But in this case, when they fold it over, it’s still sort of very floppy. I feel like they’re using unleavened dough, so it’s very, very tender. And that cream cheese inside, it’s that perfect combination of tender on the outside really gooey on the inside. And the smell of fresh za’atar when it hits the hot oven is nothing. Nothing compares to that first thing in the morning.
It is not the Akkawi cheese, it is the cream cheese. And it should be the cream cheese in this case because when you bite into it, you want it to kind of bubble out.
Jono:
About how much are we gonna spend out here?
Arva:
Nothing more than five dirhams.
Jono:
Arva, as always, Frying Pan Adventures for the full details. Arva, thank you for sharing your tidbits of inspiration and tantalizing our taste buds.
Arva:
It’s always a pleasure. Have a scrumptious week ahead guys!
Arva Ahmed is the co-founder of Frying Pan Adventures, Dubai’s first food tour company, and a celebrated food explorer known for uncovering Dubai’s hidden culinary gems. Her expertise in the city’s diverse food scene has been featured in prominent publications such as CNN, Khaleej Times, BBC Travel, The Sun, The Independent and countless more. She also hosts Ditch the Silver on YouTube. Through her immersive tours and storytelling, Arva brings Dubai’s rich flavors and vibrant cultures to life.
