Rongyos lapótya is a pan-fried flatbread that can be considered as the little brother of lángos. It’s made from a yeasted dough spread with lard. The dough is rolled out thinly and traditionally fried in a little amount of lard or oil. It’s usually served with salty toppings similar to lángos; however, fruit jam or sweetened cottage cheese cream also go well with lapótya.

I gave a twist to the traditional recipe and I make rongyos lapótya a bit differently. I fry the flatbreads in a dry pan using no grease and fill them with savory meat and vegetables. Below you will find two recipes for the filling, one with chicken and one with pork.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 50 ml (~1/4 cup) milk
• 15 g (~1/2 oz) fresh yeast (1 1/2 tsp dry yeast)
• pinch of sugar
• 250 g (~2 cups) flour
• 100 g (~ 3 1/2 oz) sour cream
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp bakig soda
• 2-3 tbsp lard

Place yeast and sugar in a small bowl and activate it in lukewarm milk.

In another bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add sour cream and activated yeast, and knead until the dough becomes smooth and pliable. Cover and let it rise for 40-50 minutes.

On a floured pastry board roll out the dough into 0,5 cm / 1/5″ thick rectangle. Thinly spread the top with lard, then roll up the dough starting from the longer side. Cut it into 6 pieces.

Set a roll on its end and compress it with your palm, then roll it out into a thin circle.

After rolling out the flatbreads you can choose from 2 options:

1.) If you stick to the traditions and want to make rongyos lapótya in the original way, heat 2-3 tablespoons of lard in a 28 cm / 11″ frying pan and fry the flatbreads until golden brown on both sides.

Feel free to serve lapótya with any kind of toppings you like: sour cream, cheese, garlic, or if you prefer sweet fillings, try it with apricot jam or a sweet cottage cheese cream.

2.) If you are curious to explore a new side of this old Hungarian food, then read further and you can learn how I have rethought and boosted the original recipe.

After rolling out heat up a dry, 28 cm / 11″ non-stick frying pan (use no grease) and place a round dough in it. Toast the flatbread for a minute, turn upside down and toast for further 1 minute. Be careful not to overtoast the flatbread otherwise it will dry out and you won’t be able to roll it up with the filling. Once it’s done, transfer flatbread onto a plate. Repeat the process until you have 6 flatbreads.

Filling No. 1 – Summer version:

Ingredients:

Meat:

• 500-600 g (~1 1/3 lbs) chicken breast fillet
• salt, ground black pepper, thyme, oregano and marjoram to taste
• 5-6 coriander seeds, crushed
• 1-2 tbsp lard

Vegetables:

• 3-4 tomatoes
• 2-3 wax or bell peppers
• 3-4 cucumbers (15/20 cm / 6-8 inch long)
• 1-2 red onions

Sauce:

• 6-8 tbsp greek yoghurt
• 1 tsp dill, finely chopped
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Mix up greek yoghurt, dill, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Dice the chicken breasts. Heat lard in a skillet, then add chicken and over medium-high heat fry it, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, add thyme, oregano, marjoram and crushed coriander seeds. Fry until chicken is tender.

While the meat is cooking, thinly slice the vegetables and put them onto plates.

Once chicken is done, you can fill your flatbreads. Spread dill yoghurt on each lapótya, then pile some chicken and sliced vegetables along the flatbreads. Fold over one end and roll up to seal. Eat immediately.

Filling No. 2 – Winter version

Meat:

• 500-600 g (~1 1/3 lbs) boneless pork (preferably a fatty part e.g. shoulder)
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 5-6 whole allspice berries
• salt and pepper

Sautéed onion-apple cubes:

• 3-4 apples, peeled and diced
• 2 medium red onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sugar
• salt, pepper and marjoram to taste
• 1-2 tbsp lard

Sauce:

• 6-8 tbsp mayonnaise

Grind the allspice berries in a mortar. Peel and crush the garlic cloves. Salt and pepper the pork, spread crushed garlic and allspice over it. Put the meat in an oven bag and roast at 180°C / 356°F until it’s soft and tender (it takes approximately 1,5-2 hours).

Meanwhile make the onion-apple sauté. In a pan heat lard, add finely chopped red onions and sauté until almost tender. Stir in diced apples, sprinkle with salt, pepper and marjoram, add sugar and cook until the apples are soft.

Once pork is done, shred the meat with two forks or your fingers. Spread mayonnaise on each flatbread, pile some pork and sautéed apple on them. Fold over one end and roll up to seal. Eat immediately.