Hungry Man
Senior Member
ÇİBÖREK / CHEBUREKI
Deep fried thin dough filled with juicy minced meat and onions. It can be compared to an empanada but I find çibörek much more satisfying with the thin crispy fried dough and the simple juicy mince filling.
Chebureki is also called "çiğ börek" ("raw börek") in Turkey, brought to Turkey during the Crimean Tatar Diaspora into the Ottoman Empire. Being a national dish of Crimean Tatars, it is quite popular in Turkey where the Tatar community exists.
Ingredients:
Filling
- 250 g beef mince (preferably lean)
- 1 onion
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- water
- 4 cups of all purpose flour (550 g)
- 1 cup water (200 ml)
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- Vegatable oil to fry
Instructions:
- In a bowl, mix the flour with the vinegar and gradually add water and mix till a hard dough is formed
- Knead for 5 – 10 minutes until it’s smooth and doesn’t stick to the bowl
- Cover and let it rest for 15 – 20 minutes while preparing the filling
- Finely chop the onion and transfer to a small pan
- Add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer
- Drain the water with the onion juice and set aside the water and the onions
- Add the beef mince to a bowl and add ¼ cup water (about 60 ml)
- Add 2 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
- Add 3 – 4 tbsp of the onion juice (cooking water from the onions) until the mixture is juicy and mushy
- Mix until the ingredients are combined
- Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and divide into 50 g pieces
- Shape pieces into small balls and cover with a damp cloth
- Roll the doughs into thin circular shapes, approximately 20 – 25 cm in diameter
- Shake off the excess flour and set aside
- Add 1 – 2 tbsp filling on one side of the each dough, close the other side on top of the filling to make a a half circle
- Cut the edges of the dough and seal it firmly
- Add plenty of oil into a pan and heat up to 160°C / 320°F
- Once the oil is hot, gently drop the ciborek into hot oil
- Fry in batches until golden on each side and they are puffed. (Do not overcrowd the pan)
- Transfer to a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil and serve with tea or ayran