Exit print mode Print recipe A+ A- Undo all

Chebureki – Crispy Crimean Tatar Meat Turnovers

Ingredients:

All-purpose flour
500 Grams
Warm water
250 Milliliters
Vodka
1 Tablespoons
optional – makes the dough blister and crisp
Vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons
for the dough
Salt
1 Teaspoons
for the dough
Ground lamb or beef
400 Grams
Onions
2
medium, grated or very finely chopped
Cold water or broth
80 Milliliters
for the filling
Fresh dill or parsley
2 Tablespoons
chopped
Salt
1 Teaspoons
for the filling
Black pepper
0.5 Teaspoons
Vegetable oil
750 Milliliters
for frying

Preparation mode:

πŸ‘‰ Chebureki (Γ§iberek) are large, thin half-moon pastries filled with juicy spiced meat and fried until bubbly and crisp. They come from Crimean Tatar cuisine and became a favourite street food across Ukraine, Turkey, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

The secret is a very thin dough and a filling with a little water added – it turns into a hot, savoury broth inside every cheburek.

How to Make Chebureki

  1. Make the dough. Mix the flour and salt. Add the warm water, vodka and 2 tbsp oil and knead for 5–7 minutes into a smooth, elastic dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  2. Make the filling. Mix the meat with the grated onion, herbs, salt and pepper. Add the cold water little by little and mix until the filling is soft and juicy – this water turns into the famous broth inside.
  3. Roll and fill. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each into a very thin circle about 18 cm (7 in) across. Spread a thin layer of filling over one half, leaving a border.
  4. Seal. Fold over into a half-moon, press out the air and seal the edges firmly with your fingers or a fork. Trim with a pastry wheel for the classic wavy edge.
  5. Fry. Heat about 3 cm (1 in) of oil in a wide pan to 175Β°C (350Β°F). Fry the chebureki 1–2 at a time for 2–3 minutes per side until golden and bubbly. Use a thermometer – too hot and the meat stays raw, too cool and they turn greasy.
  6. Drain and serve. Drain on paper towels and serve hot, ideally with a glass of ayran or a light soup.

πŸ›’ Kitchen Tools for This Recipe

πŸ‘‰ More comfort food from around the world: 25 Cozy Comfort Food Recipes

Footnotes:

Why vodka? The alcohol evaporates in the hot oil and makes the dough extra blistered and crisp. You can leave it out.

Cheese version: fill with grated mozzarella or suluguni mixed with chopped dill.

Safety: the filling inside is very hot – let them rest a minute before biting in.

Photo: N509FZ / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and color-adjusted).

Source: https://cuisinesguide.com/recipes/chebureki-crispy-crimean-tatar-meat-turnovers/