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Chebureki
Chebureki (чебуреки): Crimean Tatar fried pastry half-moons with juicy spiced lamb
UkrainianÇiberek, as Crimean Tatars call them, are the great beach and roadside food of Crimea, from Bakhchysarai to Yevpatoria, and Crimean Tatar cafés in Kyiv and Lviv still fry them to order. A thin, blistered pastry, crisp at the edges, holds a filling of minced lamb, grated onion, black pepper and herbs that turns into a rich, peppery broth as it cooks; bite carefully, as it is meant to be juicy. Eat them hot from paper with a glass of ayran or a tomato salad. The mistake most home cooks make is leaving air pockets when sealing, so the pastry bursts and spits in the oil. Some cooks add a splash of vodka to the dough for extra blisters; this version uses none. Chef's tip: stir a few spoons of ice-cold water into the meat until it is almost sloppy; that water becomes the broth that makes a good chebureki.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flourplus extra for rolling
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb fatty minced lambwell chilled
- 2 onionsfinely grated
- ½ cup ice-cold water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley or dillfinely chopped
For frying
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil for frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Stir the 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp sunflower oil into the 1 cup hot water, then work it into the 1 ⅛ lb plain flour. Knead for 8 minutes into a smooth, firm dough. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb fatty minced lamb with the 2 onions, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, ½ tsp ground cumin and 3 tbsp fresh parsley or dill, then beat in the ½ cup ice-cold water a spoonful at a time until loose and very juicy. Keep in the fridge until needed.
8 minStep 3: Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a very thin circle, about 18 cm across, on a lightly floured surface.
12 minStep 4: Spread 2 heaped tablespoons of filling thinly over one half of each circle, leaving a 1 cm border. Fold over, press out all the air and seal the edge firmly with a fork or a pastry wheel.
12 minStep 5: Heat the 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil for frying in a wide, deep pan to 350°F (a scrap of dough rises and bubbles at once). Fry 2 at a time for 3 minutes per side, until blistered and deep golden.
24 minStep 6: Check the first one: cut it open or insert a probe into the thickest part; the lamb filling must reach 160°F and show no pink. Drain on a rack and serve hot.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chebureki take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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