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Kibinai
Kibinai: Trakai Karaim crescent pastries filled with lamb and onion
Kibinai are the pastries of the Karaim, a small Turkic community settled in Trakai, the lake-island castle town near Vilnius, since the 14th century. Every café along Karaimų street sells them hot from the oven: half-moon pastries of flaky, buttery dough with a juicy filling of chopped lamb and onion, crimped along the top. A common mistake is mincing the meat; the Karaim chop it into small cubes so the filling stays juicy. Chef's tip: use cold dough and bake hot, so the pastry flakes and the juices stay sealed inside. The filling must reach 71 °C.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 1 ⅛ lb plain flour
- 7 oz cold butterdiced
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb lamb shoulderchopped into 5 mm cubes
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp cold water
To glaze
- 1 eggbeaten
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rub 7 oz cold butter into 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and ½ tsp salt. Add ¾ cup sour cream, 1 egg and 3 tbsp cold water and bring together. Chill 30 minutes.
Step 2: Mix 1 ⅛ lb lamb shoulder, 2 onions, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and 3 tbsp cold water. Common mistake: minced meat; it goes dry.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (fan 350°F). Divide the pastry into 12, roll each into a 13 cm circle and put filling in the centre.
Step 4: Fold over into a half-moon, stand it upright and crimp the seam along the top into a rope pattern.
Step 5: Brush with 1 egg and bake for 25–30 minutes, until deep golden and the filling reaches 160°F.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kibinai take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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 cold butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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