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Sigara böreği
Sigara böreği: crisp fried pastry rolls filled with white cheese and parsley
These pencil-thin rolls take their name from the cigarettes they resemble, and they are the börek every Turkish child grows up on. Triangles of yufka (thin Turkish pastry) are rolled round a finger of white cheese and parsley and fried until they shatter when you bite them. They turn up at five o'clock tea parties, on the iftar table during Ramadan and in many a school lunchbox. Yufka is sold in Turkish shops; filo works too if you use two sheets brushed with oil. Chef's tip: shape them all, cover with a damp cloth and fry just before eating; they lose their crunch within an hour.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
For rolling and frying
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mash 7 oz Turkish white cheese (beyaz peynir) or feta with a fork, then mix in ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsley and ½ tsp Aleppo pepper (pul biber). It should be crumbly but hold together when squeezed.
Step 2: Stack the 2 sheets of 2 yufka pastry sheets and cut into quarters, then cut each quarter in half to give 16 long triangles. Keep them under a damp cloth so they don't dry and crack.
Step 3: Lay a triangle with the wide edge towards you. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling along the wide edge in a thin line, leaving 2 cm free at each end.
Step 4: Fold the two sides in over the filling, then roll up tightly towards the point. Dab the tip with 2 tbsp water and press to seal. The usual mistake is overfilling or rolling loosely: the rolls burst open in the oil and the cheese leaks out.
Step 5: Heat 2 cups sunflower oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat to about 350°F, until a scrap of pastry sizzles at once and turns golden in about 30 seconds.
4 minStep 6: Fry 5 or 6 rolls at a time for 2–3 minutes, turning, until evenly golden and blistered. Lift onto kitchen paper.
6 minStep 7: Serve hot with tea, or alongside soup and salad.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 33 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sigara böreği take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of flat-leaf parsley?
- Curly parsley or coriander, same amount.
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