Flakey, crispy and backed with ground beef and saffron rice, these little turnovers are a must try recipe!
One of the many things that I love about börek is that there are so many ways to prepare them. Börek, essentially meaning pastry, is applied to a myriad of delicious turkish pastries, both savory and sweet.
This börek recipe uses yufka, similar to phyllo dough or puff pastry, and it’s packed with ground beef and saffron rice.
Making and tasting these delicious börek, I was immediately reminded of the stories I heard about my grandmothers making “fried pies.” This börek recipe is what I would call a savory fried pie. It’s absolutely delicious.
Here’s the recipe:
- 8 oz ground beef
- 6 oz white rice
- 3.5 c flour
- 1 onion (diced)
- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 2 TBSP sunflower oil plus 3-4 c more for frying
- 1 TBSP suzme yogurt (or any thick yogurt)
- 1-2 c water (for the dough)
- 1.5 c water (for the rice)
- 1 tsp saffron
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Preparation:
To make the dough:
Place the flour in a bowl and make a little well in the middle. Add the yogurt and slowly add the water until the dough is shaggy but not sticky.
Turn the dough over on a floured workspace and knead it for 5-10 minutes until smooth.
Shape it into a ball, place in a bowl and cover with plastic warp.
Let the dough rest for 30-45 minutes.
To make the rice:
Rinse and drain the rice.
In a large stock pot add 2 TBSP of sunflower oil.
Once the oil is hot, add the rice and toast it for 2-3 minutes.
Add the saffron, salt and pepper and stir.
Cover the rice with 1.5 cups of hot water.
Reduce heat to low, cover the rice with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes.
To make the ground beef:
In a small frying pan, sautee the ground beef until it is browned.
Add the olive oil and then the onions and stir.
Season with salt and pepper (to taste).
Once the rice is done cooking, combine it with the beef mixture and set aside.
To make the börek (turnovers):
Take golf ball size pieces of dough, roll them into a ball and set them on a flour sheet pan.
One by one, roll out each ball until it’s about 5-6 inches in diameter.
Place 1 TBSP of the beef and rice filling in the middle of the dough.
Fold over the dough to create a half circle.
Cut off any excess dough with a pizza cutter or knife.
Crimp the edges with your finger or a fork (similar to when you make a pie crust)
Fry in a large frying pan or a deep fryer until it is browned.
Serve and Enjoy while warm.
Afiyet Olsun!
This recipe is from the culinary classes at the Gaziantep Mutfak Sanatlar? E?itim Merkezi. For more information or to take a class, visit their website.