Kol Böreği, or Turkish Arm Borek, is a delicious savory pastry filled with a mixture of ground meat, onions, and spices. It is very easy to make with store-bought phyllo or yufka. It’s a recipe that brings a little bit of Turkish tradition to your kitchen without much fuss.
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Kol Böreği works wonderfully for breakfast, brunch, or even a light dinner, but it’s just as enjoyable as a snack or appetizer. It’s also incredibly convenient to make ahead—simply prepare it, freeze it, and bake when you need something quick and tasty.
Kol boregi (Arm borek) is shaped in long rolls and named after their arm-shaped appearance. It is filled and rolled in a similar way to a rose borek but shaped like an arm instead of a rose.
If you don’t eat meat, there are plenty of vegetarian filling options for these tasty Turkish pastries, such as Potato Borek, Spinach and Feta Borek, Turkish Rolls( Sigara Boregi), and Spinach Borek (Ispanakli Borek).
With its flaky layers and rich meat filling, it’s a dish that feels special but doesn’t demand hours in the kitchen. Give it a try, and it might just become a regular on your table!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Ingredients for Meat Filling
- Ground meat - You can use beef, lamb, or a combination of both for the filling. For the best flavor, opt for mince with at least 15-20% fat. The higher fat content ensures the meat releases enough fat while browning to sauté the onions, so there’s no need to add olive oil!
- Onion - It provides umami flavor and sweetness to the meat filling. You can use white, brown, or yellow onions.
- Carrots - Grated carrots add a lovely sweetness and a bit of texture to the meat filling! While it’s not a traditional addition, it’s definitely worth trying.
- Seasoning - Salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika, and chili flakes are my go -to spices to ass to meat burek filling.
Ingredients for Building Kol Borek
- Yufka - They are easy to find online or from Turkish or Middle Eastern food shops. This recipe works well with filo pastries too. They are available in most supermarkets and shops, and you can buy them fresh or frozen.
- Egg - It gives color as well as flavor to the borek. You can omit and add extra oil and/or yogurt to the sauce.
- Milk - I Use semi-skimmed or full-fat milk. You can replace the milk with yogurt.
- Yogurt - Plain or natural yogurt with no sugar and flavor added. It gives the borek a fluffy and light texture.
- Vinegar - A small amount of apple cider or any other white vinegar will help your borek to be softer inside while it's crispy outside.
- Vegetable oil - You can substitute it with melted butter, olive oil, sunflower oil, or rapeseed oil. It helps crisping up the borek.
How to Make Kol Böreği - Turkish Arm Borek?
Making this deliciously crispy Kol Böreği - Turkish Arm Borek recipe at home is easy and straightforward. However, you need to follow a few simple steps and tips to achieve the best results:
Prepare the Meat Filling
Place a heavy-based pan on medium heat and brown the ground meat breaking it up as it cooks until it releases its fat.
Depending on the fat ratio of your mince, you might have some fat enough to sauté the onions and carrots. If not, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions along with grated carrots until soft.
Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and chili flakes. Add a little water if the filling looks too dry, give it a good stir, and remove the pan from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
Build the Kol Boregi
To make the sauce, whisk the egg in a jug or a bowl. Add the vegetable oil, milk, yogurt, and vinegar to the eggs. Mix well until all combined. Set it aside.
Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F). Line a rectangular baking tray size of 35 cm x 25 cm (14" x 10") or a 28 cm (11") dia baking pan with a baking sheet.
Cut the yufka sheets in halves, you will have 6 pieces of yufka halves. Yufka sheets are delicate, so handle them carefully to avoid tearing. Lay one piece of half yufka on a clean work surface, drizzle 2 tbsps of the sauce, and spread it evenly using a brush.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of meat filling to the wide end and then spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side. Fold the flat end over the filling, then gently roll the pastry from the wider side into a long cylinder shape.
Fold the long rolled pastry into thirds, as shown in the picture, to form an arm or "N" shape. Repeat the process with the remaining yufka pieces.
Place the shaped boreks on a baking tray and brush with the rest of the sauce generously. Sprinkle on sesame seeds or nigella seeds.
Place the tray in the oven and cook the boreks for 35- 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- You can make the meat filling up to 2 days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you want to build your kol borek.
- Yufka sheets are delicate, so handle them carefully to avoid tearing.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C - 360° F (fan oven) before you put the borek in. A cold oven would cause a longer cooking time and less crispy pastries.
- You can double the recipe up and keep the cooked borek pieces in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- You can also keep unbaked boreks in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply bake them in the preheated oven straight from frozen. Add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
Serving Suggestions
Kol Böreği is best served warm, straight from the oven. I usually serve them with a bowl of Turkish Tarhana Soup - Tarhana Corbasi, Sehriye Corbasi - Turkish Orzo Soup, Turkish Lentil Soup, or Ezo Gelin Corba for a light and tasty lunch. You can also add Mango Salad with Avocado and Cucumber, a dollop of yogurt, or a side of Turkish Pickled Red Cabbage for a complete meal.
And don’t forget the tea—this pastry is practically made to be enjoyed with a hot cup of Turkish Tea - Cay or a glass of ice-cold Ayran (Turkish Yogurt Drink).
Recipe FAQs
Got leftovers? No problem. Kol Böreği keeps well in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to three months. Reheat it in the oven or air fryer for that just-baked crispiness.
If you want to plan ahead, assemble the rolls and freeze them unbaked. When you’re ready to enjoy, just pop them into the oven straight from the freezer—no thawing required!
Yufka is a thin, large unleavened flatbread in Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine baked on a convex metal griddle called saj.
It is similar to tortillas but much thinner. They are the main ingredients for borek and they are available in Turkish or Middle Eastern shops.
Related Recipes
For more delicious Turkish borek recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this deliciously crispy and flaky Kol Böreği - Turkish Arm Borek recipe as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
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Kol Böreği - Turkish Arm Borek
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Meat Filling
- 350 g ground meat (beef, lamb, or a mixture)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
- 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
- 2 medium carrots (grated)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- ¼ cup water
For Building the Borek
- 3 pieces yufka sheet
- 1 egg
- ⅔ cup vegetable or sunflower oil
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoon Plain natural yogurt
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- sesame seeds and/or nigella seeds (to garnish)
Instructions
Preparing the Meat Filling
- Place a heavy-based pan on medium heat and brown the ground meat breaking it up as it cooks until it releases its fat.
- Depending on the fat ratio of your mince, you might have some fat enough to sauté the onions and carrots. If not, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions along with grated carrots until soft.
- Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and chili flakes.
- Add a little water if the filling looks too dry, give it a good stir, and remove the pan from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
Building Kol Boregi
- To make the sauce, whisk the egg in a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the vegetable oil, milk, yogurt, and vinegar to the eggs. Mix well until all combined. Set it aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F). Line a rectangular baking tray size of 35 cm x 25 cm (14" x 10") or a 28 cm (11") dia baking pan with a baking sheet.
- Cut the yufka sheets in halves, you will have 6 pieces of yufka halves.
- Lay one piece of half yufka on a clean work surface, drizzle 2 tbsps of the sauce, and spread it evenly using a brush.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of meat filling to the wide end and then spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side.
- Fold the flat end over the filling, then gently roll the pastry from the wider side into a long cylinder shape.
- Fold the long rolled pastry into thirds, as shown in the picture, to form an arm or "N" shape. Repeat the process with the remaining yufka pieces.
- Place the shaped boreks on a baking tray and brush with the rest of the sauce generously. Sprinkle on sesame seeds or nigella seeds.
- Place the tray in the oven and cook the boreks for 35- 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Video
Notes
- You can make the meat filling up to 2 days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you want to build your kol borek.
- Yufka sheets are delicate, so handle them carefully to avoid tearing.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C - 360° F (fan oven) before you put the borek in. A cold oven would cause a longer cooking time and less crispy pastries.
- You can double the recipe up and keep the cooked borek pieces in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- You can also keep unbaked boreks in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply bake them in the preheated oven straight from frozen. Add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
- Kol Böreği keeps well in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer up to three months. Reheat it in the oven or air fryer for that just-baked crispiness.
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