Turkish Rolls with cheese (Sigara Boregi or Cigarette Borek) is a type of pastry made with thin filo pastries called yufka, filled with cheese then shallow-fried for extra crispness. These delicious pastries have a cylindric shape that looks like cannolis or taquitos, but much different in taste.
Same as Spinach Borek (Ispanakli Borek), they are perfect as finger food, snack, breakfast, or as part of a mezze platter. You can make them in advance big batches and freeze them for later. No need to defrost before frying, simply take them out of the freezer then fry in hot oil.
Borek is a general name for savoury Turkish pastries made with a thin, crispy crust and various fillings. The most common way to cook them is in the oven although Turkish Cheese Rolls (Sigara Borek) is best when shallow fried in a pan. You can make different variations by changing the fillings, but the cheese and herb filling is the most popular one. They’re not the quickest to prepare but they are fairly easy to put together.
How to Make Turkish Cheese Rolls (Sigara Boregi)?
Making these delicious cheese boreks is very simple and straightforward. However, to achieve the best results you need to follow a few simple steps:
- Prepare the filling – Crumble the feta cheese using a fork and place it in a bowl. Grate halloumi cheese and add it to the feta cheese. Add the chopped parsley, mint, dill, and freshly ground black pepper to the cheese mixture. Mix with a spoon to combine.
- Roll the filo pastries into a cigarette shape – Cut the filo pastries into 8 equal triangles. That would give you 24 triangles.
- Roll the borek – Place a triangle of yufka on a large, flat surface, pointed end away from you. Add a tablespoonful of cheese filling to the wide end and spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side. Fold the flat end over the top of the cheese, fold the outer corners over the filling and roll the borek tightly. Wet the tip on each pastry at the pointed end to seal it. Set aside and continue with the remaining yufka and filling.
- Shallow fry the Boreks – Heat ¼ cup oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the boreks in the oil and fry on all sides until crispy and golden. Don’t overcrowd the pan. When cooked, place the boreks on a paper kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.
Video Tutorial
Turkish borek is a savoury type of pastry made with thin flaky “yufka” dough filled with various fillings such as mince, cheese, vegetables, or potatoes. There are many different ways of preparing and cooking these delicious pastries. Some can be wrapped and baked individually and some can be prepared as a whole in a large tray and cut into portions after baking. Borek is also popular in the Balkans, Middle East, Central Asia, and some Eastern and Central European countries.
Yes, you can freeze them either before frying or after, and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you freeze them uncooked, you can fry them straight out of the freezer without needing to defrost them. If you freeze them after frying, simply wrap them in tin foil and reheat them in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
I hope you enjoy the process of making these crispy and cheesy rolled boreks as much as you enjoy eating them!🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!
Turkish Cheese Rolls (Sigara Boregi)
Ingredients
- 3 fresh yufka sheets (or frozen filo pastries)
- 200 g feta cheese
- 125 g halloumi (or kasar,cheddar,mozarella)
- 1 cup parsley (chopped)
- 2 tbsp mint (chopped)
- 2 tbsp dill (chopped)
- ½ TSP freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Crumble the feta cheese using a fork and place it in a bowl.
- Grate halloumi cheese and add it to the feta cheese.
- Add the chopped parsley, mint, dill, and freshly ground black pepper to the cheese mixture. Mix with a spoon to combine.
- Cut the filo pastries into 8 equal triangles. That would give you 24 triangles.
- Place a triangle of yufka on a large, flat surface, pointed end away from you. Add a tablespoonful of cheese filling to the wide end and spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side.
- Fold the flat end over the top of the cheese, fold the outer corners over the filling and roll the borek tightly. Wet the tip on each pastry at the pointed end to seal it. Set aside and continue with the remaining yufka and filling.
- Heat ¼ cup oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, place the boreks in the oil and fry on all sides until crispy and golden. Don't overcrowd the pan.
- When cooked, place the boreks on a paper kitchen paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
Did you make this recipe?
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Perfect