Çiğ Börek - Chebureki - Cooking Gorgeous

5 from 4 votes

Çiğ Börek - Chebureki

Çiğ Börek (Çiborek or Chebureki) is a thin crispy deep-fried pastry filled with ground beef, onions and spices.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Total Time45

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: Eastern European, Turkish

Diet: Low Lactose

Servings: pieces

Calories: 141kcal

Mix salt, vinegar, and water in a large bowl.
Sift the flour and add it to the bowl gradually, until you have a soft dough.
Transfer the dough onto your worktop and knead until it becomes smooth and elastic, for five to ten minutes.
Return the dough to the bowl, cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes while preparing the filling.

Grate the onion in a bowl and add minced beef, salt, freshly ground black pepper, vinegar, and water.
Mix all until nicely combined. Keep it refrigerated until you need it.

Divide the dough into 12 equal balls, approximately 1 ½ oz (40 grams) each. Let them rest for another 15 minutes before shaping them.
Cover them with a kitchen cloth while shaping the pastries to avoid them drying.
Take one of the dough balls and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 15 cm (6") circle. Lightly dust the dough ball with flour to avoid it sticking to the rolling pin.
Scatter 1 tablespoon of the filling onto one half of the circle and fold the other half over the filling.
Pinch the seams of the Chebureki shut with your fingers and trim the edge with a pizza cutter to ensure it's nicely sealed.
Set the filled pastry aside on a lightly floured surface and repeat the same with the rest of the dough balls before you start frying them.
Fill your frying pan with oil and heat it over medium-high heat.
Fry the pastries in hot oil for one or two minutes on each side until golden and crispy. I use a large frying pan just big enough to fit two pastries.
Serve immediately with a cup of Turkish tea or a bowl of Cacik (Turkish Yoghurt With Cucumbers) on the side.

Don’t leave the borek dough to rest for longer than an hour as it can become too loose to roll it out.
Any type of minced meat would work perfectly with this recipe or even a mixture!
You can use uncooked raw tortillas made with wheat instead of making the dough yourself to make things quicker and easier!
The best way to reheat the Chebureki is to reheat them in a conventional oven, toaster oven, or air fryer until they’re crispy again.
Do not use the microwave for reheating chebureki if you want the boreks crispy as microwaving them will turn them soggy.