Original Chebureki – Crimean Tatar Dumplings

Preface:

1. Out of curiosity, I searched several cooking sites on the Internet for recipes from originals, real Chebureki and found none. All Chebureki recipes were only dubiously close to the original, or have nothing to do with Chebureki at all. There is no question that such dumplings are definitely very good and very tasty, but in no case do they convey the real original taste of Chebureki. I lived in Russia for my first 19 years and by chance was friends with two Crimean Tatar families for several generations. They kept this recipe for almost two centuries (as far as I know, maybe longer). Exactly this recipe I have unfortunately inherited from them. Both families also used two (as in “my” recipe) variants of the filling, but both of them also emphasized the absolutely original Tschebureki are with lamb filling. A Cheburek (Russian чебурек; plural form Chebureki (чебуреки)) is a hearty dish that originally stems from the cuisine of the Crimean Tatars and over time has become a permanent fixture in Russian cuisine. The term is a linguistic modification of the Crimean Tatar word çüberek or the Turkish çiğ börek.

Note:

1. Preparation of Chebureki takes a lot of time and a lot of patience and love, but it’s worth it.

Preparation:

1. Sift the flour into a suitable bowl through a fine sieve
2. Bring the water to the boil, dissolve the salt in the boiling water and carefully pour boiling water over the flour, then let it stand for a few minutes (5-10) so that water can penetrate the flour and cool down a bit so that you can knead everything with your hands.
3. Add oil, vodka and knead everything thoroughly to make a smooth dough.
4. Wrap air freely in cling film and let rest for 30-40 minutes at room temperature.

Filling (different):

1. Chop the onion, garlic, dill and parsley very finely.
2. Put all the ingredients and spices for the filling (including beef stock) in a suitable bowl, mix thoroughly and leave to rest in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes. Then take it out, if necessary season with salt and pepper, mix thoroughly again. The mince must be such that you cannot form meatballs, but it should not melt like good mashed potatoes.
3. Then store in a cool place until the dough is processed.

Filling (original):

1. Chop the onion, garlic, dill and parsley very finely.
2. Chop lame meat very finely with a very sharp knife (who can use two knives) Never use a meat grinder. In a pinch, if you can’t ask the butcher or friends yourself.
3. Put the chopped food, all the ingredients and spices (except beef stock) for the filling in a suitable bowl, mix thoroughly and smash (lift the mince with your hand and hit the bottom of the bowl with force).
4. Let the minced meat rest in the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes. Then take it out, if necessary season with salt and pepper, mix again thoroughly and smash if the dimensions are too tight, add a little water and mix again and smash. The mince must be such that you cannot form meatballs, but it should not melt like good mashed potatoes.
5. Then store in a cool place until the dough is processed.

Dough processing:

1. Spread the flour on the work surface. Remove cling film from the dough and knead again, then cut in half and each half into a sausage with approx. 4-5cm. Roll out the diameter. Cut the dough sausages into even pieces (approx. 4-5cm) and shape into a ball.
2. Roll out the balls one after the other into thin flatbreads (approx. 15cm diameter) no more than 3mm thick (ideally 2mm).

Union:

1. Place about 1.5 tablespoons of minced meat on one half of the flatbread, flatten it lightly and cover with the second half of the flatbread. Make sure to close the edges well with the help of a fork (see picture) so that the juice does not get into the oil during frying. To do this, you can lightly paint the edges with whisked egg yolk before sealing and not use too much flour when rolling out.
2. Important: make sure that the dumpling or Tscheburek only has to be 2/3 felt, the rest must be free, or air.

End Sport:

1. Feel the pan with oil (about 1.5-2cm) and heat it up at the highest level, then turn the heat down a bit (I have 9 levels on my electric stove and turn it down to 7) wait for about 5 minutes and then fry the Chebureki in the oil until golden brown on both sides (approx. 3-4 minutes per side). Place the finished Tschebureki briefly on a kitchen towel (approx. 0.5 min.) To suck off the fat or oil and serve hot immediately.

Good Appetite!!!

Tips:

1. A large, heavy cast pan with a thick bottom is best for frying
2. Before chebureki get into the pan, I recommend brushing off excess flour with a soft brush.
3. Remember frying in oil / fat (as in our case), frying in OIL / fat (in a little oil / fat) and deep-frying (dipping in oil / fat) is three different pairs of shoes, so do not use a deep fryer .

How to properly eat Chebureki:

1. It is traditional to eat Chebureki with your hands and try to keep the juice in Cheburek until the last moment (see my tip with photos. Will be published on Sunday October 2nd, 2016).

If you have any questions just email.