Cigarette Borek
(Sigara Boregi)
3 sheets of Phyllo Pastry
Filling:
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Pinch of oregano (optional)
1/2 cup sunflower oil
Mix the filling ingredients in a bowl. Grab a small dish and place some water in it - you'll use this to stick the edges of the borek.
Place the three sheets on top of each other on the counter and place them vertically. Cut them in half from top to bottom (picture). Then cut from one of the top corners to a bottom corner diagonally (picture). Now you should have 12 smaller pieces of phyllo pastry. Put one teaspoonful of filling on the long side of each sheet (picture). First fold the ends from the outside to the inside (picture), then roll it up. Soak the open end in the water and close it up.
After you've rolled up all the sheets, heat up the sunflower oil on the stove in a skillet. Fry each borek equally over medium heat until they take a light golden color. Don't leave the stove as they fry quickly:) Place ones that are done on a paper towel to soak up extra oil.
Serve Cigarette Borek while they are still warm as an appetizer or with tea as a snack.
*Phyllo Pastry may dry up, so roll them up quickly or cover them with a clean towel while you're not using them.
Labels: Pastries
32 Comments:
hello again :-) i made borek with potatoes & feta just a week before you posted this recipe! they turned out so-so -- i burned them a little but they were still tasty; i'll try your recipe next!
I work at a turkish restaurant in Vancouver and, as you can imagine, it's impossible to find yufka dough here. We tried filo and didn't like it much so we settled on spring roll wrappers. Quick, easy and have a texture reminiscent of yufka when deep fried. Give 'er a try!
Hi,
I tried but did not like it:) It was too hard and wasn't crunchy. I did not like the texture either.
Finally I tried Phillyo pastry which was quite good. It is tasty, light and crunchy...
They are wonderful....... I'm peruvian and I love turkish food!! Try it!!!
I love this recipe, I lived in Turkey as a child and miss the food 25 years later! I also remember a version of this borek that had apples and sugar in it and then was rolled in sugar and it was delicious! We have also tried this with cherry pie filling and then rolled it in sugar and it is wonderful as well! Thanks for sharing these wonderful Turkish recipes. Do you have a recipe for Manti (not sure of the spelling) or an eggplant dish that is called potleejon (I'm sure I butchered the spelling!) Thanks!
Hi,
I've already post the Manti recipe, here is the address;
http://www.turkishcookbook.com/2005/04/manti.php
Please check the Recipe Categories to find eggplant recipes :)
On the site, below the google ads on the right, there's a search box. So you
can search on my site if "TC" is selected, it will help you to find any
recipe that I posted.
Hi,
I just made börek for the first time (can't eat it yet though, have to wait for my guest to arrive, damn ;)
I was wondering, how long can you store yufka actually? I put it in a bag in the fridge now, it tends to get dry very quickly. So, what's the best way to store it?
Take care
Elisa
Hi Elisa,
Keep it in the deep freeze in the sealed plastic bag. While you are using them cover with the kitchen towel to prevent it from drying:)
Just have one while still warm:)
Take care,
Hi
Great site. I am married to a Turk, just got back from Turkey and I actually have 2.5 kilos of YUVKA with me. How long can I store it? How should I store it?
Hi,
You can store yufka in the freezer 8-10 months. Put parchment paper between them to take apart easily. Then keep them in the sealed bag. I always pack them 3 by 3.
Hi,
boy, this was awesome. Definitely a keeper! My guests were raving.
Love from Spain
yes we use spring roll pastry also in my restaurant
Hello Binnur! Very excited to make this recipe for my dinner guests this weekend - however i want to make them in advance - can i put them on a cookie sheet to heat up when the guests arrive? what is the best way to heat them up?
Thanks
Hi,
It is a hot appetizer, it is supposed to be freshly made and served. Otherwise, it will not be crunchy:)
Merhaba,
can I bake these instead of frying them so that it's healthier?
Also, is yufka pastry used here or 'normal' filo pastry?
Thanks!
Merhaba Nourhanne,
I used "normL" Phyllo Pastry, not Turkish yufka. But if you like you can use yufka.
Traditionally they should be fried, but if you like you can bake them:)
I made this on Sunday night and my family loved them! I had made tzatziki sauce for the kebabs, so we all dipped them into that and it made them extra yummy. Thanks for the recipe!
Iove Turkey, the food and this site. Been making meat and aIso cheese boreks for many years using fiIo no probIems. I make them, then brush them with butter using a pastry brush. You can keep them under a toweI for a whiIe before baking them in a hot oven for 15 mins. The resuIts are yummy and crunchy too. It means you don't have to stand over a hot pan frying just before eating, so good for parties.
Hi, we make boreks at the cafe as part of the mezze platter. When we fry them, they often spill out some of the cheese. We use filo pastry. Can anyone help? Caroline
these look delicious. I have tried these in a local turkish restaurant in my town, but I think they included potato with the feta. Do you have a recipe for that? Thank you for sharing. From New Zealand : )
Hi,
I've already posted Potato Cigarette Borek under the Pastries section.
To Caroline-I think your problem can be that you probably don't use enough layers of the filo dough, try using 2 or 3 layers(sheets) like Binnurs said in the recipe.
Great recipe. I added a half of sated onion, spinach and dill to the filling. It was awesome... Thanx
Hi,
I'm making all kinds of sigara boregi; with feta cheese and mint, vegenatbles (cabbage, carrots, tomatoes...), mushrooms... and it i've never made a bad one...so just let your imagination going if you don't mind doing it a bit differently.
However, if you can buy yufka, it is much beter than any dough.
But how do u make that Phylo pastry??? couldn't find it here..
Hi,
You can use Gozleme (which I've posted) dough to make yufka. But I give you another recipe to make Yufka and Cig Borek:)
2 cups milk
750 gr all purpose flour
Salt
Mix and knead them all.
I am not sure whether you know the size of Turkish yufka. We use 3 Turkish yufkas to make a regular size Borek. So it depends on how big the yufka will be... also it depends on how thin they will be!
Years ago, when I lived in Turkey we used to eat a meat version of Borek, I was wondering if you have a recipe for it. It was so long ago that I can't remember the ingredients, just that it was delicious. Can you help please? Fab site by the way, love Turkish food, brings back great childhood memories so wonderful to relive through your recipes.
Hi,
Thank you:) I've posted Shredded Borek (Paçavra Böreği) with the ground beef filling. So it is the same filling for Sigara Borek with Ground Beef, here is the link; http://english.turkishcookbook.com/2011/10/shredded-borek.html
I just made my very 1st batch of sigara borek! Yummy! Thank you Binnur!
Hi Binnur,
Thank you so much for your recipes, I have tried quite a few and they have all turned out really well!!!
I love sigara boregi but I was wondering if you had the recipe of those that are cooked in the oven?!
Thank you so much
Emily
Hi Emily,
Thank you:) When you finish all the rolling, brush some melted butter or olive oil* all over their surface. Arrange them on an oven tray. Preheat the oven 375 F or 380 F and bake to golden colour:)
*If you like, you can also egg wash them.
I veganized these and made them more like cigars than cigarettes. I used triangular cut yufka, which made it very easy. first, I sauteed some scallions & garlic in vegan butter, then added baby spinach leaves and swiss chard and lightly cooked it with salt and pepper...i served them with tofu sour cream. they came out fantastic.
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