Crispy, golden and bubbly Chebureki, is a delicious memory from my childhood. Crispy yet soft, with the trademark bubbles on the dough. No vodka or hot water in this recipe, just a real delicious and easy recipe. Sometimes they are known as Chiburekki.
Chebureki are a fried turnover, filled with ground beef and onions. They also taste great with ground lamb. The dough is rolled out and folded in the shape of a half moon crescent. They are meant to be large in size, not small like Fried Piroshki. It's a popular snack food enjoyed in Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia.
I remember eating these at my grandparents and my parents as a child. Who doesn't love crispy fried foods? I would dip them into ketchup. Although not traditional, ketchup goes with everything!
Chebureki with Tortilla
This is a real Chebureki recipe, not a tortilla in sight. I figure that makes them empanadas! It's funny when I read a recipe for Russian Chebureki, and they're made with Mexican tortillas.... might be faster but nowhere near as good or authentic! I think it might confuse people to think that's how they are actually made. If you're reading this from Russia, this is what American Russians have started to do as a shortcut. So as you can see, I don't believe in using Tortillas!
How to Make Chebureki without Vodka
It's very easy to make this dough, unleavened without yeast. Just mix, rest, and roll! Some recipes use Vodka in the dough mixture, but it's not necessary. You could add 1-2 tablespoons of vodka to the dough if you like. The meat filling is super juicy, when you bite into it, the broth spills out (slurp carefully!). When frying Chebureki, prepare a plate with paper towels on it. When you remove them from the oil, this will soak up the excess.
Chebureki are a classic Crimean, Caucasus and Turkic street food snack, popular across Russia and the former Soviet Union. I remember eating these in Sochi with a cold glass of Kvas in the summertime. The perfect street food combo for me! Crispy outside, juicy inside, so easy to make, an authentic recipe! Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Ingredients
Ingredients for dough
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups water
- 4 tablespoons oil
Ingredients for filling
- 1¼ lbs /600g ground beef
- 2 small onions finely diced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup water
- ½ bunch chopped parsley
- oil for frying
Instructions
- To prepare the dough, mix water and salt together until dissolved. place the flour, salty water and oil in a bowl. Mix together to make a dough ball. Sprinkle more flour on a working surface, continue to knead the dough, adding more flour if necessary until the dough is smooth, elastic and non-tacky. Flip the bowl over the dough and allow to rest for about an hour.
- To prepare the meat filling, combine all the ingredients until evenly mixed.
- Pinch small pieces of dough, slightly smaller than a tennis ball, and roll out thinly. The dough circle should be about 7" to 8" wide. Make sure it's not wider than your frying pan!
- Place a heaping tablespoon of meat over half of the dough, spreading evenly. Leave a ½" clean border around the meat. Fold the dough over the meat, forming a half moon, and press the edges to seal the cheburek. Use a fork to press a pattern around the cheburek.
- Heat about ½" oil into a frying pan until hot. Fry the chebureki in the hot oil for 3-4 minutes, carefully turning over each side. If oil isn't hot enough, it will absorb into the cheburek and tasty oily.
- Serve immediately.
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