By: TAYLOR BENNETT
Staff Writer
Sigara Böreği, “sigara” meaning “cigar,” is cheese and herb-filled pastry rolls, primarily found in Turkey. These have always been a big part of my life, as part of my family is Turkish and we eat traditional foods as consistently as possible to keep our family’s culture intact. Although Mediterranean food can be foreign and “unusual” to some people, simply trying the food is an instant mind changer. My first taste of my Turkish culture was Sigara Böreği, and remains one of my favorites. You can view and attempt the recipe below!
Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) package frozen phyllo dough, or 4 fresh yufka sheets (24-inch diameter)
1/2 pound feta, or Turkish white cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Dash of kosher salt
Dash of black pepper
Vegetable oil (for frying)
You will need a medium mixing bowl and relatively deep, stove-safe pan for this recipe, as well as a hard cutting surface and cutting utensil such as a knife. A pizza cutter may suffice if the previous item is unavailable. For the frying process, consider heat-safe tongs or a fork.
- Gather your ingredients
- If you are using frozen phyllo, make sure you thaw the dough per package directions – phyllo is extremely delicate, and you do not want to risk wasting too many sheets of it. When thawed, place two sheets of phyllo vertically (short sides are the top and bottom) on top of one another.
- Beginning at the top center of the sheets, cut two lines – one going left, and the other going right – down the sheet, until a triangle has been formed in the dough. The cuts you have made in the dough should pull apart into three different dough triangles.
- In a mixing bowl, crumble the feta or Turkish white cheese with your fingers. Following this, add in the chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste, while mixing well.
- Take a dough triangle and position it so the wide end is at the bottom. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the cheese filling in a thin line near the bottom edge, leaving about 1/2 inch border on each side.
- Fold the bottom corners of the dough toward the center to cover the edges of the filling while you roll the dough to secure the filling while you roll it up.
- Begin to roll the dough from the bottom of the dough to the top point of the dough triangle, and tuck in any edges that may arise as you continue to roll it.
- When you reach the ending point of the dough, seal the edge point of the dough by spreading a little bit of water over the edge of the dough with your finger. This will keep the sigara böreği closed while it is being fried.
- Fill your pan with oil – there is no exact measurement for the oil, so fill your pan until the oil reaches about two inches in depth. Heat the oil until it is at a frying temperature of around 350-365 F (normally the oil will start to bubble as water would, so simply watch for the bubbles), and add your rolled dough to the pan with enough space in between each roll to avoid sticking to each other.
- Use heat safe utensils such as prongs, a fork, or tongs to move the pastries around for an even colouring. When the edges of the dough are brown, flip the rolls over to cook the other sides. When the edges of the dough are brown and the centers are golden brown, the pastries are done.
- Using paper towels, drain the pastries of their oil before serving. Stack several paper towels on a plate, and place the pastries on them. Place more paper towels on top of the pastries to absorb the oil.
Tips/Advice:
- You can refrigerate uncooked Sigara Böreği for up to two days before cooking.
- Uncooked Sigara Böreği can be frozen for up to two months and does not need to be thawed before frying.