Meat Burek
December 8th, 2009
This recipe is very simple. The dough is made from flour, baking powder, salt, corn oil and water, it must rest for two hours before use. Then the dough is filled with a mixture of meat, onion and walnuts (you can use other filling), and baked in the oven.
Let’s make Meat Burek:
Dough
1, 2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Add corn oil and warm water, and mix.
4. Knead using hand until all the ingredients are fully mixed and you get a ball, let it rest for about two hours.
Filling
5. Finely chop onion, then add salt to onion, rinse with water and strain.
6. Heat 1 tbsp ghee and saute onion until transparent, then set aside.
7. Finely chop walnuts.
8. Heat 1 tbsp ghee, and add walnuts and keep until golden in color, then remove, drain on paper towel and set aside.
9. Heat 2 tbsp ghee.
10. Add ground meat.
11. Once the meat is cooked, add chopped onion.
12. Add walnuts to meat, add salt and black pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding walnuts, when you cook meat, there’s water comes from the meat, but this water during cooking evaporates, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add walnuts).
Filling is ready.
13. After two hours, bring the dough, knead, then transfer to a floured surface.
14. Roll out the dough.
15. Use a cutter to cut out circles.
16. Fill each circle.
17, 18, 19, 20. Fold the pastry over to half moon shape to enclose the filling and seal by crimping the edges like the picture.
21. This is the required shape.
22, 23. Put on a greased baking sheet (grease the baking sheet with oil), and brush the surface with corn oil.
24. Bake until golden brown in color, and serve.
Meat Burek
From: Family Recipe / Servings:
PDF Text Only / Print With Images
| Dough
3 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 3/4 cup corn oil 1 cup warm water
Filling 1 large yellow onion 1 tbsp ghee, for onion 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 tbsp ghee, for walnuts 2 tbsp ghee, for meat 500 g fat free ground lamb meat Salt Black pepper |
Dough
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add corn oil and warm water, and mix. Knead using hand until all the ingredients are fully mixed and you get a ball, let it rest for about two hours. Filling Finely chop onion, then add salt to onion, rinse with water and strain. Heat 1 tbsp ghee and saute onion until transparent, then set aside. Finely chop walnuts. Heat 1 tbsp ghee, and add walnuts and keep until golden in color, then remove, drain on paper towel and set aside. Heat 2 tbsp ghee. Add ground meat. Once the meat is cooked, add chopped onion. Add walnuts to meat, add salt and black pepper and stir for few seconds then turn off heat, (Note the meat should be completely cooked before adding walnuts, when you cook meat, there’s water comes from the meat, but this water during cooking evaporates, so once this happen and the meat is completely cooked and no water remains you can add walnuts). Filling is ready. After two hours, bring the dough, knead, then transfer to a floured surface. Roll out the dough, Use a cutter to cut out circles. Fill each circle. Fold the pastry over to half moon shape to enclose the filling and seal by crimping the edges like the picture. This is the required shape. Put on a greased baking sheet (grease the baking sheet with oil), and brush the surface with corn oil. Bake until golden brown in color, and serve. |
Mmmm, I love burek. I have never tried to make the dough, I have always used purchased phyllo dough, but it’s always a bit dry. Maybe I should go for it, it seems like (at least the making of the individual bureks) is something you do with other people–like making ravioli or tamales or pierogi (not that I’ve made those either)…
These look delicious and very flaky and tender! The dough recipe is the same one my grandmother used. We called it sambousek at home.
Sara: Thanks for stopping by! the dough is not like the phyllo, these burek differ from the Turkish burek.
tasteofbeirut: in Syria, sambousek dough is different from this one, it is prepared with yeast and less oil, and it is either fried or baked, but it has the same shape of these burek. That’s why we call these burek and the other one sambousek.
Dimah,
I tried making the burek today. They came out pretty good. The meat filling was very tasty.
I have a couple of questions, though.
What temp do you cook these in the oven? And approximately how long? Do you roll out your dough very thin? approximately what thickness?
I am enjoying them for dinner as I listen to Abel Halim Hafez– love this song on your website.
Marsha
Marsha: Thanks for coming by! I’m glad you enjoyed the burek!
Oven temperature is around (356F – 392F) = (180C – 200C).
I don’t look at the time, usually I wait until the color changes to golden brown as in the picture.
Thickness is about (1/16inch – 3/32inch) = (1 1/2mm – 2 1/2mm)
if you like to download the songs, do let me know, I can help you :)
Thanks again!
Hi Dimah.
I tried your burek today and it came out very good.
I had a friend years ago from syria, she made the burek a little bit different.
She put the stuffed burek i think in boiling water for a moment,took them out give them a egg wash and fried them in a pan.I can’t ask her anymore for the recipe, do you know this recipe?
Greetings Silvana
Silvana: Thanks for letting me know! I’m so glad you liked them :)
One of my readers asked me about the recipe you mentioned, but she said “syrian kubbeh dish, which is the kubbeh that is boiled in water, and the day after it can be dipped in egg and fried?”. Unfortunately, I’ve never heard about this method of cooking for the two dishes (meat burek or kibbeh), I asked my Syrian and Lebanese friends and they didn’t know the dish, I’m really sorry :(
Thanks for stopping by :)