Sigara böreği – crispy yufka rolls with cheese Recipe
Sigara böreği are thin, crispy rolls made from yufka dough, filled with salty cheese and deep-fried to a golden color. In Turkey they are often served for breakfast or as a snack with tea, especially when guests drop by. They’re a bit like small croquettes, but lighter and crunchier thanks to the very thin dough.
These Turkish cheese cigars are incredibly crispy on the outside and soft and salty inside, making them an ideal finger food for gatherings or a comforting breakfast treat. The very thin yufka dough gives them a unique, delicate crunch that’s hard to achieve with other pastries.
Chef's tips
Don’t overfill the rolls – too much filling can cause them to burst while frying. Seal the ends carefully with the egg mixture and keep the rolled cigars covered with a damp cloth so they don’t dry out and crack. Make sure the oil is properly heated: if it’s too cool, the rolls will soak up fat; if it’s too hot, they’ll brown too quickly on the outside while staying pale inside.
How to serve
Serve arranged on a large platter with small bowls of garlic yogurt, yogurt–dill sauce or a simple tomato and cucumber salad. They pair well with olives, fresh herbs and sliced tomatoes as part of a Turkish-style breakfast spread.
Ingredients
- yufka dough round, thin sheets; can be substituted with filo pastry - 6 sheets
- feta cheese crumbled - 200 g
- yellow cheese grated, well-melting - 80 g
- parsley finely chopped - 2 tablespoons
- egg for brushing the edges - 1 piece
- vegetable oil for shallow-deep frying - 400 ml
- milk to thin the egg - 2 tablespoons
- salt optional, if the feta is not very salty - 0.25 teaspoons
- black pepper - 0.25 teaspoons
Preparation
- In a bowl, mix the crumbled feta, grated yellow cheese, chopped parsley, pepper and, if needed, a pinch of salt. The mixture should be compact but easy to scoop with a spoon.
- Beat the egg with the milk in a small bowl – this will be used to seal the dough.
- Cut each round sheet of yufka into 8 triangles, like a pizza. If you’re using filo pastry, stack 2–3 sheets, brush lightly with water and cut into rectangles.
- Place 1–1.5 tablespoons of the cheese filling on the wide end of each triangle, leaving the edges on the sides free.
- Fold the sides of the dough over the filling, then roll up tightly towards the tip of the triangle. Brush the end with the egg–milk mixture and press to seal.
- Cover the prepared rolls with a damp cloth so the dough doesn’t dry out while you finish rolling the rest.
- Heat the oil in a wide pot or deep frying pan to about 170–180°C – when you drop in a small piece of dough, it should immediately start sizzling and float to the surface.
- Fry the rolls in batches of 5–6 pieces for 2–3 minutes, turning, until evenly golden and crispy.
- Remove the fried sigara böreği with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Serve hot or warm, preferably on the same day.
Storage
Usmażone ruloniki najlepiej smakują świeże, ale możesz je przechować w lodówce i podgrzać w piekarniku, aby odzyskały chrupkość. Surowe, zwinięte sigara böreği można zamrozić na tacce, a potem smażyć bez rozmrażania, wydłużając czas o 1–2 minuty.
