Sigara Böreği – Cigarette Borek is the most popular borek of Turkey. Easy to prepare, crispy and delicious for everyone. Perhaps because of this; it is very difficult to take a photo of these bores. I have been able to take the above picture after missing many other occasions, because I was busy eating them.
The recipe is quite straight forward. Filling is white/feta cheese and parsley. It is optional to add an egg and a pinch of black pepper. Not a must, but to make them look prettier, make sure to cut the yufka-phyllo sheets to equal sized slices. This way your cigarette boreks will be of similar sizes. If you are using round phyllo sheets – yufka; first cut into half and then into half again and then to three pizza-like slices. This way you will obtain 12 slices from each yufka. When rolling to get the cigarette shape, the roll should not be either too loose or too tight. To make sure that the end does not come loose while frying dip the end into water.
The filling is traditionally white/feta cheese and parsley. However if you want to make a difference you can make this borek with potato and cheese or spinach and cheese or similar filling. Traditionally this borek is prepared with frying. However you can choose to prepare them baked. Just place them in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celcius, first brushing them with olive oil, until crispy and brownish on all sides.
Cigarette Borek is best when just cooked and warm and crispy. However it is still inviting even when cold. Can be eaten any time of the day, best with a cup of Turkish tea.
Enjoy.
Cigarette Borek
Ingredients
- 4 phyllo sheets / yufka
- 400 grams feta cheese
- 1 egg
- ½ parsley chopped
- 300 milliliters olive oil to fry
Instructions
Filling
- Mince or grate the white cheese into a bowl.
- Wash and chop the parsley and add to the cheese.
- Break an egg and add to the cheese.
- Mix well.
Preparing
- Cigarette boreks should be similar sizes. So cut the phyllo sheets to same sizes.
- Fold a phyllo sheet into two. Cut into half with a knife.
- Put the two halves on top of each other. Cut into half again. Now you have 4 large triangles.
- Put these on top each other again and cut to 3 slices. Now you have 12 triangles. Repeat with other sheets.
- Put about 1 teaspoon of stuffing on the bottom part of the phyllo sheet. Curl a bit from the sides inwards so that the filling does not come out while cooking. Roll upwards till the end like a cigarette.
- Have a little bowl of water handy and on the very end of the rolling dip into the water so that the corner sticks and does not open while frying.
- If you do not want to fry, put the boreks in an oven tray, spread some olive oil on top of each one. Bake until crispy and brownish on all sides at 180° Celsius-pre-heated oven.