If the shape and name of the 'sigara börek' reminds you of a cigarette or cigar, you are right. "Sigara" means cigar in Turkish and "börek" is pie. So a free translation would be "cigarette-shaped pie."
This recipe, very typical of the entire Middle East and especially of Turkey, belongs to the range of oriental fast-food together with the kumpir, döner kebap, simit and many others, that is, they are easy to make and even easier to eat. Although not all are "healthy", the sigara borek certainly is.
If we look at the original recipe, it would be difficult to find the usual type of cheese used in the Middle East here in the West, so I have replaced them with mozzarella and Greek feta. What is irreplaceable is the phyllo dough (yufka in Turkish) without which it would be meaningless and not graceful.
Luckily now it is very easy to find it in almost any supermarket of relative importance. You can also make it yourself, but then what is a fast food would become a prolonged torture, so nothing better in this case than to buy the phyllo dough already made.
INGREDIENTS :
- 1 package of phyllo or yufka pastry (does not serve puff pastry, or short pastry, or anything that is not phyllo)
- 300 grams (11 oz) of feta cheese
- 200 grams (7 oz) of mozzarella
- Some chopped fresh herbs (parsley, dill, mint ...), to taste
- Sunflower or corn oil (it is not usually made with olive oil because it is too strong)
In a bowl, crumble the mozzarella and feta cheese, adding the herbs to taste. In a frying pan we will pour a significant amount of oil since it is important to fry the "cigars" immediately.
We unpack the phyllo dough. We spread it on a damp cloth and place another on top to prevent it from drying out (as it is so fine, it could happen easily).
To make Sigara Börek I use three overlapping layers.
We cut rectangles a span long (about 15-20 cm / 6-8 inches) and about 10 cm (4 inches) wide.
We place the cheese mixture in the center, leaving a border of about 2 cm (0.8 inches) on each side.
We roll the phyllo dough over the cheese and close the edges.
We immediately fry them in the oil until they are slightly golden. Then we remove them, place them on absorbent paper and ready to eat, either immediately, once they'll get just warm or minimun at the room temperature but never put them in the fridge because they soften and lose the "crunch" that makes them so appetizing.
Impossible not to like everyone this sigara börek.