Chebureki recipes

The introduction

Hello everyone, I hope, that you are all doing just fine!

And this is my another article about some recipes and, well, I think, that this article is kind of special, because I haven't really prepared this dish many times, however, it's a really delicious one and if you try it once, then you won't forget its taste, if you want to know the truth.

In this article I want to tell you about this thing called “Chebureki” and some recipes of it. Well, to be honest, I haven’t prepared Chebureki many times, though it’s a really delicious dish and I usually buy it in bakeries when I’m in Tbilisi and they have some pretty good Chebureki, however, you should definitely know those places, because there are some places, where they have some great Chebureki and you should buy them there, otherwise, you will just be disappointed in the taste of it, because they will not have that delicious Chebureki, as you can find them in some particular places.

Well, to tell you the truth, I didn’t really liked them when I looked at them and I didn’t buy them usually. I would prefer buying and eating some Kubdari, because it was really delicious and it had these meat pieces and some Svanetian spice, which gave this Kubdari such an amazing taste.

So, Chebureki is made from meat, too, and they are kind of the same in that way, I mean, it’s the meat wrapped in some dough, however, there’s a big difference between them and once you taste both of them, you will understand, that comparing those two dishes are just stupid and one shouldn’t compare them to each other ever. I just love Kubdari better, I guess, because it’s easier to eat and it has this distinguished taste, which is just amazing and it’s because of that spice and if it doesn’t have that spice in it, then it’s not the real Kubdari, trust me, so that you should really know its real taste and then you will realize how different it is to have that spice and not to have it. That is the main thing, that makes this dish something special, otherwise it would just be some meat pieces in a dough and then cooked in a frying pan. And, well, it’s not even cooked in a frying pan, I guess, because back in those days, they used Ketsi and everything was made in that clay thing, looking like a pan and, to be honest, it’s a great thing in preparing some dishes and there are many dishes in Georgian restaurants, which are made in Ketsi and you can read it in the menu and order it, if you want, of course. And, well, those things that are on ketsi or in a clay pot or things like that are just really delicious, if you want to know the truth and I really like them, you know, they have some really distinguished taste and it’s really a good idea to have some of them at home and have them as your kitchenware and prepare some dishes in them, you know. It’s a great thing and I guess, that’s why they used to prepare those some years ago, you know. 

Anyways, when you taste Chebureki and understand, why it is so delicious and why people want to eat it again, you will not forget the taste of it and you will want to have it some more, however, it’s not that good to eat plenty of Chebureki, because it’s prepared in much oil and the dough is really oily and stuff like that. Well, you can eat the filling as much as you want, it’s just meat, you know, however, the outer part of Chebureki is pretty much full of calories and unsaturated fat, I guess, so that keep that in mind! However, that outer part gives it its taste, if you ask me, and many people just crave that oily dough and it’s crispy, at the same time, and it’s very delicious in its own way, and it’s really hard to resist not eating another one of Chebureki, if you want to know the truth. That’s how it is about other meals, that are prepared that way, I mean, which are prepared in much oil and their dough becomes that crispy and oily and, well,  somehow, very delicious.

So, the very first time I tasted Chebureki was some years ago, when my father bought them and it seemed, that he really loved them and there was this place, where he found out, that they prepared some Chebureki and he bought one of them and when he tasted it, he liked it, so that after that, he used to buy those Cheburekis there whenever he visited that place, and that is the place on Kakheti highway, just between Tbilisi and Sagarejo in the middle, I would say, or maybe it’s closer to Tbilisi, because there are still yellow buses and microbuses going there and stuff like that. And this place is called “Kakhelebi” and they have a bakery and a restaurant, too, and it’s a pretty good building, however, if you don’t know what to look for, you may not even pay much attention to it, because it’s not like it’s just in the street or something like that, it’s kind of inside and you should know, where to stop, so that you won’t miss it.

Well, to orient, you can stop at Nikora supermarket, which is easily seen from the road and you can then look at your right and you will see the sign “Kakhelebi” and then you will know, that this is the place, where you can buy some great Chebureki. And they have all the other things, too, which are very delicious and I really recommend buying some stuff there. Their dishes made with meat are pretty delicious and the Khachapuris are great , too, and, well, everything there is very delicious, in general. They also have some pound cakes, though they don’t have other things like cakes, because they mainly focus on the main dishes, I would say.  So that, remember, if you are going to Kakheti from Tbilisi or somewhere about there, you should definitely stop there and buy some things in that bakery and you won’t regret it, trust me. When you visit it and look around, you will want to have a taste of everything they have there, and, to be honest, it’s really difficult to resist that urge, because everything there is very tasty and it’s worth every penny, if you ask me. However, I haven’t bought anything there for quite some time, I mean, we usually bought some of their food when we were going to Tbilisi or from Tbilisi to Kakheti and it has been quite some time since I last visited Kakheti or, well, went to that road, and now that I’m writing about it, I just remembered that and it’s quite sad, I must say, because it was like a habit to stop there on that road and buy some Chebureki or Khachapuri or something there. They also have some great Ponchiki and we just love Ponchiki, so that we would buy plenty of them, because everyone would eat them, they are that delicious!

Anyways, it’s said, that Chebureki is from Krimea and it’s their dish, however, they don’t really know exactly, I guess. And this is a dough cooked in oil with spicy meat filling. And this word “Chebureki” is translated like “raw filling” _ that’s what I read about Chebureki in the Internet.

Chebureki recipe #1

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• Meat 500 grams
• Onions, 2-3 medium
• Salt to taste
• Red pepper to taste
• Parsley (optional)

For the dough:

• 1 kilogramme all-purpose flour
• Salt 1 tsp
• Sugar 1 tsp
• Eggs 1-2

Preparation process

So, you should blend the meat and chopped onions and parsley (if you want to add some) in a blender or something like that and then you should add the salt and pepper for your taste. The meat filling should be juicy and fatty, you know, and you can choose the meat according to that, I mean, if you take just beef, it won’t be juicy or anything and you won’t get the exact results as you want. So that they usually use some sheep meat or beef and pork together for it to be fatty and juicy. The filling can become juicy with some warm water, too, or Matsoni and Kefir (well, if you don’t like the taste of any of them, then , of course, you won’t like adding them to your dish, however, people do that, too). Well, the meat filling is more likely that filling of Khinkali, if you want to know the truth, however, this is more juicy, I guess.

Then you prepare the dough and you can prepare it in several ways.

First of all, you can take the flour and make a hole in it in the middle and pour the boiling water into it. Well, if you are preparing dough with eggs, then you should mix an egg, salt and sugar into a small amount of water and then add the mixture to the flour and hot water mixture and then you should prepare some soft dough. The dough should be really soft.

Another method of preparing the dough is this traditional krimean method. With that, you should warm up some water and sugar and salt and egg and you should prepare the dough with that mixture, so that the dough is elastic and soft. You should add 2 tsp vodka, too, so that the dough becomes more crispy and great.

So, if you have the meat filling already ready, you can roll out the dough, however, if you don’t have it ready, then you should put the dough somewhere in a cool place or maybe in the fridge, you know.

Well, the dough is to be rolled and cut into thin 2-3 mm and round 10-12 cm diameter circles and then you put 1 tbs meat filling on one half of the dough and then you take the other half and cover the filling with it and seal the Chebureki. You can decorate the edge with fork or something like that, or even by your fingers. The dough should have half moon shape or a half circle or something like that and that you can do with the pulling the edges of the dough.

Usually these Cheburekis are cooked in a frying pan with plenty of oil just so that the Chebureki is covered with oil. When it gets this golden color, then you know, that it’s ready and you take it out and put it on a plate covered with paper, so that the paper will absorb the excess oil.

Chebureki recipe #2

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 4 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1.3 cups of water
• Egg, 1 medium
• ½ tsp salt
• 1-2 tbs butter

For the meat filling:

• Meat 700 grams
• 2-3 medium onions
• ½ cups of water
• Parsley
• Salt to taste

Preparation process

So, you boil the water into a saucepan with the butter and salt and set it aside. Then you add ½ cups of all-purpose flour to that hot water mixture and then set it aside so that the mixture will cool down. You should whisk the egg and add it to the cooled mixture and add the remaining flour and prepare the dough. Then you can wrap it in a wrapping paper and put it into the fridge for 1 hour.

In the meantime, you should prepare the meat filling. You take that 700 grams of meat and it’s better if you have some sheep meat and beef mixed together half and half, because that way it is more fatty and delicious. You should have it blended with chopped onions in a blender or meat machine. Then you add the water and a little bit of parsley and salt and maybe pepper and mix them well together. That is the meat filling and now you can prepare the Chebureki, I mean, you can take the dough out and roll some circles from the dough and make some thin slices and put the meat filling into them and seal them and give them the Chebureki traditional shape. Then you can put them into a saucepan or something like that with plenty of oil so that the Cheburekis are covered with it and cook them until golden in colour. Then you can take them out and put them on plates with paper on them or whatever and serve them hot, because when it’s cold, it’s not that delicious, I mean, then the dough is not crispy anymore and it becomes soft and it’s better when you eat it hot or warm, you know.

Chebureki recipe #3

Ingredients:

• Oil 200 ml
• 550 grams all-purpose flour
• Egg 1 medium
• Meat 300 grams
• Onions 3 medium
• Fresh coriander 10 grams
• Beef stock 150 ml
• Fennel 10 grams
• Salt 8 tbs
• Vodka 20 ml
• Pork 400 grams
• Ground black pepper 3 tsp
• Green onions 50 grams
• Matsoni 150 ml

Preparation process

Take 300 ml water and boil it and then add 40 ml oil and some salt. Then you should add 120 grams of flour and mix them well together. Then you just set it aside and let it cool a little. And then you add 1 egg and 20 ml vodka and mix this everything well together. Then you can add the remaining flour and mix them well, so that the dough will be soft and elastic and it shouldn’t stick on your hands and that’s why you can add some more flour, too. When the dough is ready, you can wrap it in a wrapping paper or put it into a bowl and cover it and everything and let it be like that for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the meat filling. Well, you should blend the meat and  have onions chopped in  a very small pieces and add the salt and black pepper and add the chopped herbs and mix them well, and you can add 150 ml beef stock and matsoni to the mixture, too, and mix everything well together.

After that, you can take the dough and cut it into circular pieces and roll them into those circles and put the meat filling into them and seal them and give them that form of Chebureki, though, you should remember, that until you put the meat filling on the dough, you should spread some water to that half of the dough, where you are going to put the meat filling.

Then you just put those Cheburekis into a deep frying pan or a saucepan filled with oil, so that the oil covers the Cheburekis and cook them on their both sides, until they get golden in colour.

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