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Chebureks from custard dough with vodka added

Chebureki with Choux-Style Dough and a Splash of Vodka

My all-time favorite chebureki—juicy inside, with crispy, blistered edges! Adding a little alcohol to the dough keeps it stretchy and crisp and helps it soak up less oil, so the fried turnovers come out incredibly good. A classmate shared this recipe with me ages ago, and I've since seen it floating around online in all sorts of variations.

Irinaprimorochka

Recipe author

Chebureks from custard dough with vodka added

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pork

200

Beef

200

Lamb

200

Onion

300

Garlic

Salt

Dried spices (red and black pepper, coriander, paprika)

Kefir

200

All-purpose flour

520

Egg

Vegetable oil

Salt

0.5

Water

320

Vodka

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 25 % 9 g

Fats 22 % 8 g

Carbohydrates 53 % 19 g

210 kcal

GI: 11 / 0 / 89

Cooking method

Step 1:

Start with the dough. Combine the water, salt, and oil and bring to a boil. Stir in about a cup of flour and quickly cook it into a paste. Let it cool. Scalding part of the flour this way gives the chebureki their signature blistered texture.
Step 2:

Then add the egg and vodka, mix, and gradually work in more flour. The vodka makes the dough crispier and keeps it from soaking up excess oil during frying. Once you've worked in part of the flour, shape the dough into a ball and let it rest under a towel for 20 minutes. This lets the gluten relax so the dough becomes more workable.
Step 3:

Work in the rest of the flour and knead the dough until it's fully smooth. It shouldn't stick to your hands. Cover it and let it rest anywhere from 1 to 6 hours.
Step 4:

Now make the filling. Grind the meat in a meat grinder or food processor along with the onion and garlic. Finely chop the green onion, sprinkle it with salt, and mix well until it releases its juices.
Step 5:

Add it to the ground meat, then stir in the spices.
Step 6:

Mix. Then pour in the kefir. Beyond adding flavor, kefir does two great things: it binds the liquid so the filling won't run out of the dough, then releases it back into the finished turnover, keeping the chebureki juicy.
Step 7:

Beat the filling well once more and chill it in the refrigerator.
Step 8:

Once the dough has rested, you're ready to fry. Divide it into 45–50 g (about 1.5 oz) pieces and roll each one out into a thin round.
Step 9:

Spread the filling over one half in a layer slightly thicker than the dough.
Step 10:

Fold the other half over, press out the air (so they don't balloon while frying), and seal the edges. Then crimp them by running the rim of a saucer or a pastry wheel along the edge. Make sure there are no gaps!
Step 11:

Pour about 1 inch (2–3 cm) of oil into a skillet, heat it well, and fry the chebureki a few minutes per side until golden brown. No lid needed.
Step 12:

Once fried, each cheburek is about the size of your palm. This batch makes twenty. Enjoy!