Chebureki with Choux-Style Dough

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather the ingredients from the list. Sift the flour and bring the water to a boil. Pour one cup of the flour into a deep bowl, pour the boiling water over it, and stir.

2. Step 2:

   

   Add the rest of the sifted flour, crack in the egg, and add the salt, sugar, vodka, and vegetable oil. Stir everything together with a spoon.

3. Step 3:

   

   Once the mixture starts coming together into a mass, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and keep kneading by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic. Leave it on the counter, covered with the bowl or with plastic wrap.

4. Step 4:

   

   Now for the filling. You can grind the meat yourself from fresh cuts — a blend of pork and beef makes for a juicier, tastier filling. Add finely chopped onion to the bowl of ground meat along with salt and ground black pepper to taste, plus a splash of cold water, and mix quickly until the filling is smooth and even.

5. Step 5:

   

   On to shaping the chebureki. Divide the dough into 12 to 15 pieces, depending on how big you want them. Mine came out on the large side — about the size you'd get at a cheburek stand, where each one is a full meal on its own — so you may want to make them smaller.

6. Step 6:

   

   Roll each piece into a ball, press it into a disk, and roll it out into a thin sheet. You won't need extra flour on the work surface while rolling — this dough behaves well and doesn't stick. If you want your chebureki perfectly round and uniform, cut circles from the dough with a knife, using a saucer as a template.

7. Step 7:

   

   Place a tablespoon of the meat filling on each round of dough, spreading it evenly over one half, then fold the other half over the filling.

8. Step 8:

   

   Seal the edges by crimping them with a fork, so the juices don't leak out while frying and the chebureki look nicer.

9. Step 9:

   

   Pour vegetable oil into a skillet and heat it well. Add the chebureki and fry over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels so the excess oil is absorbed, then move them to a serving dish. Enjoy!