Chebureki with Water Dough (Fried Meat Turnovers)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather your ingredients. My ground meat is homemade — fatty pork and chicken already ground together with onion and garlic. You'll also need vegetable oil. The dough here is a hot-water (choux-style) dough, so put the kettle on to boil.

2. Step 2:

   

   Put the sifted flour in a deep bowl, add the salt, and pour in the vegetable oil. Mix, then pour the boiling water over the mixture. Stir the flour and water together quickly so no lumps form.

3. Step 3:

   

   It's easiest to start with a fork or spoon (so you don't burn yourself); once the dough cools a bit, knead it by hand into a smooth, elastic dough. It's very supple and doesn't stick to your hands. Let it rest in the bowl for half an hour.

4. Step 4:

   

   If your ground meat has no seasoning, onion, or garlic, add them now (I ground mine together with onion and garlic from the start). Finely chop or blend the onion and garlic. Season to taste, and add fresh herbs if you like — that's optional.

5. Step 5:

   

   Turn the cooled dough out onto the counter and knead it briefly. Divide it into small balls and roll each one out thin with a rolling pin. This dough is a pleasure to work with — it doesn't stick to the counter or the pin and rolls out fast into a thin round. You can roll it into a circle freehand, or roll it out and trim it to shape with a saucer or plate.

6. Step 6:

   

   Spread ground meat over one half of each round, fold the other half over, and seal the edges. You can simply press them together, or crimp them shut with a fork.

7. Step 7:

   

   Heat a skillet, pour in the vegetable oil, and fry the chebureki on both sides until golden and crisp.

8. Step 8:

   

   Serve the chebureki hot, straight from the pan — but carefully: even under a slightly cooled crust, the meat and juices inside are piping hot, so it's easy to burn your mouth.