Crimean Tatar çiberek with Ukrainian radish and tomato salad
These crescent-shaped pastries are filled with lamb mince and onions and served with a soured cream, tomato and radish salad.
Ingredients
For the pastry dough
- 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
- 1½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1½ tsp sunflower oil
- 500g/1lb 2oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
For the salad
- 4 small or 1 large cucumber
- 2 beef tomatoes
- ½ bunch radishes, sliced
- 1 spring onion, sliced
- ½ bunch fresh dill, chopped
- 100ml/3½fl oz soured cream or plain yoghurt, diluted with 1½ tsp water
- sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
- bread, to serve
For the filling
- 200g/7oz lamb mince
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú onions, grated
- 1 tbsp kefir (optional)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 100ml/3½fl oz sunflower oil, for deep frying
Method
To make the pastry dough, place 250ml/9fl oz cold water in a large bowl and add the egg, sugar, salt and oil. Gradually add the flour and mix to a firm dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile to make the salad, slice the cucumbers and tomatoes over a salad bowl. You want to catch the tomato juices that will end up making the dressing so special. Mix all the salad vegetables and dill together in the bowl. Season the soured cream well with salt and pepper and stir through the salad. Set aside.
To make the filling, place the lamb, onions and kefir, if using, in a bowl. Season with the salt and mix together really well, preferably with your hands.
Divide the dough into six pieces and roll out each piece on a lightly floured work surface as thinly as possible and until it is about 23cm/9in in diameter.
Place 2 tablespoons of the mince mixture inside each dough circle and spread thinly, leaving a 5cm/2in border around the edge. Lift one side of the circle over the filling and pinch the edges firmly together to make large half-moon turnovers.
Heat the sunflower oil in a large, deep frying pan and fry the çibereki one at a time over a medium–high heat for 3 minutes on each side, lowering the heat if they brown too fast.
Serve and eat immediately with the salad on the side. By the time you finish the salad, there will be a delicious candyfloss pool of soured cream stained by tomato juices and radishes in the salad bowl – mop it up with some bread.
