Syrian Cheese borak

Borak is an umbrella term describing a huge variety of filled pastries eaten in all ex-Ottoman Empire countries .It is a crispy flaky crust with a generous filling. Meat or cheese are by far the most common but potato, sausage, spinach or leeks can be used. Borak can be deep fried or oven baked after being brushed with oil or butter to give it some extra crispness.

In Syria the two main varieties, cheese and meat, are an integral part of the mezze spread. The taste of any type of pastry and filling extras varies a lot from restaurant to restaurant.

Cheese borak is a must in any Damascene restaurant meal. It is an essential part of any meal you almost get served these by default, sometimes without even ordering them. To start your meal you will get served one of these and one Kibbeh Me’lyieh (Fried Kibbeh) along with the usual suspects of hummus, mutabal and fattoush.

This dough recipe is only good to be fried as it will come out crisp and flaky. If you want oven baked borak you will be better off using puff pastry but you need to roll it really thin so you don’t end up with cheese puffs.

You can make borak in the traditional rectangular shape, or in sambosak (umbrella shape).

Flour 2 cups

Boiling water 3/4 cup

Vegetable oil 1/4 cup

Salt 1 tsp

White cheese 200g

Chopped Parsley 30g

Sesame seeds (optional)

Black sesame seeds (optional)

Black pepper

Start by preparing the filling. Crumble your white cheese and mix with the rest of the ingredients. You can use any type of Arabic white cheese. You can use Nabulsi cheese or Arabic white cheese then you can try a mix of Feta and Mozzarella.

In a mixing bowl add all the dough ingredients and start mixing with a spoon. Be careful not to burn your fingers with the boiling water. Using hot water allows all the ingredients to come together surprisingly easily. Once mixed into a dough, start working it with your hands. The dough is ready to work with almost immediately.

Roll the dough very thinly and cut into rectangles. Spoon some of the cheese mix, fold the dough and press the edges to seal it. You can use a pizza or a ravioli cutter to make the edges pretty