Bumuelos, or burmuleos, are fritters from the Sephardi cuisine, from Turkey and the Balkan, that are likely to be originated from Moorish Spain. There are many versions for these fritters, some are sweet and some are savory, some are made with flour and served on Hanukkah, and some are prepared with matzo for Passover.
Buñuelo fritters are also popular in Spain and Latin America, in many different shapes and flavors.
The version here is for Passover and contains feta and kashkaval (hard cheese from the Balkan) cheese. They are simply wonderful.
Bumuelos, Sephardi matzo and cheese Patties
Course: Appetizers, Breakfast, PastriesCuisine: Israeli, Jewish, Sephardi, TurkishDifficulty: Easy18
Bumuelos30
minutes30
minutes1
hour10
minutesKashkaval is a hard cheese from the Balkan and is available at Eastern European and some Middle Eastern supermarkets. You can replace it with pecorino, parmesan, or any hard cheese you like.
INGREDIENTS
5 matzo
3 eggs, lightly beaten
½ lb. feta cheese (preferably soft)
¼ lb. grated kashkaval cheese (see note above)
4 green onion, chopped
1-2 tablespoons matzo meal (optional)
*Corn oil, or safflower oil or mild olive oil for frying (*corn oil is kosher for Passover only for legume eaters)
DIRECTIONS
- Break matzo into a large bowl and cover with water at room temperature. Let stand for 30 minutes for the matzo to absorb the water and become very soft.
- Use your hands to squeeze as much water as possible from the matzo and transfer to another clean bowl. Add eggs, feta, kashkaval and green onion and mix well. you want to get a thick mixture that will allow you to form patties that will keep their shape. If the mixture seems too wet, add 1-2 tablespoons matzo meal to thicken it.
- Prepare a bowl of water near your burner. Line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towel.
- Heat ½ inch of oil in a frying pan over medium heat to about 325 degrees or until a drop of the matzo mixture will bubble all around in the oil. Wet your hands and form a 1½ -2 inch flat patties of the matzo mixture and drop into the oil. Fry on medium simmer for about 3-4 minutes on each side (6-8 minutes all together) until golden brown on both sides. Transfer patties to the baking sheet.
- Serve warm. Bumuelos can keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
These sound delicious and I hope to try them this year. My question is, after you put the bimuelos on the baking sheet, do you put them in the oven and if so, at what temperature and for how long? Thanks!
Hi Cynthia, I hope you’ll enjoy these!
The baking sheet is lined with paper towels in order to absorb the oil after frying the bumuelos. There’s no need to bake them after frying, they will be already be done at that point. You can just transfer them to a serving platter and serve.
Thanks so much for getting back to me! Can you reheat them in a hot (400°F) oven if you make them in advance or freeze them?
Yes you can! But I would do it on a 325 degrees if they’re frozen and 350 if they’re just cold. And maybe fry them for a shorter time (Maximum of 3 minutes per side) so they don’t get too dark in the oven.
These look delicious. My grandmother made something with very similar ingredients but it was in a baking dish, unlevened for Passover. I havent had it for 20 something years but I could still taste it. I can’t find any similar recipe to it, I believe it was called pitaboui? Does that sound familiar? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
In the meantime I plan to try this recipe. Thank you!
Hi Lisa, thanks for writing. I’m always curious to learn about new (old) dishes. The name doesn’t sound familiar, and with a quick Google in Hebrew I couldn’t find anything similar. Where was your grandmother from originally? And tell me more about the dish itself. Best, Vered