In this recipe, a Turkish pastry, the borek, takes an Asian turn, using rice paper instead of the classic phyllo dough, and becomes gluten free.
Israelis love borek (known as burekas in Israel) and make it usually with either puff pastry or a flaky dough. The version here is very non traditional, using rice paper. It is the new Israeli obsession, and it’s surprisingly wonderful.
This recipe is Kosher for Passover for those who ear rice and legume (kitniyot.)
Rice paper feta burekas
Course: Appetizers, PastriesCuisine: Israeli, TurkishDifficulty: medium18
burekas20
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minutesIn this recipe, a Turkish pastry, the borek, takes an Asian turn, using rice paper instead of the classic phyllo dough, and becomes gluten free.
INGREDIENTS
½ lb cream cheese at room temperature
½ lb. feta at room temperature
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 green onions, chopped (optional)
Olive oil (about ¼ cup)
18 rice papers, 9” round (22 cm)
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 tablespoons nigella seeds or black sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
- Oven to 425 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, feta, egg and green onion. Set aside.
- Fill a large bowl that can fit the rice paper with water. Drizzle a little oil, the size of the rice paper, on the working surface.
- Soak rice paper, one at a time, in water for 20-30 seconds, until playable. Shake water off and place on drizzled oil on the working surface. Put a spoonful of the Cheese Filling along the lower third of the rice paper. Fold the bottom edge away from you to just cover the filling; then fold the 2 sides in to the center. Roll the burekas away from you a couple of times to make a square package, ending with the seam side down. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the rice papers.
- Use a fork to gently poke holes at the top of each burekas. This will prevent it from exploding or leaking the filling in the oven. Put egg yolk in a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of oil and mix. Use pastry brush to brush burekas with egg, then sprinkle with sesame and nigella seeds.
- Bake for 20 minutes until burekas are light golden color. Let cool on a rack for 5-10 minutes and serve.
A classic Turkish pastry, the borek, takes an Asian turn and becomes gluten free as we’re using rice paper instead of phyllo.
This is the new Israeli obsession.
