Sigara Boregi - Turkish Cheese Rolls

What Is Sigara Boregi?

Borek is one of the most loved Turkish dishes. It is the general name in Turkish cuisine we use for savory pastries made with phyllo sheets (yufka) and various fillings. 

There are LOTS of börek recipes in Turkey and we name them with their fillings inside, their shapes or the method of cooking.  So when you make the filling with potatoes, you call it potato borek. If the filling is with chicken, you call it chicken borek and so on.

When you cook the phyllo dough in water first, it is called water borek, su boregi. 

And this sigara börek or cigarette borek have this name because of their cylindiric shape, which is similar to the shape of cigarette or cigar. 

So what exactly is sigara boregi?

Filo sheets are cut into pieces, filled with feta cheese, rolled up and then fried in a pan. It is best when they are served warm as they are crispy and the cheese inside is melting. That being said, they are tasty when served cold too.

These crispy phyllo rolls are one of the most common mezes or appetizers served at restaurants before a main dish arrives. They are also quite popular at Turkish households as a snack to go with delicious black Turkish tea.

About The Ingredients

Phyllo Dough: This is a super thin pastry dough that we use very often to make borek recipes. Traditionally, all Turkish boreks are made with a special dough called yufka, which is thin, soft and flexible. 

Yufka dough is sold at any market in Turkey but you might not find it easily in your area. So the best option to substitute yufka is phyllo dough, also known is filo dough. 

Unlike yufka, phyllo sheets dry out very fast after they are removed from their pack. So make sure to cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying when you are working with one of them.

Another substitute for yufka dough to make sigara boregi is spring roll pastries. They are already sold in squares, so you might find it easier to work with.

Cheese: We use a mixture of feta cheese (Turkish beyaz peynir) and grated mozzarella. They go really well together in these crispy pastries. You can get creative and make a cheese mixture with Turkish cottage cheese called lor peyniri, halloumi cheese (hellim peyniri) and Turkish kasar cheese. 

It is possible to use cream cheese or labneh too, but they might easily ooze when frying the filo rolls, so we don't prefer them.

Parsley: It gives a nice herby touch to the sigara börek cheese filling. We do love the combination of cheese and parsley but you can substitute spinach for it if you want.

Oil: This is to fry these filo cheese rolls. We use either sunflower oil or vegetable oil. Light olive oil is fine too.

A Word On Yufka: They are large and round in shape. You can easily cut it into triangles when making sigara boregi. Slice it with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter just like you slice a pizza. And then stuff the yufka triangles with the filling. Alternatively, you might find pre-cut yufka triangles in packs at Middle Eastern markets.

How To Make The Recipe

These Turkish cheese rolls recipe has four easy parts: Making the filling, cutting the phyllo sheets, rolling them up with the cheese filling and frying.

Before starting to make sigara boregi, make sure to thaw the phyllo dough if it is frozen by keeping it at room temperature for 2-3 hours.

Prepare the filling: In a medium mixing bowl, combine crumbled feta cheese and mozzarella with chopped parsley.

Cut the phyllo sheets into squares: Place a phyllo sheet on a flat surface. Cover the remaining sheets with a damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. Brush the filo sheet with water. Place another sheet right on this one.

Brush it with water as well. Now cut it into 4 equal pieces using a knife. Don't forget to cover the filo sheets with a kitchen towel each time you get one to stuff and roll.

Make the rolls: Put a square-shaped filo sheet on the counter like a diamond shape. And put about 1 and ½ tablespoons cheese mixture on the  bottom side leaving some room at each side. Fold the bottom tip over the cheese.

Then fold both sides on this one and make a tight roll. Brush the top edge with water so that it sticks when rolled. Roll it up and put it aside. Repeat these steps for the remaining phyllo dough sheets. 

Fry the rolls: Heat oil in a pan (about 2 inches of oil) and fry the phyllo cheese rolls in batches until they get golden on all sides. It takes about 5-7 minutes. Make sure you transfer them on paper towel to remove the excessive oil. Serve them warm. Yummy!

If you want more ideas with filo dough, check out our Turkish baklava, homemade baklava and all the other filo dough recipes we love!

Tips

• Remember to cover the phyllo dough sheets with a damp kitchen towel after removing them from the package so that they won't dry out.
• Make sure to secure the filling well to prevent the cheese from oozing when frying.
• Don't overfill the rolls, otherwise the cheese filling will easily ooze.
• If the cheese starts to ooze when frying your sigara börek, it will splatter hot oil. So be careful not to burn your hands.
• Don't overcrowd the pan, otherwise the temperature of the oil will reduce and your rolls won't be fried well.

Serving Suggestions

We make this sigara börek recipe quite often since it caters us in many occasions. They make an easy and tasty meze, especially when served with an simple yogurt sauce on the side. 

We sometimes serve them with a thick cacik and sometimes with a mixture of yogurt, mint and red pepper flakes. It makes a fresh and healthy company to the fried feta rolls at lunch too. You can also serve them with a fresh salad.

It is often served as a part of meze platter and it is accompanied by kisir salad, biber dolma or cikofte.

Storage

The best part of these delicious Turkish cheese rolls is that you can roll up a good batch and store them for later.

You can keep them in the fridge for a week. It’s really time saving when you have a party at home. Fry them when your guests are about to arrive and serve them warm. Make sure you keep the uncooked phyllo rolls in an airtight container in the fridge though.

These sigara börek rolls are perfect to freeze uncooked. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. They shouldn't be touching one another. Let them sit in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then put them in freezer bags and store for up to 6 months.

You don't need to thaw them when you are ready to fry the frozen sigara boregi. Make sure they are stored properly in the freezer and are not icy. Otherwise, the oil will splatter.

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