Potato and onion bourekas - a classic Israeli pastry, crisp outside and soft and comforting inside. Soul food from the Israeli kitchen. Vegan version: Flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg).
Cook the potatoes in their skins in boiling salted water, until tender.
StovePot
2
Peel the potatoes and mash them.
Masher
3
Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge overnight, until pliable but still cold.
Refrigerator
💡Work with store-bought dough while it's cold: warm puff pastry gets sticky and won't puff in the oven, and phyllo sheets dry out fast, so keep the waiting sheets covered with a damp towel.
For the Pastry Filling
4
Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.
⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
5
Add the onion and fry for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and deep golden.
⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
6
Add the cumin and fry about half a minute, until fragrant.
⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
7
Add the potatoes, salt and black pepper and mix well.
8
Let cool before filling.
💡Fill with cooled filling: hot filling softens the dough and steams it from inside, and the pastry opens while baking.
To assemble
9
Roll out the dough on a work surface and cut into into squares of about 10 cm.
Knife
10
Place a spoonful of cooled filling in the center of each piece, fold into a triangle and seal the edges well with a fork.
💡Seal well and press with a fork all along the edges, and don't overfill: a pastry that opens in the oven loses its filling, and in the fryer it fills with oil.
11
Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush with beaten flax egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Baking panParchment paper
💡Brush with an flax egg beaten with a teaspoon of water: the glaze turns shiny and golden, and the sesame sticks to it.
12
Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (390°F) 22–25 minutes, until the pastries are puffed and golden underneath too.
⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan
💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
380calories
6 gprotein
38 gcarbs
22 gfat
● protein 6%● carbs 40%● fat 54%
Per serving (191 g), of 8 servings
For the Wrapping Dough · For the Pastry Filling · To assemble ·
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Onion: measured in pieces: one ≈ 117 g · 40 kcal per 100 g · More about Onion →
Olive oil: measured in tbsp in this recipe: 1 tbsp = 14 g · 884 kcal per 100 g · More about Olive oil →
Cumin: measured in tsp in this recipe: 1 tsp = 2.1 g · 375 kcal per 100 g · More about Cumin →
Potatoes: measured in pieces: one ≈ 170 g · 77 kcal per 100 g · More about Potatoes →
Salt: measured in tsp in this recipe: 1 tsp = 6 g · 0 kcal per 100 g · More about Salt →
Black pepper: measured in tsp in this recipe: 1 tsp = 2.4 g · 251 kcal per 100 g · More about Black pepper →
Eggs: measured in pieces: one ≈ 50 g · 143 kcal per 100 g · More about Eggs →
Sesame seeds: measured in tbsp in this recipe: 1 tbsp = 9 g · 573 kcal per 100 g · More about Sesame seeds →
🔧 Tools needed (8) · 🍳 3 cooking vessels
Oven· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Toaster oven (Fits one small pan; good for small batches) · Air fryer (Small batches only, no runny batters) · Pot (Only for covered stews on the stovetop, no browning on top)
Refrigerator· Also works: Freezer (Chills faster; don't let it freeze) · Ice bath (Ice bath)
Stove· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Portable hot plate (one weaker burner) · Camping gas stove (One burner, outdoors) · Electric pressure cooker (multicooker) (One pot, no real shallow frying)
Frying pan· Also works: Wok (None)· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Pot (High sides, slow evaporation and weak browning)
Pot· Also works: Deep skillet (sauté pan) (less liquid, faster evaporation)· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Wok (For quick cooking)
Baking pan· Also works: Glass / ovenproof baking dish (None) · Disposable pan (None)
Knife· Also works: Food processor (Fast, less control over size) · Kitchen shears (For herbs/dough)
Masher· Also works: Fork (Takes longer)· 💡 Workaround, changes the dish: Stick blender (Gluey mash)
🧻 Consumables: Parchment paper
By the steps, as the recipe is built now: another version or addition can change the list.