Hanukkah and chir-chir-chebureks

Hanukkah and chir-chir-chebureks



In the old days in Crimea, the Jews of the Krymchak community prepared delicious pasties for Hanukkah. I propose that this glorious tradition be resumed by representatives of other Jewish communities.

For the dough: 5 cups flour, 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, water for kneading, vegetable oil for frying.

For the filling: 600 g minced lamb, 2 onions, parsley, salt, pepper - to taste.

Knead the dough and let it rest. Prepare the filling by mixing minced lamb with finely chopped onion and parsley, pepper and salt. Cut the dough into pieces, roll out each piece to a minimum thickness and diameter of 15–16 cm. Place a teaspoon of prepared minced meat on one half of the circle and cover with the other half, pinch the edges. Place the pieces on a floured board, hold for a few minutes and fry until tender over low heat in a deep bowl with plenty of sunflower oil so that the pasties float on the surface. The oil should be heated until smoke appears, after which you can immerse 2-3 chebureks in it and fry them, turning them over, until golden brown. Remove the pasties with a slotted spoon, let the oil drain and place them on a plate. After this, lay the next portion of the blanks. Serve chir-chir hot.

For the sweet Hanukkah table, I recommend serving honey nuts prepared according to the recipes of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, and a dish of dough and honey from the cuisine of Bukharian Jews, called chak-chak.