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    You Are Here Home » Appetizer Recipes

    Published: Jul 8, 2018 Updated: Apr 28, 2022 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links 6 Comments

    Bourak (Assyrian Egg Rolls) Recipe

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    Bourak (Assyrian egg rolls)

    Bourak are referred to as Assyrian or Middle Eastern egg rolls. These delicious spicy appetizers are usually served as "mezze" along with other popular dishes like Sambousek, Hummus, Foul Medames, and Kotletai.

    fried bourak on a plate

    About This Recipe

    Most families have someone with a signature dish. In my family, that someone is my sister, Rosa. The dish she's known for is the focus of this post. Since she works out of the country, we don't get to see each other very often.

    Luckily, we were able to plan our trips to Chicago during the same period. I decided to take advantage of this rare occurrence by planning a day of cooking with her.

    How to Make This Recipe

    STEP 1: Brown ground beef in a skillet, breaking up any large clumps. Add minced onion to the pan. Saute until soft.

    rosa in the kitchen cooking bourak

    STEP 2: Sprinkle salt, pepper, and remaining spices over the meat. Add parsley and cook for an additional minute. Set aside to cool.

    potato chop filling in a pan

    STEP 3: When the filling is ready, place one egg roll wrapper in front of you. Add approximately two tablespoons of filling close to the bottom edge of the wrapper.

    rolling bourak

    STEP 4. Lift the bottom edge of the egg roll wrapper over the filling. Next, fold the sides of the wrappers over the filling and roll all the way up. Seal the corner with a dab of water, and repeat.

    unfried eggrolls in a plate

    STEP 5. Heat oil in a large frying pan to 375-degrees F. Carefully place a few Bourak in the pan. Fry until golden brown, and do the same with the rest.

    bourak being fried in a pan

    STEP 6. Drain fried Bourak on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve while hot.

    bourak draining on paper towel

    Bourak Varieties

    While trying to decide how to spell the name of this recipe, I found many alternative spellings online.

    Bourek, borek, and burek, are some examples. For the purposes of this recipe, I'll be referring to them as "Bourak." 

    I also discovered a lot more nationalities make them than I originally thought. Some of these nationalities include Croatians, Algerians, Turks, Greeks, Arabs, and of course, Assyrians.

    While my family mainly makes meat-filled bourak, there are some filled with cheese and herbs. There are also both savory and sweet varieties.

    The origins of this dish date back to the Ottoman Empire. However, their "borek" was prepared as a Phyllo-layered cheese pie, sweetened with honey.

    Although I plan to write a post for the cheese-filled variety in a future post, today I'm sharing my sister, Rosa's, recipe. Bourak are often served with Tabouli.

    a lady making egg rolls
    close up photo of aunt Alice
    Beni in the kitchen
    a sign in the kitchen

    Recipe Pro Tips

    • Bourak can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
    • Toss the Bourak in cornstarch before refrigerating them to keep them from sticking to eachother or to the plate.
    • To reheat cooked bourak, use a toaster oven or an air fryer. If you use a microwave, they will be soft and soggy instead of crispy, as they are intended to be.

    Related Recipes

    • Easy Filipino Lumpia Recipe
    • 3-Step Flaky Empanada Dough Recipe
    • Cheese Burek Recipe (Börek)
    • Potato Chop Recipe

    Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.

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    Don’t forget to check out my  Classic Middle Eastern Food Combinations.

    bourak

    Middle Eastern Egg Rolls (Bourak)

    Assyrian egg rolls, filled with a spicy ground meat mix.
    4.75 from 4 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Appetizers, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Assyrian, Middle Eastern
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 24 eggrolls
    Calories: 86kcal
    Author: Hilda Sterner

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb. ground beef 15% fat
    • 1 small white onion minced
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ¾ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon curry
    • 1 teaspoon allspice
    • ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped
    • 1 package eggroll wrappers
    • oil for frying

    Instructions

    • Brown ground beef in a skillet, breaking up any large clumps. Add minced onion to the pan, and saute until soft.
    • Sprinkle salt, pepper, and remaining spices over the meat. Add chopped parsley and cook for an additional minute. Set aside to cool.
    • When the filling is ready, place one egg roll wrapper in front of you. Add approximately two tablespoons of filling close to the bottom edge of the wrapper.
    • Lift the bottom edge of the egg roll wrapper over the filling. Next, fold the sides of the wrappers over the filling and roll up. Seal the corner with a dab of water, and repeat.
    • Heat oil in a large frying pan to 375-degrees F. Carefully place a few bourak in the pan. Fry until golden brown, and do the same with the rest.
    • Drain fried bourak on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve while hot.

    Notes

    Calories are for unfried Bourak since it's hard to estimate how much oil they will absorb when fried.
    • Bourak can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
    • Toss the Bourak in cornstarch before refrigerating them to keep them from sticking to each other or to the plate.
    • To reheat cooked bourak, use a toaster oven or an air fryer. If you use a microwave, they will be soft and soggy instead of crispy, as they are intended to be.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Bourak | Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 188mg | Fiber: 0g
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Raman Michael says

      July 17, 2020 at 8:42 am

      5 stars
      Authentic Assyrian style Bourak like I remember my Mom making. Thank you!

      Reply
      • HildaSterner says

        July 17, 2020 at 9:33 am

        Thank you so much, Raman. I really appreciate your review and I'm glad you approve of this recipe. 😘

        Reply
    2. angie Toulakany says

      April 27, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      I am so happy to find you here finally . I have introduced you to our children and they are very excited keep up the good I am very proud to be Assyrian. Basimta.

      Reply
      • HildaSterner says

        April 27, 2020 at 2:05 pm

        Hi Angie
        Basimta raba! XO

        Reply
    3. Edison youkhana says

      July 19, 2018 at 4:39 pm

      I love Bourak. Thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
      • HildaSterner says

        July 19, 2018 at 4:52 pm

        Hi Edison, You wouldn't be Assyrian if you didn't love bourak, right? Hope you give the recipe a try! Thanks for your comment 🙂

        Reply

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