Kol Böreği - Turkish Arm Borek

5 from 1 vote

Kol Böreği, or Turkish Arm Borek, is a delicious savoury pastry filled with a mixture of ground meat, onions, and spices.

Prep Time30

Cook Time40

Total Time1 10

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Turkish

Diet: Low Lactose

Servings: portions

Calories: 629kcal

Place a heavy-based pan on medium heat and brown the ground meat breaking it up as it cooks until it releases its fat.
Depending on the fat ratio of your mince, you might have some fat enough to sauté the onions and carrots. If not, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions along with grated carrots until soft.
Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and chili flakes.
Add a little water if the filling looks too dry, give it a good stir, and remove the pan from heat. Set aside to cool slightly.

To make the sauce, whisk the egg in a medium-sized bowl.
Add the vegetable oil, milk, yogurt, and vinegar to the eggs. Mix well until all combined. Set it aside.
Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F). Line a rectangular baking tray size of 35 cm x 25 cm (14" x 10") or a 28 cm (11") dia baking pan with a baking sheet.
Cut the yufka sheets in halves, you will have 6 pieces of yufka halves.
Lay one piece of half yufka on a clean work surface, drizzle 2 tbsps of the sauce, and spread it evenly using a brush.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of meat filling to the wide end and then spread it into a thin line, leaving a small gap on either side.
Fold the flat end over the filling, then gently roll the pastry from the wider side into a long cylinder shape.
Fold the long rolled pastry into thirds, as shown in the picture, to form an arm or "N" shape. Repeat the process with the remaining yufka pieces.
Place the shaped boreks on a baking tray and brush with the rest of the sauce generously. Sprinkle on sesame seeds or nigella seeds.
Place the tray in the oven and cook the boreks for 35- 40 minutes or until golden brown.

You can make the meat filling up to 2 days in advance and keep it refrigerated until you want to build your kol borek.
Yufka sheets are delicate, so handle them carefully to avoid tearing.
Preheat the oven to 180° C - 360° F (fan oven) before you put the borek in. A cold oven would cause a longer cooking time and less crispy pastries.
You can double the recipe up and keep the cooked borek pieces in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can also keep unbaked boreks in the freezer for up to 3 months. Simply bake them in the preheated oven straight from frozen. Add an extra 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.
Kol Böreği keeps well in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer up to three months. Reheat it in the oven or air fryer for that just-baked crispiness.