Bourek Tunisien
Tunisia's Ramadan cigar: warka wrapped around tuna, mashed potato, harissa and capers, with a whole raw egg cracked in to cook as it fries.
Overview
Potato is boiled, peeled and mashed. Mixed with drained tuna, harissa, capers, parsley, salt and pepper. A warka or filo sheet is laid flat; a line of filling is spooned across one edge; a small well is pressed into the filling; a whole raw egg is cracked into the well; the sheet is folded and rolled into a cigar. Fried seam-down immediately in moderately hot oil, the egg cooks inside as the pastry turns crisp. Eaten hot with lemon and harissa.
Ingredients
Filling (for 8 bourek)
- 400 g potatoes (peeled, cubed)
- 2 tins (120 g each) tuna in olive oil, drained
- 2 tablespoons Harissa
- 2 tablespoons capers (drained, chopped)
- 30 g flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon ground caraway
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ lemon (juice)
Pastry
- 8 sheets warka (large, or filo pastry, each about 25 × 25 cm; cut larger filo to size)
- 1 tablespoon plain flour (mixed with 1 tablespoon water for sealing)
Egg insert
- 8 (or medium eggs, small, whole, raw - one per bourek)
Frying
- 800 ml neutral oil
To serve
- Lemon wedges
- Extra Harissa
- Slata Mechouia (grilled-pepper salad, optional)
Method
Stage 1 - Filling
- Boil potatoes in salted water 15 minutes till tender; drain; mash roughly (leave some texture).
- In a wide bowl, combine the mashed potato, drained tuna, harissa, chopped capers, parsley, caraway, coriander, salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Mix to a uniform but textured filling.
- Cool to room temperature.
Stage 2 - Shape
- Lay a warka sheet flat in a diamond orientation (one corner pointing toward you).
- Brush lightly with the flour-water mix at the corners (helps seal).
- Spoon a generous tablespoon of filling in a 10 cm line in the centre of the lower triangle.
- With the back of a spoon, press a small well into the middle of the filling line.
- Crack a raw egg into a small bowl; carefully tip into the well in the filling (yolk + white).
- WORK FAST FROM HERE - the egg will start spreading.
- Fold the left and right corners inward to meet over the filling.
- Fold the bottom corner up over the filling.
- Roll up tightly toward the top corner, keeping the egg contained inside.
- Press to seal the final corner with a dab of the flour-water glue.
Stage 3 - Fry
- Heat the oil to 170°C.
- Lower 2 bourek into the oil seam-down (the egg has stabilised by now but stay gentle).
- Fry 3 minutes per side until deep gold all over.
- Lift onto a wire rack.
Stage 4 - Repeat
- Continue for the remaining bourek, frying in batches of 2-3.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Eat IMMEDIATELY while hot - when you bite into a bourek, the egg yolk should be just-set, slightly runny.
- Serve with lemon wedges, extra harissa and a small bowl of slata mechouia.
Notes
- WORK FAST after cracking the egg: the egg starts spreading the moment it's in the filling. Have the pastry corners pre-folded position-ready in your head; the egg goes in last and the rolling happens within 20 seconds.
- Don't try to be neat with the egg: a little leakage at the seam is expected. The frying seals it.
- Warka is the authentic pastry: it's a Tunisian / Moroccan thin pancake-like dough, slightly thicker than filo. Filo works (use 2 stacked sheets for strength). Spring roll wrappers are a fine cross-cultural substitute.
- Egg should be slightly runny inside: the timing of the fry - 3 minutes per side - is calibrated for a just-set yolk. The first time, cut one open to check; adjust your frying time for the rest.
Storage
- Eat IMMEDIATELY. The crisp shell + runny egg combination doesn't keep.
- Don't make ahead. Don't refrigerate.
- Prep the filling up to 1 day ahead; assemble and fry to order.
Recipes mentioned here
Filo Pastry
Filo pastry is an extraordinarily thin, delicate dough that requires skill and patience to master but rewards the effort with its ethereal, crispy layers. Unlike laminated doughs, filo is stretched by hand to transparent thinness, creating a unique texture. Its versatility allows it to be used for both sweet and savory preparations, showcasing fillings visually while providing a delicate crunch.
Slata Mechouia
Peppers, tomatoes and chillies char whole on a gas flame (or under a fierce grill) until blackened and collapsed; the skins peel away and the flesh chops to a rough paste. Garlic chars too, mellowing as it does. Lemon, olive oil, capers and salt fold through; tuna and hard-boiled eggs sometimes top.
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