The Culture Portal's İstanbul entry describes Sarıyer Böreği with onion, cooked mince and kuş üzümü inside paired yufka sheets, moistened with milk, egg and oil. This home adaptation uses butter and weighed quantities for eight portions; it follows that ready-yufka method.
Sarıyer Böreği — Recipe Card
Golden yufka rolls filled with beef, sweet onions and dried currants
Makes 8 servings · Two large rolls, each cut into four pieces: eight portions. Allow about 1 hour 55 minutes, including cooling the filling during preparation and 10 minutes of rest after baking.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Sarıyer Böreği
Soak the currants
Cover the dried currants with warm water and leave for 10 minutes while you start the onions. Drain well and set aside.
Soften the onions
Melt the butter in a wide frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sugar and salt. Cook for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until soft and lightly golden; lower the heat if the edges brown before the onions soften.
Cook and cool the filling
Add the beef and break it into small crumbles. Cook for 7–10 minutes, stirring, until no watery juices remain and the meat reaches 71°C / 160°F. Stir in the drained currants and black pepper for 1 minute. Spread on a large plate and cool for 10–15 minutes, until no longer steaming.
Prepare the tray and wash
While the filling cools, heat a conventional oven to 175°C / 350°F. Line a baking tray about 45 × 33 cm / 18 × 13 inches with baking parchment. Whisk the milk, both eggs and oil until smooth. Set aside 60 ml / ¼ cup of this mixture for the tops; divide the rest into four equal shares for the four yufka sheets.
Layer and roll
Keep unused yufka covered with a clean cloth. Lay one sheet flat, ideally about 55–60 cm / 22–24 inches across, and brush evenly with one share of the wash. Place a second sheet on top and brush with another share. Arrange half the filling in a 40 cm / 16 inch line across the lower third, leaving a clear edge. Fold the side edges over the ends of the filling, then roll from the bottom into a closed log. Place seam-side down on the tray. Repeat with the remaining two sheets, wash and filling, leaving space between the two rolls.
Bake and rest
Brush both rolls with the reserved 60 ml / ¼ cup wash. Bake on the middle shelf for 35–45 minutes, until deeply golden, crisp underneath and at least 74°C / 165°F in the centre of the filling. If the top colours too quickly, shield loosely with foil. Rest uncovered for 10 minutes, then cut each roll into four pieces and serve warm.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-beef-and-currant-borek-sariyer-boregi. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
Make it work in your kitchen
Ingredient Substitutions
These swaps change flavor or texture as described. Keep the original ingredients for the closest version of the dish.
Yufka
For rolled börek, use two thin sheets of thawed filo per roll, cut to a similar size. Keep unused sheets covered with a slightly damp towel. Filo is more brittle and produces a flakier shell; try one roll before shaping the full batch.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Dietary notes
Contains wheat (gluten), milk and eggs. The beef filling makes this a meat dish; no vegetarian or gluten-free label applies to this version.
Heat level
No added chili; black pepper provides gentle warmth. For a hotter variation, add 1 g / ½ teaspoon hot pul biber with the black pepper.
Choose fresh yufka
Use four large, soft round sheets intended for börek, about 600 g / 21.2 oz in total. Dried eating yufka and small rectangular baklava filo need different handling and are not direct sheet-for-sheet replacements here.
Which currants?
Kuş üzümü are tiny dried grapes, often sold as Zante or Corinth currants, rather than fresh blackcurrants. If unavailable, use the same 50 g / 1.8 oz of dark raisins, chopped small, soaked and drained.
Measure and timing
US cup measures here are 240 ml; tablespoons are 15 ml. Cooking time includes the filling and baking. Oven timing varies with roll thickness; check the underside and centre temperature.
How to store and reheat Sarıyer Böreği
Refrigerate portions in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the room is above 32°C / 90°F. Keep at 4°C / 40°F or below and use within 2 days. Reheat only the portions needed in a 180°C / 350°F oven until steaming hot throughout and reaching 74°C / 165°F. Leave uncovered to help the crust crisp, shielding with foil if it browns too much.
Sarıyer Böreği: questions and answers
Why should the filling cool before rolling?
Hot filling softens the sheets with trapped steam and makes them harder to handle. Spreading it on a wide plate releases heat quickly without a long wait on the counter.
What if a yufka sheet tears?
Cover a small tear with an overlapping flap of the same sheet before adding the second layer. Keep the filling away from the damaged area and place the finished roll seam-side down.
How do I keep the pastry crisp?
Let the rolls rest uncovered and avoid stacking the hot slices. For leftovers, use an oven rather than relying on a microwave, which softens the pastry.
