Tatar and Bashkir cuisine is distinguished by a wide variety of meat dishes and pastries. Triangular pies echpochmaki with a hole in the middle, made from yeast or unleavened dough with lamb, onions, potatoes and spices, are somewhat reminiscent of samsa. However, this is not surprising, because Tatar cuisine was influenced by Tajik and Uzbek culinary traditions. The word "echpochmak" is translated as "triangle", hence it is clear why the products got such a name. In Tatarstan, echpochmaki pies, ruddy, juicy and fragrant, are sold right on the street, but you can cook them yourself to please loved ones with delicious pastries, which are usually served with broth or soup. So, let's talk about how to cook at home.
Learning to cook echpochmaki
Dough. By tradition, pies are made from puff, yeast and unleavened dough, but shortbread and kefir dough are also suitable for cooking. In principle, with any test, echpochmaki will turn out to be unusually tasty and healthy.
Yeast dough for pies should be rich, so it is kneaded with eggs, butter and milk, and sour cream or butter is added to unleavened dough for softness and friability.
Filling. The triangular shape of the pies is not their main feature. The highlight of echpochmaks is the meat filling, which is put into the pies raw, and this is what distinguishes the dish from other meat pastries. It is thanks to the hole in the dough that the pies are well baked and remain juicy, because the broth is poured into it during the cooking process. Agree that Tatar chefs are very practical and inventive!
For the filling, lamb is chopped into hazelnut-sized cubes, potatoes are cut into raisin-sized pieces, and onions are finely chopped. You can use any meat - beef, goose, duck and chicken, adding black pepper and any seasonings to taste to the filling for piquancy. By the way, frozen meat is cut easier and faster.
Formation of pies. A tourniquet is rolled out of the dough, cut into pieces, from which balls are formed. Each ball is rolled out in the form of a circle the size of a tea saucer, 1 tbsp is placed in its middle. l. fillings, and the edges of the circle in three places are connected at the top, like a pyramid. The seams should be pinched with a “rope” as carefully as possible, otherwise the pies will begin to fall apart during the baking process. In this case, leave a small hole for the broth. If the minced meat is made from beef or veal, when forming the pie, a piece of butter or bacon is placed on top of the filling to make the echpochmak juicier.
Bakery. The pies are given a little rest, greased with butter mixed with egg yolk, and sent to the oven, heated to 180-200 ° C. Naturally, the baking sheet must also be greased with oil. And now the fun begins - after 30 minutes, when the echpochmaks become golden-ruddy, you need to get them out and pour 1-2 tsp into the hole of the "pyramids". rich meat broth boiled with spices and salt. The broth can be replaced with boiling water, in which butter is dissolved. Next, the pies are baked until cooked, depending on the type of dough and filling. Some cooks add the broth to the echpochmaks several times if the meat is dry. They periodically pull out a sheet and look inside the pie - if the broth is not visible, then it's time to top up.
How to cook Tatar echpochmak: a classic recipe
Real Tatar echpochmaks are made from yeast dough. To prepare it, dissolve 5 g of dry yeast in ½ liter of warm milk, add 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil and 70 g butter, 2 eggs, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. l. sugar and 850 g flour. Knead the dough and leave it to rise, covering with a napkin or towel.
Prepare the filling with 700 g minced lamb, 7 medium-sized raw potatoes, finely chopped, 4 chopped onions, salt and pepper.
Put the filling on the circles rolled out of the dough, connect the edges of the cakes in three places, trying to make a triangle, leave a hole and put the echpochmaks on a greased baking sheet. After 20 minutes of proofing, put the pies in the oven and bake for 7 minutes at a temperature of 200 ° C, then reduce the temperature to 170 ° C and cook for another 25 minutes. Now pour 1–2 tsp into the holes. meat broth, grease the pies with yolk and leave in the oven for 20 minutes.
How to cook echpochmaki from unleavened dough
Echpochmak made on unleavened dough is suitable for those who are on a diet or who are contraindicated in yeast baking.
Pour 4 cups of flour in a heap, make a recess in it, pour in 1 egg, a little water, a little salt and knead the dough like dumplings. Cover it with cling film and leave for 40 minutes to make it more plastic.
While the dough is resting, make the filling with ½ kg of any meat and ½ kg of raw potatoes - all ingredients are diced, and 1-2 onions are finely chopped.
Roll out the dough into circles with a diameter of about 15 cm, put the filling in the middle and form a triangle. Lubricate the echpochmaks with yolk and put in the oven, when they are browned, pour a little broth into each pie if you made a hole for this, and then continue baking them. In general, it takes about an hour to cook pies in the oven.
How to cook echpochmak from puff pastry
Echpochmaks are well served with katyk, a Turkic fermented milk drink reminiscent of curdled milk made from buffalo, goat or sheep milk, or any fermented milk drink of your choice. By the way, these pies are an excellent substitute for bread and are eaten instantly, especially if you have a large family, so cook them for the future! Well, from the company store "Eat at Home" they will add a brightness of taste to your dishes!
