Koupes – Cracked Wheat Pies

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koupes

Koupes is a traditional Cypriot street food, which is served as a snack, party finger food or even after food!

Ingredients

For the dough

250 g fine bulgur wheat, beaten in a blender

350 g hot water

salt

pepper

cinnamon (just a pinch)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the filling

2 tablespoons olive oil

300g ground meat (beef, pork, or lamb)

2 medium chopped onions

½ teaspoon cinnamon

salt

black pepper

1 clove of chopped garlic

½ bunch chopped parsley

¼ bunch fresh chopped coriander

oil (for the frying)

lemon juice and slices for serving

Method

For the dough

Rinse the bulgur 2-3 times (make sure the water is clean in the end)

Drain it in a towel to remove the water.

Put in a bowl, add the hot water and leave it to absorb the water.

Add salt, pepper and cinnamon.

Add the eggs slowly and mix.

Press very well, until the mix becomes soft and looks like a dough. If needed add a little water.

Cover the mixture and put in the fridge for at least 1 hour and start preparing the filling.

For the filling

Place a frying pan on the heat at medium. When hot, add the olive oil and the ground meat.

Fry the ground meat until browned, and then add the onions, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Keep frying until the onions turn golden.

Add the garlic, sauté for one more minute, and then add the parsley and the fresh coriander.

Remove from the heat and set the ground meat aside to cool.

To assemble

Place water in a bowl and then take a small ball from the bulgur mixture.

Wet your fingers a little and roll the ball to be shaped like a disc.

In the centre of the ball, place the ground meat’s mixture (a teaspoon) and fold the bulgur around it so that the filling remains in the centre of the dough.

When you finish with all the mixture, place all the koupes in a plate.

Place a pot (medium size) on medium heat and fill with olive oil.

When the oil is hot (180°C), fry the koupes until they turn nicely golden.

Serve with lemon juice and slices.