Kyrgyzstan · Dough and pastry

Kyrgyz Boorsok

Name: Kyrgyz Boorsok
Prep time: 1 h 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Kyrgyzstan
Ingredients: 500 g Plain flour; 200 ml Milk; 100 ml Water; 50 g Butter; 7 g Dry yeast; 1 tbsp Sugar; 1 tsp Salt; 1 l Sunflower oil

Local name: Боорсок

Golden, puffy fried dough pieces that are a staple of Kyrgyz tables, served with tea.

Servings4
Prep1 h 40 min
Cooking20 min
Total time2 h
DifficultyEasy

🌱 VegetarianContains glutenContains dairy

Kyrgyz Boorsok — Photo: Armanilo · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

↓ Method

About this dish

Boorsok is a yeasted dough that is cut into pieces and deep-fried. It is known under various names across Central Asia, Mongolia and the Idel-Ural region. In Kyrgyzstan it is served with tea, to guests and at celebrations.

In Kyrgyz homes the dough is usually simple, kneaded with milk, salted water and butter. Boorsok is eaten with honey, jam or kaymak, and is also set beside a bowl of soup.

Ingredients

4 servings

Tick the ingredients off like a shopping list.

Dough

500 g Plain floursifted
200 ml Milklukewarm
100 ml Waterlukewarm
50 g Buttermelted, cooled slightly
7 g Dry yeast
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt

Frying

1 l Sunflower oilfor deep-frying

Method

Combine the warm milk and water in a bowl, add the yeast and sugar, stir and leave for 10 minutes until foamy.
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well, add the melted butter and the yeast mixture, and bring it into a dough.
Knead the dough for about 8 minutes until soft and elastic.
Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for 60 minutes until doubled.
Gently punch the dough down to release the air and rest it for 10 minutes.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1 cm thick.
Cut it into diamonds or squares about 5 cm across.
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 170 °C; a piece of dough dropped in should rise to the surface right away.
Fry the pieces in batches, turning, for 3-4 minutes per batch until golden.
Drain on paper towels and serve warm or at room temperature with tea, honey, jam or kaymak.

💡 Tips

If the oil is too hot the outside burns before the inside cooks; keep it near 170 °C.
Do not over-knead; a soft dough puffs up better.
Do not crowd the pot, or the oil temperature will drop.
Rolling thicker gives a soft, bread-like centre; thinner gives crisper pieces.

🛒 Can't find it abroad?

Dry yeast — Use 21 g fresh yeast dissolved in the warm milk.
Butter — Use the same amount of melted margarine.

This recipe was prepared with the help of AI, following the traditional home-style method; quantities, times and steps were checked automatically for consistency. Ovens and stoves differ, so check doneness by eye.