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Tatarstan · Main dish
Tatar Zur Belish
Local name: Зур бәлеш
A large covered Tatar pie filled with meat, potato and onion, finished with hot broth poured in before resting.
- Servings4
- Prep1 h 10 min
- Cooking2 h 5 min
- Total time3 h 15 min
- DifficultyMedium
Contains glutenContains dairyContains egg
About this dish
Zur belish (Tatar for "big belish") is one of the best-known dishes of Tatar cuisine. It is a large closed pie filled with diced meat, potatoes and onions. It is served to guests, at holidays and weddings, and as a family weekend meal.
In this Tatarstan version the dough is rich with butter and sour cream, and the filling is raw diced meat with potato. Just before the pie leaves the oven, hot broth is poured through a hole in the top so that the filling stays juicy and soft. It is sliced and eaten hot.
Ingredients
Tick the ingredients off like a shopping list.
Dough
Filling
Glaze and broth
Method
Mix the flour with the salt. Add the butter, egg, sour cream and 150 ml water and knead into a soft dough that does not stick to your hands; if it will not come together, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Wrap the dough and rest it at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 220 °C. Mix the diced meat, potatoes and onions with salt and pepper.
Set aside one third of the dough. Roll out the rest to about 3 mm thick, large enough to overhang a 28 cm greased pan, and line the pan.
Pile the filling into the pan. Roll out the reserved dough, cover the filling and crimp the edges tightly to seal.
Brush the top with beaten egg and cut a small steam hole in the centre.
Bake at 220 °C for 15 minutes.
Lower the oven to 180 °C and bake for another 90 minutes, covering the top with foil if it browns too much. At the end, check through the steam hole that a piece of meat is cooked through and the potatoes are tender.
Slowly pour 200 ml of hot broth through the hole and bake for 5 more minutes.
Remove the pie, cover with a clean towel and rest for 15 minutes, then slice and serve hot.
💡 Tips
- Use diced meat instead of mince; it keeps the filling juicy and flavourful.
- Mix the potatoes into the filling right after cutting so they do not darken.
- Add the broth boiling hot and pour slowly so it does not overflow.
- Rest the pie before slicing so the juices settle and the slices hold together.
- Choose meat with some fat, such as lamb shoulder or beef chuck.
🛒 Can't find it abroad?
- Sour cream — Use the same amount of plain full-fat yogurt; the dough will be slightly less rich.
- Lamb — Use fatty beef chuck and dot 30 g butter in small pieces through the filling.
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.
