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Turkmenistan · Dough and pastry
Turkmen Ishlekli
Local name: Işlekli
A round Turkmen meat pie baked in thin dough with a juicy filling of hand-chopped meat and plenty of onion.
- Servings4
- Prep1 h 5 min
- Cooking45 min
- Total time1 h 50 min
- DifficultyMedium
Contains glutenContains dairy
About this dish
Ishlekli is a round meat pie from Turkmenistan: thin dough wrapped around chopped meat and a lot of onion, baked in the oven or on a pan. It is eaten hot with tea, when guests visit and as an everyday meal.
What marks the Turkmen version is a filling of finely knife-chopped meat and tail fat rather than machine-ground mince. Generous onion keeps it juicy, while the dough stays plain and thin.
Ingredients
Tick the ingredients off like a shopping list.
Dough
Filling
Topping
Method
Mix the flour, lukewarm water, salt and oil, then knead for 10 minutes into a smooth, firm dough.
Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Chop the meat and tail fat by knife to the size of rice grains.
Mix the meat with the onions, salt, pepper and water; the filling should be moist but not runny.
Heat the oven to 200 °C and grease a baking tray.
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll each into a thin circle about 22 cm across.
Spread the filling evenly over four circles, leaving a 2 cm border, and cover with the remaining circles.
Press and fold the edges to seal tightly, then prick the tops a few times with a fork.
Place the pies on the greased tray and brush the tops lightly with oil.
Bake for 35 minutes, until golden brown.
Brush with melted butter, cover and rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
💡 Tips
- Chop the meat by knife rather than grinding it; the filling stays juicier and tastier.
- Salt the onions only just before mixing so they do not release liquid too early.
- The thinner you roll the dough, the lighter the pie; rested dough rolls out easily.
- Seal the edges well, or the juices will leak out while baking.
- Resting before cutting keeps the juices inside.
🛒 Can't find it abroad?
- Lamb tail fat — Use the same weight of butter or beef suet.
- Lamb — Use fatty beef, chopped a bit more finely by knife.
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.
