Chelpek

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 250 mlwarm milk
• or 250 ml warm water
• 1egg
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonsugar
• 1 teaspoondried yeast
• 2 tablespoonsoil

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

To serve

• black tea with milk
• jam or honey
• kaymak or clotted cream

Directions

1. Warm the milk to just above body temperature. It should feel barely warm to a clean finger. Stir the yeast and sugar into the milk. Let it stand for five minutes until it foams. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the yeasted milk, the egg and the oil.
2. Bring it together into a soft dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead it for a good eight minutes. It should become smooth and elastic. Put the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover it over with a clean cloth. Leave it somewhere warm for an hour. It should roughly double in size.
3. Divide it into pieces the size of an egg. Roll each one out on a floured surface. Take it down to about two millimetres. Aim for rounds about fifteen centimetres across.
4. Roll them as thin as you can manage. Cover the rolled rounds with a cloth. Cut two or three slits in each round. Cut them in the centre with a knife. Those slits stop the dough puffing into a ball.
5. Pour oil into a deep pan to six centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 180C for frying. A scrap of dough should sizzle up at once. Turn them once with a slotted spoon. Spoon hot oil over the top as they fry. That helps them puff more evenly.
6. Tear one open to check the first batch. The inside should be cooked and airy. Lift them out onto kitchen paper. Let the excess oil drain away. Stack them on a plate as you go.
7. Cover them with a cloth to keep them soft. Serving them is done warm and shared. Warm them briefly in a dry pan to soften them.

Technique

• Chelpek are fried for memorial and religious occasions, and the rising smell of the oil is said to carry prayers to the departed.
• An odd number is traditionally made, with seven the usual count in many households.

Substitutions

• Water works in place of milk for a plainer and lighter dough.
• The egg can be left out, giving a slightly less rich result.

Variations

• Some households cut a diamond pattern into each round.
• Boorsok, small squares of the same fried dough, are made for the same occasions.
• Similar fried breads are made across Central Asia under related names.

History

Fried for memorial and religious occasions, when the rising smell of oil is said to carry prayers.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chelpek?

Chelpek is a bread & pastry from Kyrgyzstan: thin rounds of dough fried in oil, torn and shared at gatherings. Fried for memorial and religious occasions, when the rising smell of oil is said to carry prayers.

How long does Chelpek take to make?

Chelpek takes 30 minutes plus resting of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 20 pieces. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Chelpek?

Yes, within limits. Water works in place of milk for a plainer and lighter dough. The egg can be left out, giving a slightly less rich result.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chelpek?

Pour oil into a deep pan to six centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 180C for frying. A scrap of dough should sizzle up at once. Turn them once with a slotted spoon. Spoon hot oil over the top as they fry. That helps them puff more evenly.