Earth Eats: Algerian Tuna Bourek (my way) and Carrot Raisin Salad

Algeria is a North African country bordered by Tunisia and Libya to the East, Niger and Mali to the South, Mauritania to the South-West and Morocco to the West. The Mediterranean Sea creates a border between Algeria and it’s northern neighbours Spain and France. Algeria has a long history of invasions that have contributed to the rich culture that it has today. It comes as no surprise that the cuisine of Algeria is a deep and interesting mix of North African (Berber), Turkish, Arab, Roman, Spanish and French.

“Flag of Algeria (1958-1962)” by User:Escondites – Own work. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Every region of Algeria has recipe variations or certain dishes only found there. But perhaps the most well known Algerian dishes are couscous, marguez sausage, shakshouska, chorba and the traditional mint tea. Algerian cuisine makes great use of aromatic spices and without them the cuisine wouldn’t be the uniquely robust flavourful one that it is. Dishes can range from mild to spicy. It’s location allows for an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables as well as a good deal of lamb.

I’m not too familiar with Algerian food, so after much research I settled on an easy dish called bourek or borek or burek. (These are also eaten in neighbouring Tunisia and known as brik) The best word I can use to describe them is an Algerian version of eggrolls… The wrapper used is paper thin and called warka or brik. Fillings can vary greatly as can the method of wrapping or folding. Some people roll them up so they resemble egg rolls and others shape into triangles or fold the sheet over like an empanada.

After looking at many recipes I decided to make a general version of the tuna filling. Most recipes call for stuffing with a raw egg then deep frying, I found that method much too complicated for my novice hands. Instead I used the tuna filling and both deep fried and baked the boureks. I’ve made them a couple of times and also varied the shape to see which was easiest — the rolled up ones! Unfortunately my local store did not carry the traditional brik wrappers so I had to use Turkish yufka wrappers instead, which worked well. To make a complete meal out of the boureks I served them with a carrot salad that had French touches. When I lived in Paris I use to eat a similar salad and thought it would pair great with the boureks.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Algerian Tuna Bourek (my way) and Carrot-Raisin Salad

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

A fun and light tuna treat the family will love served with a sweet and tangy carrot salad.

Author: SpicieFoodie.com & Nancy Lopez-McHugh

Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner,

Cuisine: Algerian

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

Algerian Tuna Bourek Ingredients:

• 2 regular sized cans of tuna in water, drained
• 1 small onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped
• handful finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp small capers, roughly chopped
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• large pinch of dry minced garlic
• red chile flakes, to taste
• 1 tsp couscous spice mix
• triangle shaped Yufka sheets (find them here)*
• 1 egg lightly beaten, for egg wash

Carrot-Raisin Salad Ingredients:

• 1 extra large carrot, shredded
• 1 small green onion, thinly sliced
• large handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• juice of one small lemon
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, or good quality olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• raisins to taste**

Instructions

Algerian Tuna Bourek Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 200c or 392f and prepare a baking sheet. Mix all of the ingredients, except the yukfa sheets and egg, until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
2. Place about 1-2 tbsp of tuna filling onto the wide part of the wrapper as shown in the pictures. If you'd like brush the edges of the wrapper with egg wash to help seal the dough tighter. Fold and roll the bourek to make a pocket like that of an egg roll (see pictures). Brush the top of the rolled bourek with egg wash and place on baking sheet, continue until all of the tuna has been used. Bake in centre of oven for 20 min. or until crispy and browned. Allow to cool slightly before eating.

Carrot-Raising Salad:

1. It is a good idea to prepare the salad while the bourek are in the oven or beforehand, this will give the flavours time to come together nicely. Mix all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl, taste and adjust anything if necessary. Place in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Notes

*If you cannot find yufka or proper bourek wrappers then try using egg roll or any other very thin dough.


**A variation to the raisins is dried figs. Simply chop a few up and toss them with the rest of the ingredients.

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3.2.2708

These rolls taste incredibly good! It’s lemony and you can taste the tuna, capers, parsley and spices; just a great combination. I’ve made them twice already and both times my husband sneaks in to grab one before I’m even ready to serve. Bourek are definitely a fun food to add to our meal rotation, I hope you add them to yours too. Oh, and let’s not forget about the carrot salad. This too has an amazing taste. The tangy lemons compliment the sweetness from the raisins and carrots. This salad is a great one to serve on the side of many dishes.

I didn’t find any interesting cookbooks on Algerian cuisine, but I did find these great blogs Nana’s Tasty Traditions and The Teal Tadjine.

Enjoy both of the recipes and don’t forget to check out the previous Earth Eats instalments!