Russian Fried Meat Pies (Belyash)

One of my favorites from when I was a kid. Actually, it still is. A puffy yeast dough, with minced meat center and so juicy. Mmmmmm… so tasty.

They are so puffy and juicy. I used to sneak into the kitchen and steal one or two while they were still hot. =) As I got older, I was happy to help make them, my job was on the putting the filling and closing the sides of the dough.

The dough might take some trials to make, at least it took me a couple of time to make. But the rest is pretty easy to do.

Melt the butter.

In a medium bowl combine melted butter, sugar and salt. Mix well.

Add sour cream and mix until well combined.

Add water, mix well.

Add one cup of flour. Into that flour that you just added, add the yeast and baking soda. Mix well.

Now add another two cups of flour. Mix well. The dough will be very sticky and will become quite tough.

Keep adding bit by bit from the remaining cup of flour, but not all at once. Stop when the dough is smooth and sticks to your fingers just a little bit.

Cover the bowl with a clean towel, and let stand for 15 minutes. This dough is made with dry active yeast, therefore it does not require long waiting time for it to rise. However, you don’t need that. Normal yeast would do just fine as well.

While the dough is waiting, prepare the meat for the filling.

In a medium bowl, combine minced meat, egg, salt, pepper and chopped onion.

Mix well with your hands. If you are not comfortable mixing meat with your hands, use a spoon or a fork, just make sure to mix thoroughly.

Now that your dough and the meat filling are prepared, clean your work surface.

Sprinkle a bit of flour onto the working surface.

Take out the dough from the bowl and knead it for a bit in the sprinkled flour.

Cut about a ⅓ from the dough. The rest put back in the bowl and cover with a clean towel.

The ⅓ that you just cut off, roll out into a roll (like a snake or a sausage), about 4 cm in diameter. Don’t make it too thin.

Cut into even pieces, about 7-8. (about 2-3 cm in width).

Sprinkle each piece with flour, on both sides.

With a rolling pin flatten them out, but not too thin, about 3-4 mm thick.

Place a 1 tablespoon of minced meat filling in the center of each circle.

Take the edges and just press them slightly into the meat, to make something like pockets.

You can also close them completely, so there will be no meat visible.

Sprinkle some flour on a wooden board, or a plate or a tray, wherever you plan to place the pies, before frying them and cover with a clean towel (this will prevent them the dough from drying out before you start frying). It is better to finish preparing all of them before you start frying, or if you have someone to help with the frying process, then you can start frying as soon as you want.

Repeat the above steps, until you finish the dough and or the meat filling.

Heat up the ¼ cup vegetable oil on a wide frying pan on medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, turn the heat down to medium – low, otherwise the dough will burn before the meat can cook through.

Place the pies face down (the opening) into the oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

Then flip onto the other side and fry for another 2-3 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through. Tip: you can press lightly on pie, close to the opening, to make the juices come out a bit. If the juice is clear, then the meat is cooked through.

Continue with the remaining pies. When taking them out, place on a paper towel with the opening up, of on the side, otherwise the juices might come out.

Eat warm, and careful with the juices. =)

Enjoy!