I might be banned in Balkan countries after sharing this vegan Burek recipe, but for the sake of this blog’s name I just have to do it.
I tried different types of seitan and rolling techniques, and what I did here is perfect. The filling came out juicy and meaty with lots of different flavors. And the filo pastry is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is definitely worth the effort!
First of all process seitan in a meat grinder. This way you achieve the best texture of ground seitan. In case you don’t have a meat grinder, mince it up using a food processor.
Look at this texture! I never thought I would use my meat grinder machine again.
Heat oil in a large shallow pan over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft and translucent. Add garlic and stir for a minute. Then add ground seitan followed by sweet paprika, black pepper and chopped parsley. Note that seitan I’m using is already seasoned, so I don’t need to add extra salt.
Cook the mixture for few minutes. If it seems a bit dry, add few splashes of water. Switch off the heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously grease a pan (I used 10 inch/26cm one).
Lay out a sheet of filo dough and brush it with melted vegan butter. Scoop a thin line of seitan filling onto the long edge of filo sheet. Gently roll up the filling in the filo sheet.
Starting from one end of the roll, fold it to form a spiral shape. Place the burek in the center of the greased pan.
Now repeat the process with remaining filo dough and seitan filling. But this time wrap the roll around the burek, creating one big spiral. Continue until you fill up the pan. I used 8 filo sheets in total.
Whisk together aquafaba and plant-based milk. Brush the burek with this vegan “egg-wash” and then sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Serve with vegan yogurt or simple salad.
PrintVegan Bosnian Burek with Ground Seitan
Vegan Bosnian Burek – rolled filo pastry with meaty and juicy seitan filling.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8
- Category: Main course
- Cuisine: Bosnian, Croatian, Turkish
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 500g seitan (I used about 2 batches of my beef-style seitan)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- small bunch of parsley, chopped
- oil for cooking
For the burek:
- 1 package of filo dough (defrosted)
- 45g vegan butter or margarine (melted)
- 3 tbsp aquafaba
- 1/2 tbsp plant milk
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
- Process seitan in a meat grinder. This way you achieve the best texture of ground seitan. In case you don’t have a meat grinder, mince it up using a food processor.
- Heat oil in a large shallow pan over medium heat. Sauté onion until soft and translucent. Add garlic and stir for a minute. Then add ground seitan followed by sweet paprika, black pepper and chopped parsley. Note that seitan I’m using is already seasoned, so I don’t need to add extra salt.
- Cook the mixture for few minutes. If it seems a bit dry, add few splashes of water. Switch off the heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Generously grease a pan (I used 10 inch/26cm one).
- Lay out a sheet of filo dough and brush it with melted vegan butter. Scoop a thin line of seitan filling onto the long edge of filo sheet. Gently roll up the filling in the filo sheet.
- Starting from one end of the roll, fold it to form a spiral shape. Place the burek in the center of the greased pan.
- Now repeat the process with remaining filo dough and seitan filling. But this time wrap the roll around the burek, creating one big spiral. Continue until you fill up the pan. I used 8 filo sheets in total.
- Whisk together aquafaba and plant-based milk. Brush the burek with this vegan “egg-wash” and then sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve with vegan yogurt or simple salad.
Keywords: vegan meat, seitan, tofu, baking, filo, Balkan, vegan, vegetarian
