Qistibi - Tatar Potato Flatbreads

by Alissa Timoshkina, featured in Kapusta

Published by Quadrille

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Introduction

This delightfully simple dish is a staple in the cuisines of the Volga Tatars as well as of the Chuvash people, a fellow Turkic ethnic group residing in the Eastern European part of Russia. These flatbreads would be the identical twins of the Turkish gözleme were it not for the filling. They are traditionally filled with rice or millet porridge, but mashed potatoes are sometimes used instead. This recipe was kindly given to me by Firuza Yusupova, a pastry chef of a Tatar-Jewish origin, whose family story spans the area between Bashkortostan and Samarkand, and is written through recipes and food memories passed down from one generation to the next, preserving and celebrating their Tatar heritage.

For US measures and ingredient names, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

As featured in

Kapusta

Image of Alissa Timoshkina's Qistibi — Photo by Laura Edwards

Ingredients

Makes: 8

Metric U.S.

FOR THE DOUGH

250 millilitres water
50 grams butter (melted, plus extra for brushing)
2 tablespoons sour cream
500 grams plain flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon caster sugar

FOR THE FILLING

5 - 6 medium potatoes (weighing approx. 600g/1lb 5oz), peeled and diced
vegetable oil (for frying)
2 onions (peeled and thinly sliced)
50 grams salted butter
salt and pepper (to taste)

FOR THE DOUGH

1 cup water
1¾ ounces butter (melted, plus extra for brushing)
2 tablespoons sour cream
1lb 2 ounces all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon superfine sugar

FOR THE FILLING

5 - 6 medium potatoes (weighing approx. 600g/1lb 5oz), peeled and diced
vegetable oil (for frying)
2 onions (peeled and thinly sliced)
1¾ ounces salted butter
salt and pepper (to taste)

Method

Qistibi - Tatar Potato Flatbreads is a guest recipe by Alissa Timoshkina so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

To make the dough, mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl. Work the dough until it comes together easily into a ball. Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and let it rest for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, cook the potatoes in salted water for 10–15 minutes until soft.
In the meantime, heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the onions with a pinch of salt over a medium heat for 15 minutes, until soft and caramelised in places.
When the potatoes are cooked, mash them roughly with the salted butter, add the onions and season with salt and pepper. (I like my filling quite peppery as this gives the potatoes a satisfying depth and warmth, but let your tastebuds guide you.)
Return to the dough, tip it out onto a dusted surface, knead it for a few minutes, divide it into balls (40g/1½oz each), then roll each into a thin disc about 20cm (8in) in diameter. Keep the rolled dough discs under a tea towel while you finish the rest.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and toast each flatbread on both sides until golden brown. Stack the cooked flatbreads under a dish towel. When all the flatbreads are ready, stuff them with 2–3 heaped tablespoons of the potato mash and fold in half. Generously brush with the melted butter and serve immediately.
You can easily reheat these by toasting the flatbread in a dry pan on each side for a few moments and drizzling some hot melted butter over the top to finish.

To make the dough, mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl. Work the dough until it comes together easily into a ball. Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and let it rest for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, cook the potatoes in salted water for 10–15 minutes until soft.
In the meantime, heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the onions with a pinch of salt over a medium heat for 15 minutes, until soft and caramelised in places.
When the potatoes are cooked, mash them roughly with the salted butter, add the onions and season with salt and pepper. (I like my filling quite peppery as this gives the potatoes a satisfying depth and warmth, but let your tastebuds guide you.)
Return to the dough, tip it out onto a dusted surface, knead it for a few minutes, divide it into balls (40g/1½oz each), then roll each into a thin disc about 20cm (8in) in diameter. Keep the rolled dough discs under a tea towel while you finish the rest.
Heat a non-stick frying pan and toast each flatbread on both sides until golden brown. Stack the cooked flatbreads under a dish towel. When all the flatbreads are ready, stuff them with 2–3 heaped tablespoons of the potato mash and fold in half. Generously brush with the melted butter and serve immediately.
You can easily reheat these by toasting the flatbread in a dry pan on each side for a few moments and drizzling some hot melted butter over the top to finish.