Echpochmak

The dough for echpochmak follows a simple yeast dough recipe — similar to the one used in this pide with meat recipe. Mix together the flour, dry yeast, sugar, and salt.

Combine the egg with warm milk (you can substitute warm water or kefir instead of milk). Pour the mixture into the flour and knead the dough. Knead thoroughly, as you would with any yeast dough. Add more flour if needed. Place the dough in a warm spot for 1–2 hours — I use a warm oven.

Now make the meat filling. For a juicy filling, it's best to use fatty meat. I used beef, but I think it would be just as delicious with other types of meat, such as chicken. If your meat is lean, you can add some finely chopped lard. Cut the meat into small pieces and place in a bowl. Some echpochmak recipes call for ground meat instead of finely chopped pieces, but that's not really traditional — those are just regular meat pastries.

Cut the raw potatoes into cubes about 5–7 mm in size — roughly the same size as the meat pieces. Dice the onion into small pieces as well. Typically equal parts meat and potatoes are used, but I used a little less potato.

The filling for echpochmak must always go in raw. Add salt and pepper and mix everything together well.

The finished dough should rise to 2–3 times its original size, as shown in the step-by-step photo.

Take the dough out and place it on a work surface. Divide the dough into 18 pieces, or more, depending on how large you want your triangles to be.

Shape the echpochmak. Roll each ball out into a thin round roughly the size of a saucer.

Place the filling in the center. You want a generous heaping spoonful of filling. You can also pre-divide the filling into 18 equal portions ahead of time.

Lift the edges of the round up and pinch them together.

Then pinch the remaining edges together to form a triangle, leaving a small hole in the center. This gives the echpochmak its traditional triangular shape with a hole in the middle. The hole is needed so you can pour a little broth inside the pastries during baking.

Crimp the edges of the dough in a wavy pattern, or leave them as is.

Grease a baking sheet with butter or line it with parchment paper. Arrange the echpochmak on the sheet — I fit 6 pastries on one sheet.

Lightly beat an egg, then brush the tops of the echpochmak with it (you can also use just the egg yolk for this).

Place the baking sheet in an oven preheated to 180°C. Bake the echpochmak for 20 minutes first. Then remove the sheet from the oven and pour a spoonful of broth into each pastry through the hole. Hot meat broth will make the filling extra juicy. If you don't have broth, add melted butter (mixed with a small amount of water beforehand). Return the sheet to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or so. Bake until golden brown and the filling is cooked through — the exact time depends on the type of meat you used. If you're not sure, take one pastry out, cut it open, and check that the filling is done. The triangles will puff up to about 1.5 times their original size during baking. Remove the finished echpochmak from the oven and let them cool.

These unique triangular pastries are usually served hot, but personally I think they taste even better at room temperature — though that's just a matter of preference. Tatar triangles are traditionally served alongside soups or enjoyed with a cup of hot meat broth. This great recipe yields soft, hearty pastries. I highly recommend making echpochmak with meat — it's one of the most delicious dishes in Tatar cuisine!