“I use a hand-rolled pastry by Basak Pastry that I buy from a Middle Eastern grocer for these Moroccan-style parcels,” says Brigitte Hafner. “It’s thicker than normal filo and comes in round sheets, and has an excellent texture – quite crunchy – when baked or deep-fried. Use filo if you can’t find it.” This recipe makes around 18 pastries.

Ingredients

½ cup coarsely chopped coriander

¼ tsp each ground coriander and paprika

1/8 tsp ground cumin

¼ garlic clove, coarsely chopped

450 gm (about 6) uncooked king prawns, peeled, deveined and coarsely chopped

1 egg yolk

3 sheets yufka pastry (see note)

100 ml extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing, plus extra for shallow-frying

100 gm butter, melted, for brushing, plus extra for shallow-frying

Cucumber and mint yoghurt

280 gm (1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt

1 Lebanese cucumber, unpeeled, grated and pressed in a sieve to remove excess liquid

2 tbsp coarsely chopped mint leaves

Method

Main

1.For cucumber yoghurt, mix yoghurt and 1 tsp sea salt flakes in a bowl, transfer to a sieve lined with muslin placed over a bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours to drain liquid. Meanwhile, drain cucumber in a sieve, pressing to remove excess liquid, then stir into yoghurt along with mint, season to taste and refrigerate until required.

2.Process coriander, spices and garlic in a food processor to just combine, then add prawns and process briefly until prawn meat is coarsely chopped. Add egg yolk and a pinch of salt, and stir to combine.

3.Working with a sheet of pastry at a time, brush half of each with a little melted butter mixed with olive oil, then fold over to make a double layer. Cut into 6cm x 20cm strips, then brush each with butter. Place a teaspoonful of prawn mixture close to a short edge of each strip, then fold corner up to form a triangle. Continue folding the strip over, keeping the triangle shape, until enclosed. Brush top with butter to prevent drying and refrigerate (don’t cover) on a tray lined with baking paper.

4.Preheat oven to 180C and line an oven tray with baking paper. Shallow-fry pastries in equal quantities of olive oil and butter in a large frying pan in batches until golden brown (4-5 minutes), flip over, transfer to prepared tray and finish cooking in oven until crisp and cooked through (2-3 minutes). Serve with cucumber yoghurt.

Note Yufka pastry is available from Turkish and Middle Eastern grocers. If it’s unavailable substitute 5 sheets of filo.
Drink Suggestion: Pazos de Lusco Albarino. Drink suggestion by James Broadway
Notes

Brigitte Hafner

Recipe / styling by Lisa Featherby

Ingredients

Method

Main

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