Bourek Annabi | Algerian savoury pastry squares from Annaba

بِسْــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اﷲِارَّحْمَنِ ارَّحِيم

السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته

Ramadan is just around the corner. People here in Algeria are already in preparaption mode. More merchandise is coming into the markets and people are in a scramble to buy everything they from new dishes, pots, food items and even new cookbooks. The Algerian cooks are also in a scramble to find new recipes to dazzle the family with during Ramadan. 


The Ramadan iftar table in Algeria is not complete without a soup  like Chourba hamra Chourba frik , Chourba Beida or a Harira  But along side the soup, a bourek is essential way to balance the meal. Boureks are a North African savoury pastry finger foodmade from a homemade pasty dough or a specialty dough sheet called brik in Tunisia, warka in Morocco or diouel  here in Algeria. Boureks in some shape or form are made all over the Mediterranean. In Tunisia they are called Brik, in Morocco they are called Briouates, Burek in the Former Yugoslavian Balkans, Börek in Turkey and Bourekia in Greek and known as Samboussa in the Middle Eastern and India.


 Bourek comes in different shapes and sizes as well as fillings. Today, I present another style of Algerian bourek - a little change from the usual cigar shaped bourek roll found around Algiers click here for recipe Bourek Algéroise and the bourek made with the savuoury pastry dough or Bourek Laâdjine.

Bourek Annabi
serves 6 people
adapted from Kaouther

• 6 diouel/brik sheets
• 6 portions of cream cheese like La Vache Quit Rit, LeBerbere, Picon or about 1 TBS per bourek of cream cheeses like Philadelphia, Puck or St Môret
• 7 whole eggs 
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 1 medium courgette, grated
• 3 medium potatoes
• 250g - 8oz ground meat
• handful of parsely
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 
• Harissa (click here) or cayenne pepper (optional)
• diced green olives (optional)
• salt/ black pepper /oil
• lemon wedges

1. Peel and cut the potatoes.
2. Place into salted water to boil.Sauté the onion in the oil until golden.
3. Now add in the ground meat to brown.
4. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and the cinnamon.
5. Also add in the courgettes. Continously stir fry the mixture until the ground meat is cooked through.
6. Then beat 1 egg in a small bowl then add into the mixture. 
7. Keep stirring the mixture around the pan, as to not burn the eggs until cooked. Then set aside aside to cool before using.
8. Once the potatoes have cooked tender; drain them in a colander.
9. And check them for seasoning. Re-salt as needed.
10. When the meat and potato mixture have cooled, prepare the boureks by placing a diouel sheet onto a wide soup bowl. This will help the egg stay in place. Kaouther of Simply Algerian and Culinary Delights explains this method in her blog HERE
11. Spread alittle of the harissa onto the center of the diouel sheet. If you don't like spicy foods, just omit this step.
12. Now spoon the potatoe mixture in a O formation in the center, leaving room for the meat, egg and cheese.
13. Now proceed to place little of the meat inside the potato mixture leaving room for the egg and cheese.
14. Now crack one egg into the center gently. 
15. Then place a cheese wedge also in the center.
16. Now proceed to fold the envelope as shown below.
17. Once folded you can either fry the bourek in a swallow pan of oil. Or optionally for less greasy more healthier version, place on parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet pan and bake. If frying, have a paper kitchen towel lined plate ready to lay the bourek on after frying. 
18. Once out of the oil or oven, salt the bourek.

Serve with lemon wedges. The lemon cuts the greasiness of the Bourek Annabi. 

๑۞๑ If you don't access to diouel- brik sheets, you can easily use store bought phyllo sheets. 

Saha Ftourkoum!! I hope you will include this Bourek Annabi on your iftar table

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