Katyk (qatiq)
Katyk is a traditional fermented milk of Turkic-speaking peoples, made by souring heated milk with lactic bacteria, often with a spoonful of the last batch, into a thick, sour curd.
Modern adaptation
Kazakh baursak
Small rounds of yeasted milk dough, fried in batches. This Kazakh home recipe lists 27 servings.
Fried dough for sharing
Baursak is a fried dough associated with Kazakh hospitality. This home version uses yeast and milk, cuts rounds and fries them in batches. Other documented baursak doughs can be unleavened and shaped differently.
Sources for this section
A related name, a different formula
This page follows one Kazakh milk-and-yeast baursak recipe. Mongolfood.info's Mongolian boortsog recipe is a separate method: it lists flour, water, butter, sugar and salt, kneads a tough, dense dough, rests it for 30 minutes, kneads again, then cuts larger strips or rectangles to fry. Its ingredient list contains no milk or yeast. The two recipes share deep-frying and related names, but those details should not be treated as interchangeable formulas.
Sources for this section
History
Baursak is documented in Kazakh food culture; its earliest date and precise origin are not established.
Ingredients
Yield 27 servings · Scaling: source batch only
Milk
400 mL
Warmed6 g
15 g
540 g
40 g for sponge, 500 g for dough4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Sunflower oil
550 g
50 g for dough, 500 g for fryingMethod
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Contains wheat and milk.
Hot oil can burn or ignite; use a stable deep pan and keep water away from the oil.
Cook the dough through; do not taste raw flour.
- Mix warm milk, yeast, sugar and 40 g flour. Cover and rest in a warm place for about 15 minutes.
- Add the remaining flour and salt; knead a soft dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Knead in 50 g oil, cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough 6–8 mm thick and cut rounds with a glass or cutter. Gather and reroll scraps. Cover the rounds and rest 10–15 minutes.
- Heat the remaining oil in a deep, stable pan. Fry in uncrowded batches, turning until golden on both sides; remove with a slotted spoon and drain. The source does not specify an oil temperature or frying time.
Conditions
Yield27 servings
Active time70 min
Places
Kazakhstan
Documented preparation · Country evidenceThe sources document Kazakh baursak; they do not establish a precise birthplace.
Related
More from Kazakhstan
Koumiss (pasteurized mare milk)
Koumiss is a sour, lightly alcoholic mare-milk drink made by lactic bacteria and yeasts. This technical method uses pasteurized milk, a previous-batch starter and staged cooling.
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Fijian lolo buns (low-heat coconut-cream pot method)
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Gnocco fritto (leavened home method)
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Hotteok
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Sources
Kazakh KitchenInspiration · Method · Geography
BaursakMeasured yeast and milk dough, staged rises, rolled rounds and batch frying.
Cited in: Fried dough for sharing
Kazakhstan governmentGeography · Context
National DishesKazakh baursaq hospitality context and yeasted and unleavened variations.
Cited in: Fried dough for sharing
The Food of the Nomads / Mongolian RecipesComparison · Recipe
Boortsog - Deep Fried Butter CookiesThis specific Mongolian boortsog formula lists flour, butter, water, sugar, salt and frying oil; it instructs a tough, dense dough, a 30-minute rest and re-knead, then shaped pieces deep-fried until golden. No milk or yeast appears in its ingredient list.
Cited in: A related name, a different formula