Sambousek

Golden half-moon pastries, sealed with a decorative rope-like crimp, filled with either spiced lamb or stretchy cheese — fried to a shattering crisp that makes them disappear from any platter instantly.

Ingredients

• 400 grams plain flour
• 80 grams, melted ghee
• 120 ml warm water
• ½ teaspoon salt (dough)
• 300 grams ground lamb
• 1 medium, finely diced yellow onion
• 40 grams pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon seven-spice (baharat)
• ¾ teaspoon salt (filling)
• 1 liter, for frying sunflower oil

Method

1. Make the pastry: rub melted ghee into flour and salt until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add warm water gradually and knead to a smooth, firm, non-sticky dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
2. Make the filling: toast pine nuts in a dry pan until golden; set aside. Sauté onion in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until soft and golden, 8 minutes. Add mince, baharat, and salt. Cook, breaking up the meat, until cooked through and any liquid has evaporated. Stir in pine nuts. Cool completely.
3. Roll dough to about 3mm thickness. Cut circles using an 8–10 cm cutter or the rim of a glass.
4. Place a teaspoon of filling on one half of each circle, leaving a clear border. Fold the other half over, pressing edges firmly together.
5. Create the decorative rope edge (tagliya): starting at one corner, fold and press a small pleat of pastry over itself at an angle. Repeat along the entire seam, overlapping each pleat. This seals the pastry and creates the distinctive look.
6. Heat oil to 170°C. Fry sambousek in batches for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until uniformly golden.
7. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

The story