Description
Crispy fried pastries filled with a delicious spiced meat mixture.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- ½ cup Water
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Onion (Finely chopped)
- 3 Garlic cloves (Finely minced)
- ½ lbs Ground beef (Lean or extra lean)
- 2 tsp Baharat spice mix
- 1 tsp Pomegranate Molasses
- 2 tbsp Pine nuts
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, oil and water. Mix well with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add more water if needed, one tablespoon at a time, until you are able to form a ball. Dust the ball with some flour, cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the filling. In a frying pan or skillet set on medium heat, add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the onions become translucent. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Lower the heat if necessary. Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until no longer red, 5-8 minutes. Add the Baharat, pomegranate molasses, pine nuts and a big pinch of salt and cracked black pepper. Continue to sauté, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes.
- Roll the dough. Cut the dough ball in half. Keep one half covered with the towel while you roll out the other on a work surface using a rolling pin. Because the dough is slightly oily you don’t need to add any flour to your work surface. Roll to ⅛” thick. Get it as thin as you can. The dough may fight you and want to pull back. Let it relax for 5 minutes and roll again. This gives the gluten a chance to relax.
- Cut Rounds. Using a large cookie cutter or inverted bowl, cut out 4-inch rounds. Make sure to reroll the scraps and cut out more dough rounds.
- Fill. Place 1-2 tablespoons of meat filling in the center of a dough round. Don’t overfill it.
- Form. Carefully fold the circle in half, making a half-moon shape.
- Seal. Press the seams together by hand or by using a fork to ensure a good seal. Alternatively, you can twist the edge to create a pleated seal. A fork is easiest.
- Fry. Use a deep-fat fryer or a large heavy pot with neutral oil. Bring the oil up to 350°F. Using a slotted spoon, carefully drop the sambousek into the oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes. Work in batches and don’t crowd the pot. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried sambousek to a paper towel-lined dish to drain excess oil.
Notes
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying.
- Do not skip the resting period for the dough as it helps in rolling out the dough smoothly.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Fried
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 pieces
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 10g
- Cholesterol: 30mg