Samsa (Kazakh Baked Lamb and Onion Pastries)
Local name: самса
In short: Flaky triangular pastries filled with juicy hand-chopped lamb and onion, seasoned with cumin and baked until golden and crisp. It takes about 1 h 40 min in total and makes 6 servings.
- Prep
- 1 h
- Cook
- 40 min
- Resting
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 40 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Calories
- 775 kcal
Samsa are baked, flaky pastries filled with chopped lamb and plenty of onion, sold hot from bakeries and market stalls across Kazakhstan. The juicy filling steams inside layers of crisp dough, and the flavor is mostly lamb, onion, cumin and pepper. In Central Asia the triangles are traditionally baked against the wall of a clay oven. At home, a very hot oven and a rolled, layered dough give flaky, blistered pastry.
Instructions
- Mix the flour and salt, add the water and knead for 8 minutes into a firm, smooth dough. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
- Mix the lamb, onions, fat, salt, pepper and cumin by hand for 1 minute. Chill until needed.
- Roll the dough into a very thin rectangle about 50 by 40 cm (20 by 16 in). Spread with the softened butter and roll up tightly like a log. Cut into 12 equal pieces.
- Stand each piece on its cut side and press flat. Roll into a circle about 12 cm (5 in) wide, leaving the center thinner than the edges.
- Put 3 tablespoons of filling in the middle of each circle. Fold up three sides to make a triangle, leaving no gaps, and pinch the seams firmly closed.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Set the samsa seam-side down on a lined tray, brush with the egg yolk and sprinkle with the sesame and nigella seeds.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden and the filling is cooked through (71°C/160°F). Rest for 5 minutes, since the juices are very hot.
Tips
- Hand-chopped meat and plenty of onion give the juiciest filling. Do not use lean meat, since the fat keeps the pastry from tasting dry.
- Pumpkin and onion with a little fat make a good vegetarian filling. Use 600 g (1.3 lb) of diced pumpkin in place of the lamb.
Questions and answers
Can I freeze samsa?
Yes. Freeze them shaped and unbaked on a tray, then bag for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 190°C (375°F) for 50 minutes.
Why did my samsa leak?
The seams were probably not sealed tightly, or the filling was too wet. Pinch the seams firmly and bake seam-side down.
Can I use puff pastry?
Yes, as a shortcut. Use 2 packs of all-butter puff pastry cut into 10 cm squares. Fill, fold into triangles and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 25 to 30 minutes.
How long does it take to make Samsa (Kazakh Baked Lamb and Onion Pastries)?
About 1 h 40 min in total: 1 h of preparation and 40 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Samsa (Kazakh Baked Lamb and Onion Pastries)?
About 775 kcal per serving, with 26 g of protein, 69 g of carbohydrates and 44 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 775 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 26 g |
| Carbohydrates | 69 g |
| Fat | 44 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Sodium | 1030 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
