Lamb Sambousek with Spiced Onions

Name: Lamb Sambousek with Spiced Onions
Prep time: 51 min
Cook time: 43 min
Total time: 1 h 34 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Lebanese
Ingredients: 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting; 1 tsp (6 g) fine salt; ⅓ cup (80 ml) neutral oil (sunflower or vegetable); ¾ cup (175 ml) warm water, comfortably warm to the touch, about 100°F (38°C); 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil; 2 medium (300 g) yellow onions, peeled and finely diced (¼-inch / 6 mm); ¼ cup (35 g) pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan until golden; 1 lb (450 g) ground lamb, at room temperature for 15 minutes; 1½ tsp (3 g) ground cumin; ¾ tsp (2 g) ground cinnamon; ½ tsp (1 g) ground allspice; 1¼ tsp (7 g) fine salt; ½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 2 tsp (10 ml) pomegranate molasses; ¼ cup (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 2 tbsp (30 ml) cool water, in a small bowl, for sealing the edges; 4 cups (1000 ml) neutral oil for deep-frying (sunflower or vegetable), enough for about 2 inches (5 cm) depth in a 3-quart pot

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Crisp, blistered half-moon pastries filled with cinnamon-and-cumin spiced lamb, sweet softened onions and toasted pine nuts. The oil-enriched dough is easy to roll and fries up golden and shatteringly crisp.

Prep: 51 min
Cook: 43 min
Wait: 50 min
Total: 2 hr 24 min
Makes: 32 sambousek (about 4 per serving)

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the dough
3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp (6 g) fine salt
⅓ cup (80 ml) neutral oil (sunflower or vegetable)
¾ cup (175 ml) warm water, comfortably warm to the touch, about 100°F (38°C)
For the filling
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
2 medium (300 g) yellow onions, peeled and finely diced (¼-inch / 6 mm)
¼ cup (35 g) pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan until golden
1 lb (450 g) ground lamb, at room temperature for 15 minutes
1½ tsp (3 g) ground cumin
¾ tsp (2 g) ground cinnamon
½ tsp (1 g) ground allspice
1¼ tsp (7 g) fine salt
½ tsp (1 g) black pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp (10 ml) pomegranate molasses
¼ cup (15 g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
To assemble and fry
2 tbsp (30 ml) cool water, in a small bowl, for sealing the edges
4 cups (1000 ml) neutral oil for deep-frying (sunflower or vegetable), enough for about 2 inches (5 cm) depth in a 3-quart pot

Equipment (11)

Large mixing bowl
12-inch (30 cm) heavy skillet
Small dry skillet for toasting pine nuts
Rolling pin
3½-inch (9 cm) round cutter or wide glass
Heavy 3-quart (3 L) pot or deep skillet for frying
Deep-fry thermometer
Slotted spoon or spider
Wire rack set over a baking sheet
Pastry brush or fingertips
Fork for crimping

Steps

Before you start

Read the timing: the dough rests 30 minutes and the filling must cool about 20 minutes before you fill, so a warm filling never softens the dough.
Finely dice the onions (about ¼-inch / 6 mm). Small pieces cook evenly and keep the filling from tearing the dough.
Set a wire rack over a baking sheet and line a second tray with parchment for the filled pastries before you start filling.
Use a deep-fry or candy thermometer. Oil that is too cool makes greasy pastries, and oil that is too hot browns them before the dough cooks through.

1
Make the dough
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour and dough salt.
- Add the dough oil and rub it into the flour with your fingertips for about 1 minute, until the mixture looks like damp sand and holds together when squeezed.
- Pour in the warm water and stir with a fork until shaggy, then knead in the bowl for 4 to 5 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft and no longer sticky.
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Ready when: The dough is smooth and springs back slowly when pressed with a finger.
Tip: If it feels stiff, knead in 1 tablespoon more warm water. If it sticks to your hands, dust with 1 tablespoon flour.
2
Rest the dough
- Shape the dough into a ball, cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Resting relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls thin without springing back.
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Ready when: The dough feels soft and stretches easily when gently pulled.
3
Toast the pine nuts
- Put the pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat.
- Stir or shake constantly for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Tip them onto a plate right away so they stop cooking.
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Ready when: The nuts are light golden and smell nutty.
Tip: Pine nuts go from golden to burnt in seconds, so don't walk away.
4
Soften the onions
- Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced onions and a pinch of the filling salt.
- Cook, stirring often, for 7 to 8 minutes, until soft, translucent and just starting to turn pale gold at the edges.
- Push the onions to the sides of the pan.
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Ready when: Onions are translucent, soft and lightly golden at the edges.
Tip: Lower the heat if the onions brown before they soften. Dark onions taste bitter in the filling.
5
Brown the lambOven 160°F / 70°C
- Raise the heat to medium-high.
- Add the ground lamb to the skillet, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon.
- Cook for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring, until no pink remains and the meat is browned with the liquid cooked off.
- Stir in the cumin, cinnamon, allspice, remaining filling salt and pepper.
- Cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
- The lamb should reach 160°F (71°C).
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Ready when: No pink remains, the pan looks dry, and the meat registers 160°F (71°C).
Tip: Spoon off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat. Too much grease makes the filling wet and the pastries soggy.
6
Finish and cool filling
- Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Stir in the toasted pine nuts, pomegranate molasses and parsley.
- Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
- Spread the filling on a plate or baking sheet and let it cool for about 20 minutes, until barely warm to the touch.
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Ready when: The filling is no longer steaming and feels barely warm.
Tip: Hot filling makes the dough sticky and can cause the pastries to burst when frying.
7
Roll and cut rounds
- Divide the dough in half and keep one half covered.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the other half to about 1/16 inch (2 mm) thick, thin enough that you can faintly see the counter's color through it.
- Cut out rounds with a 3½-inch (9 cm) cutter.
- Stack the rounds with a light dusting of flour between them.
- Gather and re-roll the scraps once.
- Repeat with the second half until you have 32 rounds.
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Ready when: The dough is thin and even, about 1/16 inch (2 mm), without tears.
Tip: Keep unused dough and cut rounds covered with a damp towel so they don't dry out and crack.
8
Fill and seal
- Place 1 level tablespoon (about 15 g) of filling in the center of a round.
- Dab a little cool water along half of the edge with your fingertip, fold the dough over to form a half-moon, and press out any air.
- Press the edges firmly to seal, then crimp with the tines of a fork.
- Place on the parchment-lined tray, and repeat with the rest.
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Ready when: Each pastry is fully sealed with no gaps and no filling on the edges.
Tip: Don't overfill. A pastry with more than 1 tablespoon filling is likely to split in the oil.
9
Heat the oilOven 350°F / 175°C
- Pour the frying oil into a heavy 3-quart pot (about 2 inches / 5 cm deep) and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°F (175°C), about 8 minutes.
- Adjust the heat to hold it at 350°F (175°C) during frying.
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Ready when: The thermometer reads 350°F (175°C), and a scrap of dough sizzles steadily and floats right away.
Tip: Never fill the pot more than halfway with oil, and keep the pot lid nearby in case of a flare-up.
10
Fry in batchesOven 350°F / 175°C
- Carefully lower 6 to 8 sambousek into the oil, without crowding.
- Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once halfway with a slotted spoon, until deep golden brown and blistered.
- Lift out, let the oil drip back into the pot, and move to the wire rack.
- Let the oil return to 350°F (175°C) between batches.
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Ready when: The pastries are deep golden brown, blistered and crisp, with the bubbling slowing down.
Tip: If the pastries brown in under 2 minutes, the oil is too hot. Lower the heat and wait a minute before the next batch.
11
Drain and serve
- Let the sambousek drain on the rack for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve warm, with lemon wedges, yogurt, or a spicy dip if you like.
- Be careful with the first bite, as the filling stays hot inside.
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Ready when: The crust is crisp and dry on the surface, with no pooled oil on the rack.

Good to know

Tips

Roll the dough thin. Thick dough turns doughy and heavy, while thin dough blisters and crisps.
Squeeze out trapped air when sealing. Air pockets expand in the oil and can burst a seam.
Fry a test pastry first to check the seasoning, seal, and color, and adjust the heat before frying the rest.
Bake instead if you prefer: brush with oil and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden, turning the tray halfway.

Make ahead

"Make the filling up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Assemble the sambousek up to 1 day ahead, keep them in a single layer covered in the fridge, or freeze them unfried (see storage) and fry straight from the freezer."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: fried sambousek keep crisp for up to 2 hours. Fridge: store cooled, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. Freezer: freeze unfried pastries on a tray until solid, then bag for up to 3 months, and fry from frozen at 325°F (165°C) for 5 to 6 minutes. Reheat fried leftovers on a rack in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes until hot and crisp. Don't microwave."

Substitutions

ground lamb → ground beef (80% lean). Milder flavor but the same method, and cook to 160°F (71°C).
pine nuts → slivered or chopped almonds. Toast the same way. Use the same amount.
pomegranate molasses → 1 tsp lemon juice plus 1 tsp honey. Gives a similar sweet-tart note.
neutral oil (sunflower or vegetable) → melted ghee or unsalted butter. Gives a richer flavor. Use 75 g, cooled slightly before mixing.