Sambousek

Ingredients

Pastry

• 400 gplain flour
• 100 gfine semolina
• 150 mloil or melted ghee
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspsugar
• about 180 ml warm water

Cheese filling

• 400 gfeta or gebna beida, crumbled
• 150 gmozzarella, grated
• 2eggs
• 2 tbspchopped parsley
• black pepper

Meat filling

• 400 gminced beef
• 2onions
• 1 tspcinnamon
• 1 tspallspice
• 50 gpine nuts, toasted
• salt and pepper

Spinach filling

• 500 gspinach, wilted and squeezed dry
• 1onion
• 2 tbspsumac
• juice of half a lemon

To finish

• 1egg, beaten, for baking
• or oil, for frying
• sesame seeds

Directions

1. Mix the flour, semolina, salt and sugar, then rub in the oil or melted ghee with your fingertips. Work the fat right through until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, which is what makes the pastry short and crumbly.
2. Add warm water gradually and bring it together into a soft dough. Add as little water as will bring it together and stop there. Too much water makes it tough rather than short.
3. Knead it briefly, only until smooth, then rest it 30 minutes wrapped. Do not knead it hard. Mix it with the mozzarella, eggs and parsley. For the meat filling, fry the onions, add the mince and cook until dry, then add cinnamon, allspice and toasted pine nuts.
4. Cool every filling completely before it goes near the pastry. For the spinach filling, squeeze the wilted spinach genuinely dry with your hands.
5. Squeeze it hard, because spinach holds an enormous amount of water and it will soak straight through the pastry. Now roll the dough out to about 3 mm and cut rounds of about 10 cm. Put a spoonful of filling on one half of each round. Fold it over into a half-moon and press the edges firmly together.
6. Press out any trapped air as you seal, because it expands and splits the pastry. For the baked version, brush with beaten egg, scatter sesame seeds, and bake at 190°C (375°F) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
7. Keep the oil moderate for the cheese version, because the filling needs time to melt without the pastry burning. Drain them on a rack rather than on paper. Serve them warm, and warn people that the cheese ones are molten inside.

Technique

• The baked version keeps far better than the fried and is what bakeries mostly sell.
• They freeze well shaped and raw.
• Gebna beida is the Egyptian white cheese and feta is the usual substitute.

Substitutions

• Ready-made shortcrust or puff pastry, which is a reasonable shortcut.
• Ricotta mixed with feta for a milder cheese filling.

Variations

• Baked rather than fried.
• With spinach and sumac.
• Sweet, filled with nuts and soaked in syrup.

History

A fixture of Ramadan iftar tables and Egyptian bakery counters, made in both fried and baked versions.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sambousek?

Sambousek is a snack from Egypt: folded pastry triangles filled with cheese, meat or spinach and fried. A fixture of Ramadan iftar tables and Egyptian bakery counters, made in both fried and baked versions.

How long does Sambousek take to make?

Sambousek takes 50 min plus 30 min resting of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 24. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Sambousek?

Yes, within limits. Ready-made shortcrust or puff pastry, which is a reasonable shortcut. Ricotta mixed with feta for a milder cheese filling.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sambousek?

Add warm water gradually and bring it together into a soft dough. Add as little water as will bring it together and stop there. Too much water makes it tough rather than short.