Samsa Lamb Pastries
Proper samsa smells of cumin and rich lamb juices, and its crust breaks into thin, crisp petals. At home we get those layers with a simple trick: roll the dough almost paper-thin, spread it with butter and roll it up like a cigar. We dice the meat by hand rather than mincing it, which keeps the filling juicy and gives it real texture.
- Prep
- 1 h
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 1 h 10 min
- Total
- 2 h 40 min
- Servings
- 12
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 320 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
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What to use instead
Beef chuck with some fat or boneless chicken thighs can replace the lamb, with the same baking time.
For the glaze
Makes: 12 samsa
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
Oven
210 °C · top and bottom heat, no fan
With a fan: 190 °C
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Step 1: Make the dough
Mix the flour and salt, pour in the cold water and knead for 10 minutes into a firm, smooth, springy dough, much like a dumpling dough. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
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Step 2: Build the layers
On a lightly floured counter, roll the dough into a very thin rectangle of roughly 40 × 50 cm; you should almost be able to see the counter through it. Spread the soft butter evenly over the top and roll it up tightly from a long side. Wrap the log and chill for 40 minutes until the butter firms up.
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Step 3: Prepare the filling
Cut the lamb and its fat into 5–7 mm dice and finely dice the onions. Combine the meat, onions, cumin, pepper, salt and ice water, work it together well with your hands and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to shape.
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Step 4: Cut and roll
Heat the oven to 210 °C (410 °F) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Cut the log into 12 pieces, stand each on a cut side and press flat with your palm so the spiral faces up. Roll each piece into a 12–13 cm circle, keeping the edges thinner than the centre.
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Step 5: Shape the triangles
Place about 75 g of filling in the middle of each circle. Lift the edges from three sides and pinch the seams firmly into a triangle. Set them seam-side down on the sheet so the smooth, layered side faces up.
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Step 6: Glaze
Beat the yolk with the water, brush it over the samsa and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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Step 7: Bake
Bake for 25–30 minutes, until deep golden with crisp bottoms. A little juice bubbling at the seams is a good sign that the meat is cooked.
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Step 8: Rest briefly
Leave the samsa on the sheet for 5–10 minutes; the juices inside are scalding and will settle back into the meat.
Tips & variations
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Tip
Avoid lean lamb, or the filling will be dry. If your meat has hardly any fat, add 80–100 g of lamb tail fat, diced just as finely.
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Swap
Beef chuck with some fat or boneless chicken thighs can replace the lamb, with the same baking time.
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Variation
For round samsa, gather the edges into a pouch, pinch and bake seam-side down; you can fit a little more filling in each.
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Storage
Baked samsa freeze well for up to 2 months. Reheat from frozen at 180 °C for 15–20 minutes.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 12 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 320 kcal | 3,840 kcal |
| Protein | 14 g | 168 g |
| Fat | 18 g | 216 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g | 312 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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