Samsa: baked meat pies

1What it is

سامسا are made by wrapping a filling of chopped meat, onion and the like in dough and baking it in a tunur. They are known as hand-held lamb pies.

Samsa are found across Central Asia and are almost always baked, rarely fried. The name comes from the same Persian word as the South Asian samosa.

2Ingredients (one example)

Filling: a fatty cut of meat or ground meat with extra fat (this version uses ground beef), onions, olive oil, vegetable oil or butter, salt and black pepper. Use about twice as much ground meat as onion. Garlic, coriander and cumin seeds can be added.

3How to make it (one example)

1. Put the flour in a large bowl, make a well in the middle and add the two eggs. Add the water and stir with a sturdy spoon or spatula.

2. When the dough thickens, knead it by hand into a smooth, elastic ball.

3. Put it in a clean bowl, cover with a damp towel and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile make the filling. Dice the onion and chop the meat into pieces of the same size. Add oil or butter, salt and pepper, and mix.

5. Roll the dough into a long rope and cut it into equal pieces. Roll each piece into a circle, with the edges thinner than the centre.

6. Put a walnut-sized amount of filling in the centre and fold the dough around it into a square or a triangle.

7. Lay them on a greased baking tray and brush with beaten egg. Bake on the middle shelf of an oven at 430°F (about 220°C) for about 15 minutes, until golden brown on top.

4Eating and variations

In Central Asia, samsa are often sold on the street as a hot snack. The most common filling is minced lamb and onion, but chicken, minced beef and cheese are also common, and potato or pumpkin are used in season. A flat, pan-grilled kind has a similar filling.