- Yield: 4-6
- Prep Time: 30-40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Beef Sambousek
Ingredients
- Meat Filling
- 1 lb lean Ground beef
- 1 white onion, diced
- 2 Tbsp of canola oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts (lightly toasted)
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp of red pepper flakes
- 6 cups canola oil, for frying
- For The Dough
- 3 cups flour
- 1 1/4 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup of warm water (more if needed, 1 Tbsp at a time)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Making the Dough:
- Using a stand mixer with dough hook, place flour, corn starch, salt and oil and mix (speed 1-2) until combined, scraping the sides when needed. add the water a little at a time. depending on the brand of flour, sometimes if takes just over a cup and sometimes just under a cup. Dough needs to knead for 1-2 minutes and come together to form a ball. If needed, add 1 tbsp of water at a time. Once a dough comes together. Using your hands, knead dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover in plastic and leave in a warm spot for 30 minutes to an 1 hour.
Filling:
- In a saucepan, heat oil and sauté onion for 2 minutes then add the beef and cook for 5 minutes. Add toasted pine seeds, salt and rest of your spices and mix 1-2 minutes then set aside to cool.
Shaping and frying:
- Divide the dough into golf ball size and place on a tray cover with a kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out. On a floured surface, with a rolling pin roll a portion of the dough into a 100 mm. (4") diameter circle. The dough needs to be thinly rolled out as it expands when cooking.
- Place 1 tablespoon of meat filling in the center. Fold it over to make a semi-circle. Using a small amount of water to seal the ends completely, by pinching and twisting the edges together, or pressing a fork against dough to seal, or if you have a mould to shape them. NOTE: if using the mould, it takes a little practice at first. For me I found it to work best when dough circle covers the edges of the mould, and not over filling it helps as well to remove after pressing it. Repeat until done.
- Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan or using your frying, place a few sambousek at a time on a medium to low heat till they turn golden brown in colour from all the sides. Remember to keep an eye on them and turn them consistently. Remove from oil and place on absorbent paper to remove any access oil. Serve hot while still crispy.
