Sambousek (Lebanese Meat-Filled Savory Pies)
Mini pastries filled with a spiced ground beef filling.
Servings: 28 Sambousek
Calories: 85kcal
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoon butter (softened)
- ¾ cup water
Filling
- ¾ pounds ground beef 10% fat
- 1 small white onion (minced)
- ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon sumac spice
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup vegetable or avocado oil (for frying)
Instructions
Dough
- Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
- Add softened butter and mix with paddle attachment until thoroughly combined.
- While mixing, add water in a stream. If needed, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
- Replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook and mix the dough for a few minutes, until the dough is soft and pliable.
- Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Filling
- Brown ground beef in a skillet for a few minutes.
- Add minced onions and chopped parsley. Mix to combine, then add the remaining spices.
- Cook over medium heat for a few minutes longer or until the ground beef is cooked all the way through. Set aside to cool off.
Assembly
- Using a walnut-sized piece of dough, roll onto a floured surface until very thin. Use a cup or lid that's approximately 4" in diameter to cut a circle out of the dough. Add the excess dough back to the remaining dough and cover to keep from drying out.
- Wet the edges of the circle then fill with one heaping tablespoon of meat filling.
- Crimp the edges together as in the pictures below or roll in the traditional way demonstrated in the video. Continue until all the dough and filling is used up.
Frying
- Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- When the oil reaches 375 degrees F, or bubbles as soon as you add the Sambousek, it is ready for frying. Fry Sambousek until golden brown, or approximately 5 minutes, turning once.
- Remove Sambousek with a slotted spoon and drain onto paper towels. Serve while hot!
Video
Notes
- The texture of the Sambousak will be different based on how you cook them. When fried, they will be crunchy at first and will soften as they cool off.
- When baking or air frying the Sambousak, the crust will have a hard, crumbly texture. If you prefer them softer, fry them instead.
- Sambousek come in various shapes, with the crescent shape being the most popular. I demonstrate how to make all 3 shapes in the Sambousek recipe video.
- Pine nuts can be added to the meat filling before stuffing the
Nutrition
Serving: 1Sambousek | Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 105mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g