Sambusak
sambousek · sambusik
Small crescent pastries filled with meat, cheese, or chickpeas, common across Levantine and Jewish cuisines.
About this dish
Small crescent pastries filled with meat, cheese, or chickpeas, common across Levantine and Jewish cuisines. The recipe here chooses one named variation from that wider tradition; household fillings, shapes and serving styles may differ.
Recipe
Iraqi chickpea sambusak
Dough
- 300 g all-purpose flour
- 40 ml neutral oil
- 150-170 ml water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Filling
- 400 g cooked drained chickpeas
- 2 onions (250 g), chopped
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 750 ml oil for frying
- 1
Dough: 300 g all-purpose flour; 40 ml neutral oil; 150-170 ml water; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Knead dough ingredients to a smooth, firm dough; rest covered 30 minutes. Start with lower water, knead firm and smooth and cover the rest.
- 2
Filling: 400 g cooked drained chickpeas; 2 onions (250 g), chopped; 2 tbsp oil; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Cook onions in filling oil until golden. Mash chickpeas coarsely and mix with onion and filling spices; cool. Drain chickpeas, mash coarsely and mix with golden, not burned, onion; cool.
- 3
Divide dough into 20, roll into 10 cm circles and enclose about 1 tbsp filling in each crescent. Seal and crimp firmly. Roll evenly, leave rims clean and seal completely before crimping.
- 4
Fry in batches at 170°C/340°F 4-6 minutes until crisp and golden; drain. Use a thermometer, small batches and a pan no more than half full; check cooked inner pastry before draining.
Note
This is Iraqi chickpea sambusak, not Lebanese meat sambousek. Cooked chickpeas are specified to avoid an incomplete soaking-and-boiling dependency.