Meat Sambousek Recipe

Sambousek is a kind of small pie served in our Lebanese Mezze, as well as Baba Gannouj , Hommos, Stuffed Vine Leaves..etc. The ones I prepared today are filled with minced meat. But they can also be filled with cheese, labneh or vegetables. They take only a few steps to make: preparing the dough, cooking the meat and assembling then frying or cooking in the oven. Working with the dough of this Sambousek is fun, so get working 🙂

Ingredients for the dough:

3 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup of water

Preparation of the dough:

1. Sift the flour with salt, mix it with the oil then add the yeast
2. Add the water, mixing well by hand until you have a soft dough
3. Put in a container, rub it with oil all around and cover with a clean towel, and let it rise for about 2 hours

Ingredients of the filling:

200 grams minced beef
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon seven spices
1 tablespoon grenadine molasses
handful of pine seeds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation of the filling:

1. In a saucepan heat the oil and fry the onions until transparent
2. Add the pine seeds and fry for about 2 minutes then add the meat and cook
3. Season with salt , seven spices and the molasses and allow to cool

Assembling of the Sambousek:

1. On a floured surface roll the dough to about 3 mm thick, cut in circles of 6 cm
2. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center and close tightly, then twist the edges or press with a fork
3. To cook them, you can do it one of 2 ways. Deep fry them until they’re a nice golden color and drain on a kitchen towel to absorb the excess of oil. OR bake them on an oiled tray in a preheated oven until lightly golden. You can serve with yogurt or salad.

Makes about 40 pieces