Samsa

About This Recipe

Samsa are the Central Asian answer to the samosa, and the Kazakhstani version is considered one of the finest — baked rather than fried, with a genuinely flaky pastry made with large amounts of butter or lard. They are found at every bazaar, market, and street corner in Almaty and Nur-Sultan, baked fresh in a clay tandoor and sold sizzling hot. The filling of minced lamb with raw onion is deceptively simple but the quality of the lamb and onion ratio matters enormously — too little onion and the filling is dry; the right ratio gives a moist, juicy interior that contrasts beautifully with the shattering pastry.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 400 gall-purpose flour
• 200 mlwarm water
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 100 gcold butter or lard(for laminating)
• 400 gground lamb
• 3 largeonions(finely diced)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt(for filling)
• 1 largeegg(for egg wash)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, water, and salt into a smooth dough. Rest covered 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Laminate

   Roll dough thin. Spread cold butter over the surface. Roll up into a log, then cut into pieces. Roll each piece out again. Repeat the butter lamination once more.

3. 3

   Make the filling

   Mix ground lamb, diced onion, cumin, pepper, and salt. Do not cook — the raw filling cooks inside the pastry.

4. 4

   Shape

   Roll dough circles. Place a spoonful of filling in the center. Fold into triangles, pinching edges firmly. Place seam-side down.

5. 5

   Bake

   Brush with egg wash. Bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes until deeply golden.

Variations

• •

  Fill with pumpkin and onion for a vegetarian autumn version

• •

  Add green chili to the lamb filling for heat

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Best eaten fresh. Keep at room temperature 1 day. Reheat in oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions