Somsa

About This Recipe

Uzbek somsa are the Central Asian cousins of the Indian samosa and the Kazakh samsa — all sharing the same ancient Silk Road ancestor. Uzbek somsa are distinguished by being baked in a tandoor (clay oven), which gives the pastry an intense dry heat and produces a distinctly crispy, blistered surface. The filling of raw minced lamb and onion cooks inside the pastry, releasing steam and keeping the interior moist and juicy. In Samarkand, Bukhara, and Tashkent, somsa vendors work from dawn, pulling trays out of their tandoors at regular intervals to feed the queue of hungry customers.

Ingredients

Serves 10

• 500 gall-purpose flour
• 250 mlwarm water
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 100 gbutter or mutton fat(for laminating)
• 500 gground lamb
• 4 largeonions(finely diced)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt(for filling)
• 1 largeegg(for egg wash)
• 1 tbspsesame seeds

Instructions

1. 1

   Make and laminate the dough

   Mix flour, water, and salt. Knead 8 minutes. Roll thin, brush with melted fat, roll up and cut into pieces. Roll each piece out again.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Mix raw lamb with diced onion, cumin, pepper, and salt.

3. 3

   Shape

   Roll dough into circles. Add filling to the center. Fold into triangles or round pouches. Press edges firmly to seal.

4. 4

   Bake

   Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 210°C for 22–25 minutes until deeply golden.

Variations

• •

  Fill with pumpkin and onion for autumn somsa

• •

  Add green onion to the lamb filling

• •

  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 while hot. Keep at room temperature 1 day. Reheat in oven at 180°C for 8 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions