Cheese Sambusak From India Recipes

SAMBUSA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, leek and garlic, and cook, stirring until the onions are transparent. Add ground beef, and cook until about halfway done. Season with cumin, cardamom, salt and pepper. Mix well, and continue cooking until beef has browned.
• In a small dish or cup, mix together the flour and water to make a thin paste. Using one wrapper at a time, fold into the shape of a cone. Fill the cone with the meat mixture, close the top, and seal with the paste. Repeat until wraps or filling are used up.
• Heat the oil to 365 degrees F ( 170 degrees C) in a deep-fryer or deep heavy pot. There should be enough oil to submerge the wraps. Fry the Sambusa a few at a time until golden brown. Remove carefully to drain on paper towels.

SAMBUSAKS (CHEESE-FILLED PASTRIES)

Steps:

• For the Pastry.
• Combine butter, oil, and salt in a bowl.
• Add 1/2 cup hot water and stir.
• Gradually add 2 cups flour.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and work in remaining flour.
• Knead until dough holds together; it will be soft.
• Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• For the Filling.
• Place feta, parmigiano-reggiano, eggs, baking powder, and pepper in a food processor and pulse until light and creamy.
• For the Turnovers.
• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Divide dough into 20 balls.
• On a floured surface, roll each ball into a round about 4'' in diameter.
• Place a heaping tablespoons of filling in center of each round.
• Brush edges with water, fold to enclose filling, then press edges with a fork to seal(Assembled sambusaks may be frozen.)
• Place sambusaks on 2 lightly greased cookie sheets, then brush with egg wash.
• Bake until golden, 30-35 minutes.

CHEESE SAMBUSAK FROM INDIA

Steps:

• Mix first 4 ingredients together.
• Cut in the butter and mix with your fingers or a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse meal.
• Add the water a little at a time until you have a moist, workable dough. Knead for 2 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Blend the cheeses, the egg and the pepper in a food processor until blended but not to the cosistency of a smooth paste. You want more of a chunky paste. Put in bowl and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Divide the dough into walnut size pieces. You should get about 20. Roll each one into a round ball and then roll out into a 4 inch pancake shape.
• Place 1 heaping tsp of the cheese filling on the bottom half of the circle. Moisten the edge of the bottom half and fold the top half over onto it, to form a half-moon shape. Press the edges firmly with the tine of a fork.
• Place the turnovers on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minute or until light brown.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.

CHEESE SAMBUSAK

Steps:

• First, make your pasty dough. Combine canola oil, melted butter, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix in the hot (not boiling) water. Gradually stir in the flour, a ½ cupful at a time, till a soft and oily dough forms.When the dough becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to work the last bit of flour into the dough. Don't over-knead-stop when the ball holds together and the dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for a few minutes while you make your filling.
• Don't let the dough sit for longer than 30 minutes before rolling it out, or it will cool down and become more difficult to work with.In a food processor, combine feta and kashkaval cheeses, parsley, 2 eggs and black pepper in a food processor. Pulse ingredients till a light creamy paste forms. This is your sambusak filling.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. While oven is heating, assemble your sambusak. There are a couple of ways to do this. The Half-Moon shape is more popular because it's easiest to do; the Triangle Shape is popular for Purim because it's reminiscent of Haman's hat.
• To Make Half Moon Shape: Flour your rolling surface. Pull a walnut-sized piece of dough from the dough ball; recover the dough ball with plastic. Roll the small piece of dough into a ball with your hands.
• Lightly flour your rolling pin. Roll the dough out into a rough circle that is between 4 ½ and 5 inches wide. The dough will be quite thin.
• Place 1 tbsp of filling in the center of the circle. Fold the circle in half over the filling. Seal the edges by pinching gently with your fingers to create a half-moon shape.
• Use a fork to score the edges of the sambusak-this will help seal them and also make them look pretty.Repeat process until all of the dough has been used. I find it's easiest to roll out five dough pieces at a time, stuff them and seal them, then roll out five more. This saves time and is more efficient them rolling, stuffing and sealing each individual piece.
• To Make Triangle Shape: Flour your rolling surface. Divide your dough into four equal-sized sections.Choose one section to work with, keep the other sections under plastic wrap till you're ready to use them.Lightly flour your rolling pin. Roll the dough out till it is very thin. You will want to cut a square with 8- to 10-inch sides from the dough, so keep this in mind as you roll it out; I sometimes use a ruler to help gauge the size.
• Once your dough is rolled out, cut a square with equal length sides from the dough. The square should be somewhere between 8 inches and 10 inches wide. Use a ruler or straight edge to cut the sides as straight as possible.Push extra dough trimmings into a small ball and store it under the plastic wrap separate from the rest of the dough.
• Cut the square into equal-sized quarters. Each of these quarters will be used to form a sambusak.Cut the square into equal-sized quarters. Each of these quarters will be used to form a sambusak.
• Place 1 tbsp of filling into the center of each square.
• Fold one corner of a square over to the diagonally opposite corner and pinch to seal the sides.
• Use a fork to score the edges of the sambusak-this will help seal them and also make them look pretty.
• Repeat process for remaining squares. Roll out remaining dough sections in the same way, using the ball of trimmings as a fifth and final section of dough.Once your sambusak have been assembled, they are ready to be cooked. You can either deep fry them or bake them. I prefer to bake them because of the more consistent results (plus it's healthier)-but frying is more traditional.
• To Bake Sambusak: Place sambusak on a lightly greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet.Beat the remaining egg with 1 tsp of cold water. Brush the sambusak with a thin layer of the egg wash. Sprinkle the sambusak with poppy seeds or sesame seeds, if desired. Bake sambusak at 350 degrees F for about 40-45 minutes until golden brown.
• To Fry Sambusak: Do not use egg wash or coat with seeds. Heat an oil with a high smoke point (like grapeseed) over medium until hot, but not smoking.Fry the sambusak in batches of four till golden, turning halfway through cooking.
• Drain on a paper towel before serving.Serve sambusak warm or at room temperature. They're best straight from the oven, but the baked ones also keep quite well, and can be reheated in the microwave if desired.

SAMBUSAK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a food processor, combine all-purpose flour, semolina, butter, and salt; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. While pulsing, add warm water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube, adding more, if necessary; process until dough just comes together. Dough should be soft and moist, not sticky. Cover bowl; set aside.
• Prepare the Filling: In a large bowl, gently stir to combine cheese, egg, and salt, if using; set aside.
• On a work surface, divide dough into thirds; keep two-thirds dough covered in the bowl. With remaining one-third dough, form walnut-sized balls, 1 to 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Place sesame seeds in a small bowl; dip each ball into sesame seeds to cover halfway. Using a tortilla press or the palm of your hand, flatten each ball, sesame-side down, into a 2 1/2-inch circle. Place 1 scant teaspoon of filling into center of circle; fold dough over filling to enclose, forming a half-moon shape. Press edges together to seal, and crimp edges decoratively using the back of a fork. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; cover with a damp towel to prevent drying out. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Sambusak can be frozen at this point for up to 3 months.
• Bake until edges are lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes; do not allow sambusak to brown as filling will dry out. Serve warm.