Samsa is a cousin of the Indian samosa carried along the Silk Road, but in Uzbekistan it took its own path: almost always baked, not fried, pressed against the searing clay of the tandyr until the pastry crisps and the meat steams in its own juices. Sold from bazaar stalls and teahouses and made at home for guests, it is so beloved it is sometimes called the queen of Uzbek pastries. Each region guards its own shape and filling, from Bukhara's trapezoidal parcels to pumpkin-stuffed autumn samsa.
The crust shatters into buttery, flaky shards, giving way to a pocket of steaming, fragrant lamb swimming in its own savory juices. Sweet onion and warm cumin perfume each bite, and the seeded top adds a toasty crunch. It's messy, juicy, and impossible to eat just one.
Laminating the dough with fat creates steam-separated layers that puff and crisp in the tandyr's fierce dry heat. Sealing raw, fatty meat inside means it steams and braises in its own rendered juices, staying succulent rather than drying out.
Variations
Fillings of lamb, beef, chicken, pumpkin, or potato; shapes from triangular to round; tandyr-baked or oven-baked
On the Palate
Where Samsa Uzbek sits in the Uzbek flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
8 steps · 40 min
- 140 min
Make a firm dough of flour, water and salt, then rest it covered.
- 225 min
Roll the dough thin, brush with softened fat, and fold and chill to build flaky layers.
Watch outRoll the dough as thin as you can and chill between folds — cold, firm fat is what steams apart into flaky layers; if the fat smears warm, the layers fuse.
- 315 min
Mince lamb and plenty of onion, then season with cumin, salt and pepper into a juicy filling.
- 48 min
Cut the laminated dough into squares and spoon filling into the center of each.
- 510 min
Fold into triangles or parcels, sealing the edges firmly so juices stay in.
Watch outPinch the seams tight and dry — the fatty filling steams in its own juices, so any gap lets the precious juice run out and the meat dries.
- 65 min
Brush the tops with egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame and nigella seeds.
- 730 min
Bake in a very hot oven or against tandyr walls until deep golden and crisp.
Watch outBake in fierce dry heat until deep golden and hard-crisp on top — a pale, soft shell means the oven wasn't hot enough to puff the layers.
- 85 min
Rest briefly so the filling settles, then serve hot with vinegared onions.
