Crispy Sambousek with Meat and Cheese
Sambousek is made by filling pastry strips with spiced minced meat or cheese, folding them into triangles, and sealing them with a flour-and-water paste. Fry at 175°C for three minutes until golden. The paste is what stops them bursting open.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Calories
- 190
Sambousek is the quickest Ramadan starter and the first thing to disappear from the table. The only real skill is the fold — and once you have it, a full tray takes fifteen minutes.
Method
-
1
The meat filling
Fry the onion, then the mince with the spices until completely dry, add the parsley and let it cool. A hot or wet filling will burst the pastry.
⏱ 15 min -
2
The cheese filling
Mix the white cheese with the mozzarella and herbs. If the cheese is very salty, soak it in milk for half an hour first.
⏱ 5 min -
3
The seal
Mix two tablespoons of flour with water, a little at a time, until you have a sticky paste like glue.
⏱ 3 min -
4
Folding
Take a pastry strip, put a teaspoon of filling at one end, and fold triangle over triangle to the end of the strip. Brush the last flap with the paste and press.
⏱ 25 min -
5
Frying
Fry at 175°C until golden — about three minutes. Lift onto kitchen paper.
⏱ 18 min 🔥 175°C
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Tips that actually matter
- The filling must be cold and completely dry — that's the first rule of sambousek.
- Keep the pastry strips under a damp towel while you work so they don't dry out.
- Make them ahead and freeze them raw — they fry straight from frozen, no thawing.
People also ask
Why do they burst open in the oil?
The seal didn't hold, or the filling was wet. Use the flour paste and press the edges firmly.
Can I bake them?
Yes — brush with oil and bake at 200°C for fifteen minutes, turning once. Much lighter, a little less crisp.
How long do they freeze for?
Three months raw. Freeze them on a tray first, then bag them so they don't stick together.
Cook mode
Crispy Sambousek with Meat and Cheese
-
1
The meat filling
Fry the onion, then the mince with the spices until completely dry, add the parsley and let it cool. A hot or wet filling will burst the pastry.
-
2
The cheese filling
Mix the white cheese with the mozzarella and herbs. If the cheese is very salty, soak it in milk for half an hour first.
-
3
The seal
Mix two tablespoons of flour with water, a little at a time, until you have a sticky paste like glue.
-
4
Folding
Take a pastry strip, put a teaspoon of filling at one end, and fold triangle over triangle to the end of the strip. Brush the last flap with the paste and press.
-
5
Frying
Fry at 175°C until golden — about three minutes. Lift onto kitchen paper.
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