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samsa

Samsas hold a very special place in my heart. I have countless fond memories of enjoying them while growing up. As a child, my family and I would visit my grandparents every weekend. My grandfather hails from Bukhara, a region in Uzbekistan renowned for its delightful cuisine. Even before becoming a baker, my favorite dish of Uzbek origin was Samsa. Think of it as the Uzbek version of an empanada. Samsa is a pastry filled with beef, onions, and spices. To elevate it, I opted to use boneless short rib for the beef, and let me tell you—it's irresistible. I devoured half the batch immediately; I simply couldn't resist. The unique spice blend, featuring cumin, caraway, nigella seeds, and black pepper, complements the beef perfectly. The onions in the filling release their juices, creating a luscious interior for the samsa while also generating steam to puff up the pastry into a beautiful pocket. It's much simpler to make than it appears, and once you try it, you'll find yourself reaching for this meat-stuffed pastry again and again.

Ingredients