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Queen Esther’s Cheese Sambusak

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Ingredients

Homemade sambusak dough

  • 2-2/3 cups (400 grams) self-rising flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup lukewarm water

Sambusak filling

  • 1 cup shredded feta cheese 
  • 1 cup shredded kashkeval cheese  You may use 2 cups of one type of cheese, if preferred
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 eggs
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • 1 10-ounce (280-gram) package sambusak dough (or the homemade dough described above)
  • 2-3 tbsp sesame seeds, for sprinkling
  • 1 tsp water

Instructions

If you are making your own sambusak dough

  • Mix the flour and salt.
  • Add the lukewarm water little by little; just enough to form a soft but flexible dough.
  • Knead it a few minutes. If sticky, add a tablespoon or so of flour.
  • Cover the dough and leave at room temperature for an hour.
  • Pull off 12 pieces of dough of about the same size.
  • Roll the pieces into balls between your hands.
  • Flour a work surface lightly or put down a sheet of baking parchment and roll the dough out on that.
  • With a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough balls thinly to make circles.
  • Fill the circles as described in next section
  • Bake at 300° Fahrenheit (150°Celsius) for 35-40 minutes.

For filling

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (175°Celsius).
  • Beat 2 eggs in a medium bowl.
  • Add the shredded cheeses and baking soda to the eggs. Taste a little to determine if the filling needs salt: feta and kashkeval are salty cheeses, so judge accordingly.
  • Mix well.
  • Place dough circles (either homemade or commercially-bought) on a lightly floured surface. Put 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each circle. Fold them in half to create a half-moon shape.
  • Press all around the edge with your fingers or a fork, to keep the filling from escaping.
  • Place the filled sambusak on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Use a straight spatula to lift them if necessary.
  • Beat the extra egg with 1 teaspoon water and brush it over the sambusak. Sprinkle sesame seeds over each.
  • Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden.

Notes

Be alert to the smell of baking: if it smells done, check for a golden color and remove them from the oven to cool.
You may freeze the unbaked sambusak. Put them straight onto the baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes.
Sambusak may great additions to your mishlochei manot baskets! Enjoy!