Tajik-Style Sambusa

Mix the wheat flour with salt, pour in the water and knead into a firm, elastic dough. Cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes.

For the filling, cut the lamb and tail fat into very small cubes. Finely chop the onion, lightly work it with a bit of salt, and mix with the meat. Add cumin, ground coriander, black pepper and 100 g of tail fat.

Divide the dough into two parts. Roll each one out into a sheet up to 2 mm thick. Brush the first sheet with melted butter, cover with the second sheet and brush it with vegetable oil and 60 g of melted tail fat.

Tightly roll up the sheets into a log with no air pockets, coil the log into a spiral, cover and chill for 60 minutes.

Divide the chilled log into 12 pieces, flatten each one cut-side up and roll out into a round disc, keeping the concentric layers intact. Place the filling in the center, bring the edges together and shape into a triangular sambusa.

Place the sambusas seam-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Beat an egg, brush it over the pastries and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake in an oven preheated to 200 °C for 30–35 minutes, until the dough turns golden and the filling is fully cooked through. Serve hot.