This Sambusak recipe is part of Asif’s Open Kitchen Project where cooks who were evacuated during the war are invited to a home to cook a dish that they miss. Would you like to participate in the project? Register here.
On October 7, the Darmon family from Shlomi, a town near the Lebanon border, was on vacation on a kibbutz in the south. But weeks later, the family was dispersed throughout the country: The three eldest children and their father Sharon were drafted, while their mother Tamar and the two youngest kids moved in with a family in Krayot. Later, they were evacuated to a hotel in Tiberias, where they have lived for over six months. “The hardest thing is the lack of familiarity,” shares Tamar.
“On Tuesdays at our house, I call everyone and ask them what they want for Shabbat dinner. On Wednesday we’re already buying everything at the supermarket and on Thursday, we start cooking in the morning: challah, fish, meat, so that everyone can take boxes to the base or back home.” On Fridays at noon, her kids and their friends used to gather on the balcony in Shlomi to eat homemade challah with schnitzel, matbucha, and eggplant, and then stay through dinner. “My husband is Tunisian and Moroccan, and my mother is from Tripoli, so our food is Mediterranean, but combines three ethnic groups that make such good homemade food,” Tamar explains.
As part of Asif’s Open Kitchen Project, Tamar visited Shira Zaretsky’s kitchen in Moshav Kahal to make her sambusak, stew, and couscous. “I was nervous when I arrived,” admits Tamar, but from the moment she parked the car, she realized it was a perfect match. Soon, she and Shira found a common language. Tamar came with her husband and two of their children, and Shira invited them to join her in the kitchen to cook. Later, friends of the kids at the hotel eagerly enjoyed the meal — each received a bowl of couscous and a steaming stew.
“Finally, I had the opportunity to cook for the first time in seven months and make something that tastes like home,” Tamar says.
Shira adds: “Just open your house. It doesn’t require much and it means the world to those who need it. We may not be the same age or be in the same phase of life, and we may not know each other, but we had so much fun together.”
For the beef filling:
4 tablespoons olive oil
500 grams (1.1lb) ground beef
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
½ tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon grill spice blend
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 onions, finely chopped
For the dough:
3½ cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ cups lukewarm water
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying the pastries
- Prepare the beef filling: Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the ground beef, garlic, turmeric, spice blend, salt, and black pepper and fry until the meat is evenly browned all the way through. Occasionally, break the meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Transfer to a bowl.
- Return the pan to the heat (no need to clean it), add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the chopped onion until lightly golden, stirring occasionally. Add the browned meat to the pan, mix well and fry for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.
- Prepare the dough: In the meantime, mix the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and oil in a bowl. Gradually pour in the water while continuously mixing with your hands. Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until it is flexible, not sticky, and easy to work with. Place the dough on the counter, cover with a towel, and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Shape and fry the sambusak: Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface as thin as possible without tearing it. Use a medium-sized glass, such as a wine glass, to cut out 15-17 circles. Place a spoonful of the beef filling in the center of a dough circle. Fold the dough in half over the filling to form a crescent shape, and use a fork to press and seal the edges. Repeat these steps with the remaining dough circles and filling.
- Heat a pot with oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, fry the pastries until golden brown, flipping when one side has browned. Fry only a few at a time to prevent the oil temperature from dropping. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the golden sambusak to a plate lined with a paper towel or to a strainer. Serve warm.
