Dushanbe sambusa with chickpea, spinach and mint

1 HOUR | MAKES 15 | EASY |

Flaky and buttery samsa, Central Asia’s beloved turnovers, are known in Tajikistan as sambusa. Elsewhere in the region, fillings are typically beef, lamb, pumpkin, spinach or potatoes but in Dushanbe there are chickpea ones and, in the springtime, herb-filled variations. This recipe combines the two. Samsa or sambusa are always eaten with green tea – this is especially the case if they’re lamb as the tea cuts through the fat.

Vonion 1 small, roughly chopped

chickpeas 400g tin, drained and rinsed

mint leaves roughly chopped to make 3 tbsp

spinach a handful

fine sea salt 1 tsp

black peppercorns

1 tsp

ground cumin 1 tsp

dill seeds 1 tsp (optional)

puff pastry 320g pack

egg 1 small, beaten

black sesame seeds 1 tsp, to garnish (optional) ground to make

• Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line a large baking tray (or two smaller trays) with baking paper.

• Put the onion in a food processor and pulse a few times, then add 100g of the chickpeas, the mint and spinach, and pulse so it comes together. Put the mixture into a large bowl and stir in 1 tsp of salt, the pepper, cumin, dill seeds, if using, and the remaining chickpeas.

• Lightly flour a worksurface and the pastry, and roll it out to 37cm x 28cm. Using an 8cm cutter, stamp out 15 rounds, then put 1 tsp of the filling in the middle of each one and bring up the edges to create a triangle shape. Press to seal, creating a samosa-style triangle. Repeat with the remaining pastry.

• Put on the baking tray, seam-side down. Brush each one with the egg wash and scatter over the black sesame seeds or a sprinkle of sea salt flakes and a few grindings of black pepper, if you like. Bake for 15 minutes then, when the pastry has fully risen, lower the oven temperature to its lowest setting and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the layers are dry and crispy.

PER SERVING 111 KCALS | FAT 6.4G SATURATES 2.8G | CARBS 9.7G | SUGARS 0.6G FIBRE 1.6G | PROTEIN 2.9G | SALT 0.5G

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