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Somsa

Name: Somsa
Total time: 90 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Uzbekistan
Ingredients: 300g All-purpose flour; 150ml Water; 40g Butter; 1 tsp Salt; 300g Lamb (Thin-Sliced); 2 Onion; 1 tsp Cumin Seeds; A pinch Black Pepper; from 1 Egg Yolk; A pinch White Sesame Seeds

Snack

⏱ 90 min

👥 Serves 4

Difficulty ⭐⭐

Chopped lamb and onion wrapped in thin dough triangles and baked until golden — Uzbekistan's classic meat pie.

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📖 The Story Behind This Dish

Somsa is a triangular pie baked by sticking it to the inner wall of a clay oven called a tandir. The basic filling is diced lamb, onion, and lamb fat, with pumpkin versions made in autumn. It is said to share its roots with India's samosa and spread as portable food for travelers on the Silk Road. Sprinkled with white sesame, it's best bitten into hot from the oven.

🌆 Where it's eaten: In a corner of a Samarkand bazaar, hot somsa come out of the oven one after another, are wrapped in paper, and eaten while walking.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 4)

All-purpose flour 300g
Water 150ml
Butter 40g
Salt 1 tsp
Lamb (Thin-Sliced) 300g
Onion 2
Cumin Seeds 1 tsp
Black Pepper A pinch
Egg Yolk from 1
White Sesame Seeds A pinch

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Knead the flour, salt, and water until smooth, shape into a ball, and rest 30 minutes.
Dice the lamb and onion into 5mm pieces and mix with salt, pepper, and cumin seeds for the filling.
Divide the dough into 8, roll each into a thin round, and brush with melted butter.
Place filling in the center and fold the dough in from three sides into a triangle.
Place seam side down on a baking sheet, brush with egg yolk, and sprinkle with white sesame.
Bake in an oven preheated to 220°C for 25–30 minutes until deep golden.

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