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duck apricot pistachio sambusak

Duck, Apricot, and Pistachio Sambusak

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
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Servings

20 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil or rendered duck fat
  • 3 shallots sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 10 dried apricot halves soaked in very hot water until soft
  • 3 duck breasts or skinless chicken breasts cut into 2-inch chunks
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds toasted
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas
  • ¼ cup chopped pistachios
  • Freshly cracked pepper
  • 20 prepared sambusak
  • 1 to 2 cups extra virgin olive oil or rendered duck fat
  • 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon water egg wash for baking only
  • 1 dried guajillo chile seeded
  • 1 dried ancho chile seeded
  • 2 to 4 dried chile de arbol peppers seeded
  • 4 dried apricot halves
  • 2 roasted red bell peppers
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 preserved lemon or zest of one lemon plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly cracked pepper

Instructions

  • Sambusak Dough:
  • Add evoo, water, salt, flour, and egg yolk to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until it holds together. Alternatively, you can mix all ingredients together by hand in a medium bowl with a pastry blender.
  • Transfer dough to floured surface and divide into 8 pieces. With a rolling pin, roll out each piece into a thin rectangle, then cut into circles with a 3-inch cookie cutter. Set dough aside. Re-roll scraps of dough and you should have 20 circles to fill.
  • Sambusak Filling:
  • Lightly coat a small sauté pan with 2 teaspoons of evoo or duck fat (how to render duck fat) over medium heat. Sauté shallots for 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until it has softened slightly. Remove from heat and cool in pan.
  • In the bowl of a food processor, or blender, add shallot mixture, apricots, duck, caraway, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, and chickpeas. Pulse until the mixture holds together. Carefully remove the blade and stir in pistachios.
  • Assembling Sambusak:
  • If baking, preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Place filling in center of the dough circles. Fold over to make a half moon shape. Using a fork, lightly crimp edges to seal. Place on prepared baking sheet or plate.
  • If frying, heat duck fat or evoo in a large frying pan over medium high. Fry in batches of 5 to 6 at a time. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook 2 minutes more, until sambusak are golden brown. 
  • If baking, brush egg wash over tops of sambusak. With a sharp knife, pierce a small hole/vent for steam to escape, in the tops of each pastry. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes, until tops are golden.
  • Serve sambusak hot from the frying pan or oven along with Apricot-Harissa Dipping Sauce.
  • Apricot-Harissa Dipping Sauce:
  • In a small sauce pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil, then remove from heat. Place dried guajillo, ancho, chile de arbol peppers and apricot halves in pot, and soak for 20 minutes, or until very soft.
  • Drain water from chilies. In a food processor or blender, add soaked chilies, apricot halves, garlic, red peppers, preserved lemon or lemon juice and zest, caraway, coriander, cumin, and evoo and pulse until a loose paste forms. Transfer to a small bowl.
  • Season with salt and pepper. Serve alongside as a dipping sauce with hot and crispy sambusak.