Tandir-Style Hand-Chopped Lamb Samsa

Method

1. Mix the flour and salt, bring together with the cold water added gradually and knead on the worktop for 10 min into a smooth dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

   Add in this stepall-purpose flour 150 gcold water 80 mlsalt (for the dough) ½ tsp

2. Dust lightly with flour and roll the dough into a 40×30 cm rectangle, so thin (under 1 mm) that it is translucent. Spread the soft butter evenly and roll up as tightly as you can from a long side into a log. Wrap and chill for at least 1 h. The colder and longer it rests, the more distinctly the layers will separate in the oven.

   Add in this stepbutter (softened at room temperature) 40 g

3. Toast the cumin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 1 min, until fragrant and a shade darker, then tip onto a plate and crush coarsely in a mortar or with the side of a knife.

   Add in this stepcumin seeds ¾ tsp

   medium heat

4. Put the lamb and fat in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up so they are easier to cut. Chop the lamb with a knife into 5 mm pieces and the fat a little smaller; dice the onion to 5 mm. In a bowl, squeeze together the meat, fat, onion, toasted cumin, pepper, salt and ice water for 1 minute until slightly sticky, then refrigerate. The ice water and fat melt into rich juices as it bakes.

   Add in this steplamb shoulder 160 glamb fat (or beef suet, or cold butter) 30 gonion 1black pepper ¼ tspsalt (for the filling) ½ tspice water 2 tbsp

5. Put a pizza stone or baking steel (or an upturned baking tray) on the lowest shelf and preheat the oven (oven) to 250 °C for a full 30 min. The hot base crisps the bottoms like the clay wall of a tandir.

   oven

6. Cut the log into 3 cm pieces (2 per serving), set each spiral side up, press and roll into a 13 cm circle. Roll the edges thinner than the centre so the base doesn't burst. Pile on the filling, fold into a triangle, pinch the seams firmly and set seam side down on baking paper.

7. Brush with the yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of water and sprinkle with nigella seeds. Slide them, paper and all, quickly onto the hot stone (oven gloves essential) and bake (oven) at 250 °C for 18 min. If they don't all fit, bake in rounds and let the stone reheat for 5 minutes in between. They are done when deep brown with a firm, crisp base.

   Add in this stepegg yolk 1nigella seeds 1 tsp

   oven

8. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut one open: the meat must show no pink and the juices run clear (at least 72 °C in the centre). The fat and juices inside are very hot, so eat carefully.