Cheese Sambousek | Cheese Borek | A restaurant-style recipe for professionals

Those popular cheese sambousek/ cheese borek that hail from Lebanon and the Middle East are wonderful to eat out of the fryer! They feature a cheese filling encased in pastry and deep fried to flaky perfection. The incredible savory bites are crispy on the outside with a stretchy oozy cheese inside. For some reason, they have a reputation for being difficult. I have to admit, it takes time make these little cheese morsels from scratch, but they are really so worth it. The process involves making a buttery dough from scratch and cook the cheese filling on stovetop. Classically, they are are formed into a crescent shape like empanadas or a rectangle much like ravioli, and pan-fried to perfection. The crowd-pleaser cheese sambousek can be made ahead of time too! Link to the printable recipe: https://hadiaslebanesecuisine.com/new... Makes: 40 mini sambousek Cuisine: Lebanese and Middle Eastern My love of those cheesy oozy sambusek knows no bounds. Frying them guarantees a shatteringly crispy result, and the oozy, stretchy cheese filling makes them more so appealing — keep this recipe in mind, it is a total winner! Ingredients: For the dough 500 grams / 1 lb. 2 oz / 3 1/4 cups all-purpose-flour 1 teaspoon mahlab, optional 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon salt 1 egg 2 tablespoon sugar syrup or granulated sugar 100 grams/ 3.5 oz butter, room temperature Water as needed, start with 1/2 cup or more to create a dry dough For the cheese filling: 500 grams 1 lb 2 oz cheese, a mixture of mshallaleh, majdoola and mozzarella (you can use mozzarella alone, or a mix of mozzarella and Swiss cheese) 3 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup milk a pinch of nigella seeds, optional 1//4 teaspoon mahlab, optional To make the flour slurry: 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/3 water