Iraqi Cheese Sambusak Recipe Celebrates a Beloved Ashkenazi-Free Tradition

The article presents sambusak b'jiben, a classic baked Iraqi-Jewish pastry filled with Iraqi cheese, as one of the most nostalgic and comforting dishes of the community. It explains that jiben, or Iraqi cheese, is a staple dairy product in Iraqi cuisine, prized for its salty yet delicate flavor and creamy texture, and now available in urban markets, specialty delicatessens and stores selling traditional foods.

Unlike the well-known chickpea sambusak, which is fried, this version is baked and makes use of the cheese to create a rich filling and flaky crust. The piece says the pastry has become a signature dish of the community and a favorite even among cheese lovers outside the Iraqi Jewish world.

It then gives a full recipe. For the dough, it uses 500 grams flour, 1 tablespoon dry yeast, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons oil and about 300 ml lukewarm water. For the filling, it calls for 500 grams crumbled Iraqi cheese, 200 grams crumbled Bulgarian cheese, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for garnish.

To prepare it, the flour, yeast, sugar and salt are mixed, then oil and water are gradually added and the dough is kneaded for about 10 minutes. After an hour of rising, the filling ingredients are combined, the dough is divided into 40 to 50 gram balls, filled, shaped into half-moons, brushed with egg and sprinkled with sesame or nigella seeds, then baked at 190 degrees Celsius for 20 to 25 minutes. The article notes that for a more traditional version, only Iraqi jiben can be used, and if the cheese is very salty, it should be soaked in water for an hour before use.