Local Name: “Samsa”
Chinese Name: 烤包子 (kǎo bāozi)
Alternate Names: Roast Dumplings, Baked Uyghur Pies
Description: A mixture of mutton, onions, (sometimes carrots) and spices encased in a thin, baked crust.
Xinjiang “Hot Pockets”
Back in the day my mom used to keep
a box of frozen food known as “Hot Pockets” in the freezer
ready to fight my insatiable appetite. It was never quite enough for a
full meal, but it would keep me out of the kitchen long enough for her
to cook a full-blown dinner. If I remember right there were different
flavors like broccoli and cheese, chicken and cheese, beef and onions,
and maybe even pepperoni pizza. I’m going to go out on a limb here and
say that I don’t think they ever thought of adding “lamb” as a flavor.
“Samsa” reminds me so much of those hot pockets. The hot, flaky
crust filled with a tender meat stuffing doesn’t look as
commercially-made, but it tastes a whole lot better.
It’s a Brick Oven, Not a Microwave
Many times
you’ll find Samsa stands right next to stands that sell Uyghur
bread, and the reason for this (I guess) is because the ovens used
to cook them are almost identical. Wide at the base with a narrow
opening, these brick ovens are heated with either coal or wood,
whichever is more readily available in that particular region. Inside,
the oven walls are curved and smooth.
After the stuffing is prepared it is then wrapped in a dough and
placed inside the oven to roast for about 20 minutes. It’s kind of cool
to see about 15-20 of these suckers just stuck to the side of the oven
wall, their skin browning to different degrees depending on the
thickness. It doesn’t give off as strong a smell as the neighboring Uyghur
bread stand but it still smells enticing.
The Verdict
Personally, I like an occasional Samsa
as a snack on my way home, but not very often. They’re a bit oily (I
find that everything that uses lamb sits heavy in the stomach), but on
the up side they’re dirt-cheap. Usually only 1 RMB per Samsa. From
what I can gather, you don’t eat them as a meal by themselves but as an
addition to a rice or noodle dish (such as “Pollo“).
I can only eat about one or two before my stomach tells me I’ve
ingested enough oil for the day. Still, my mouth reminds me it wasn’t
all bad.
