Khartoum Samoosas

I've had so many kind comments on my desert posts and recently almost everyone who commented has loved the shepherd and his sheep. I'm changing my blog header photo regularly now, so I have uploaded this photo for the next few days.

Every Friday or Saturday night I make spring rolls for dinner. One night I made samoosas from a recipe in an Afrikaans magazine. Since then Grant has requested samoosas instead of spring rolls. I found a vegetarian samoosa recipe on the Internet so I can enjoy samoosas as well.

Grant and I both grew up in Natal, a province in South Africa which boasts the best traditional Indian curries and spicy dishes in the country. Samoosas are normally made by Indian ladies and if you're blessed to know one, you will  often be the recipient of such a culinary treat.

Samosas are the perfect chaat, or Indian snack food. These tetrahedral pastry pockets are made with a variety of stuffings, both vegetarian and with meat. But a simple spiced potato and pea filling is the most popular.

Samoosas are also sold frozen in supermarkets (here in Khartoum as well) but since I've learnt to make these delightful little spicy triangles, we've never eaten the bought variety again. I managed to find Samoosa leaves (pastry strips) in the supermarket. These are a lot simpler to use than a large sheet of filo pastry which you have to cut into strips yourself.

Here is the meaty variety:

Minced meat samoosas (Vrouekeur 30 July 2010)
Approximately 24 samoosas


Ingredients
45ml Olive oil
2 onions, chopped
500g lean minced beef
5ml masala
5ml tumeric powder
5ml cumin powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 packet samoosa leaves (I found a pack with 50 leaves in our local supermarket)
125ml melted butter
750ml Olive oil for deep frying

Method
Heat the oil and saute onion until soft
Add the minced meat and cook until done
Add the masala, tumeric, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper
Cook until most of the liquid has been reduced
Remove from heat and allow to cool
Place strips of samoosa leaves on a board, paint with melted butter
Add a teaspoon of cooled curried mince at one end
Fold the edge over the meat mixture
Repeat the process until you reach the end of the leaf
Deep fry the samoosas until golden brown
Drain on paper towel
Serve hot with chutney on the side


Vegetarian Samoosas www.whats4eats.com
Aproximately 12 samoosas
Ingredients
1/4 cup oil
1 onion, minced
1 tbs gingertoot, minced
1 tbs coriander, chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled, cooked and cooled
1 cup frozen peas, cooked and cooled
100ml melted butter
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method
Fry onion and ginger in a oil until soft
Roughly mash potatoes and add
Add peas, coriander and seasoning
Toss to mix all the flavours and allow to cool
Brush melted butter onto samoosa leaf
Place a little of the mixture at the top of the leaf
Fold the edge diagonally over the mixture
Repeat until the end
Deepfry until golden brown
Drain on paper towel
Serve hot with chutney on the side

Try them, you will be so glad you did!

The Arabic for potatoes is al-Bţāţs (this is not as difficult to pronounce as it looks = a Badaatis)