Swahili Recipes: Meat Samosa (Sambusa ya Nyama)

Meat Samosa (Sambusa ya Nyama)
Nothing is more delicious than the Kenyan meaty samosa! Mainly an urban dish, the meaty samosa serves as a breakfast item and a whole-day snack. It is enjoyed by the entire family.

Ingredients
– ½ kg minced beef
– 30 g coriander, fresh
– 1 stem (356 g) leek, unpeeled, raw
– 1 clove (5 g) garlic, unpeeled, raw
– ¼ tsp. (1 g) chili pepper, fresh, raw
– 3 cups (475 g) wheat flour, refined
– ½ tsp. (2 g) salt iodized
– 1¼ cups (264 g) water
– 3 cups (572 g) cooking oil

Preparation 1 hour | Cooking Time 1 hour | Makes 28
Meat Filling:
• Put the meat in a pan over a fire. Stir continuously.
• When the juices start oozing out from the meat, cover to cook.
• Finely chop the leek, coriander and crush the garlic. Mix them
together in a bowl.
• Add salt and chili to the meat after about 10 minutes.
• Continue stirring and crushing the meat to prevent it from
forming balls.
• Cook the meat until it dries.
• Add the leek, garlic, and coriander after 4 minutes and stir.
• Remove from the fire after 1 minute.
• Let the meat cool before using it to fill the casings.

Vegetable filling cooking:
• In a pot, heat 4 tablespoons of oil for 2 minutes.
• Add onions to cook for 12 minutes.
• Add garlic, ginger, and green chili. Cook for 3
minutes.
• Add carrots, stir, and cover to cook for 2 minutes.
• Add cabbage, and stir. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add salt, stir, and cook for 1 minute.
• Add peas and cook for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and let this cool before filling
the pockets.

Samosa pocket preparation:
• Put 3 ½ cups of wheat flour in a bowl and add 1
cup of cold water.
• Mix the ingredients and knead to a soft dough.
• Divide the dough and roll it into medium-sized balls.
• Lightly dust the rolling surface to prevent the
dough from sticking to the working surface.
Flatten the balls and apply a little oil onto the
the surface of each of the spread dough and stack
three pieces together (the oil will help the layers
to separate later).
• Roll out each stack into thin discs.
• Place a circular plate on the rolled-out dough
and trim the edges to form a circle the size of the
plate.
• Place a pan on the fire on high heat for 1 minute.
• Place the rolled-out dough onto the hot pan and
lightly cook each side for 1 minute.
• Separate each lightly cooked layer (previously
placed on top of each other), place into a wide
bowl or plate, and cover to prevent them from drying.
• Spread the next batch of stacked discs and cook for
1 minute on each side.

To make the paste:
• The paste is used to seal the envelopes as a bonding agent.
• Mix ¾ cup of wheat flour and ¾ cup of water to
make a paste.
• Make the casings using the paste to bond and seal
the edges.
• Fold the layers previously covered into 2, cut them into
half, and then into quarters.
• Take a quarter and fold it into a samosa case and
apply the paste to hold the edges together.
• Repeat this for the rest of the batches.

Filling the Samosa:
•  Take each piece and fill in the pocket in the
previously prepared vegetables.
• Use the wheat flour-water paste to seal the
samosa case.

Cooking:
• Put the remaining oil onto a pan and heat for 17
minutes or until the oil bubbles when a pinch of
the dough is dropped in the oil.
• Drop the samosa gently into the oil and cook each
side for 2 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from the oil and place over kitchen towels
to drain any excess oil.

An international favorite with a rich cultural history is the samosa. It has Middle Eastern origins and is a popular street food in countries like Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. In the Middle East, it is known as sambusa or sambosa.
Samosas frequently come in triangle shapes and are filled with a variety of ingredients, including as meat, cheese, potatoes, vegetables, and spices. A thin layer of flaky dough or crisp, thin bread is then placed over the filling before being expertly fried or baked.
The texture of meat samosas is one of its most distinguishing features. The flavorful and luscious interior is the ideal complement to the flaky, crunchy pastry shell. The pastry is often made from a mixture of flour, water, and oil. The dough is smoothed, thinned out, and then cut into triangles

Content courtesy of Kenya Food Recipes, Mama Ntilie & NFH
A Recipe Book of Common Mixed Dishes With Nutrient Values, As Prepared By Communities