Tabibu Africa, Inc.: Meat Samosa's Recipe Time!

It's recipe time again!

Meat Samosa (can be made gluten free)

The Samosa probably originated in Central Asia/Persia and then traveled to India along ancient trade routes. They are small, crisp mince-filled triangles that were easy to make around the campfire during night halts then conveniently packed into saddlebags as snacks for the next day's journey. According to the "Oxford Companion to Food" the Indian samosa is merely the best known of an entire family of stuffed pastries or dumplings popular from Egypt and Zanzibar to Central Asia and West China.

The current day samosas are small, crispy, flaky pastries that are usually deep-fried. They are stuffed with an assortment of fillings ranging from minced meat with herbs and spices to vegetables such as cauliflower and potatoes.

This was one of the first recipes I learned while on my third humanitarian trip to Kenya and probably my favorite dish of all. The ladies I learned from didn’t speak a lick of English but we had a wonderful time, laughing through all of my mistakes and excitement when I got it right. They loved that this American girlie could work all day in a clinic and still come to where we slept at night and wanted to learn to cook with the locals. I definitely learned more than cooking. This is how I learned basic Swahili as well as the bond that women can have with each other…and should have with each other. Beautiful!

These ladies make their dough from scratch with flour, water, a bit of lard, and salt. I tried to make it from scratch at home in the States but it does add on cook time for sure…and I get flour EVERYWHERE. So, if you’re a great pastry chef or have a great filo dough recipe please make your own, it will be that much more delish. If not, just go to your local market and purchase some ready-made filo dough (you don’t need to tell anyone). I also have a new Celiac diagnosis so all of my cooking must be gluten free. I cheat a bit and purchase gluten free filo dough online and it works great!

Now, below is a list of ingredients. If you don't have or don't like some of the herbs and spices, don't worry just leave them out. Most of the time in the Kenyan outback we don't have all of these spices. So don't worry about making sure you have every last spice just go with what you have, can afford, can grow, or what you can get. Though each spice isn't needed, each spice adds so much flavor.

Here's what you'll want:

Oil for frying; peanut oil, canola oil, crisco, or lard if you’re really traditional. Personally I like peanut oil.
1 lb lean ground lamb, beef, pork, chicken or turkey
6-7 minced garlic cloves (I always add about 12 but my family is Italian)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 C frozen or fresh peas
1tsp ground red pepper
1tsp red pepper flake
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Corriander
1/2 tsp Curry
1tsp Turmeric
2T Fresh or dry parsley
3T Fresh or dry chives
1Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
270g pack filo pastry sheets (6 sheets). You can use your own simple pastry dough recipe. I’ve made it from scratch before and the taste is so much better but it does add on some time. I’m keeping this recipe sweet and simple. GLUTEN FREE: If you need gluten free (which my family does) you can find ready-made gluten free pastry dough online that works very well.

In a large skillet brown the meat on medium heat. If using pork or beef, when the meat is almost all browned drain off fat and rinse then add back to skillet. Add carrot, onions, garlic, olive oil and all spices & herbs. Cook for another 5-7 minutes over medium heat, spices should really become aromatic. Remove from heat and add peas. Lightly cover and set aside to cool.
Spread out a sheet of filo, with a short end towards you. Follow the instructions in the pictures. If you’re using store bought dough just skip the rolling out instruction. Pick up one semicircular piece of dough and moisten half of the straight edge with a little flour-water mixture or melted butter. Create a cone by bringing the dry half of the straight edge over the moistened half. Press the seam together to close. Be sure to pinch closed the point of the cone as well; a good seam will keep the stuffing in during frying. Set aside on a baking sheet or cutting board covered with parchment paper until you're all finished preparing the dough.
If you have a deep fryer go ahead and get that going and up to temperature. We don’t fry foods too often so I use a good ole’ electric frying skillet handed down to me from my mamma. You can use one of those or you can also use your stove top skillet, just make sure you have a good lid and you’ll want a deep pan with at least 4 inches of oil. Heat to 350° F. Go ahead and get the oil heating while you’re assembling the samosas.
When the meat mixture is about room temperature you’re good to start to assemble. Hold the cone shaped dough in one hand and fill the cone with 1-2 heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture. Hold the cone about a third of the way up to keep it from collapsing as you fill. Brush one open side with the flour-water or butter mixture and pinch the opening closed. To give the samosa its characteristic flared ruffle, continue to pinch the straight edge to slightly thin and extend it. Use remaining dough and filling to make your remaining samosas.
When the samosas are assembled and the oil is up to temperature, gently slide each samosa into the oil, cover. Turn each samosa every 2 minutes until each side is golden brown and remove from oil. Drain on wire rack or paper towel. Can be served immediately or later, hot or cold