If you’re Arab, you know them as sambosak. But most know them as samosas.
They make amazing appetizers, such a crowd pleaser! Best part of all, they’re really simple to put together. And if you make a large batch of them and freeze them, they will save you one day. I promise you that.
Prep Time: 45 min Cook Time: 5 min
Makes 40+ individual sambosak/samosas (depends on size of dough)
Ingredients:
2-3 packages Samosa Pastry dough*Note: I picked up the dough from a local International Store
2-3 small/medium potatoes
3-4 carrots
1/2 bag frozen peas
2 lb ground beef
1 large onion
Salt
Pepper
Garam Masala
Curry Powder
Cayenne Pepper/Red Pepper Flakes (optional, for an added kick!)
1 cup vegetable oil
Step 1: Add 1 teaspoon of salt to a pot of boiling water. Chop up potato and carrots into tiny cubes and transfer into pot of boiling water. When potatoes are just about cooked through, pour in your frozen bag of peas and cook for an additional couple of minutes.
Step 2: In another pot, begin cooking your ground beef on high heat. No need for oil here if you’ve got a non-stick pot. When most of the meat’s pink color is gone, add your chopped onions. And continue to stir until onions are translucent.
Step 3: Strain pot of potatoes, carrots and peas and then transfer to ground beef mix. Give it a couple of stirs and then season with salt, pepper, garam masala and curry powder. I’m not giving exact measurements because everyone has their preference for saltiness and spice. I suggest you begin about a teaspoon of salt and give it a taste…if you need more add more. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over time, it’s WAY better to have under-salted than over-salted.
Step 4: Set up your sambosak prep station. And begin making filling and folding each rectangle of dough. I like to have a little bowl of water next to me so that I can dab my finger and “glue” the edge of the last fold so the sambosak doesn’t come apart.
Step 4: If you plan on frying them, just heat up your oil and throw them in. Be sure to flip them when when color changes to golden-brown. Be quick, because they can burn quickly if you’re careful.
*Note: If you don’t plan on frying all of the sambosak, the best thing to do is to freeze them. Grab your freezer bags, pack them up, and toss them into your freezer. When you want to use them in the future, they’ll be ready to fry.
Sahtain!