Beef Samosas

February 7, 2015

Samosas are triangular, deep-fried pastries from the Indian subcontinent. The shell is a thin, unsweetened dough of flour and butter, rolled out thinly and folded around a spiced filling. Frying gives a crisp, crust-like surface while the dough inside stays tender.

This version uses minced beef with onion, cumin, chilli and beans. The cumin is toasted briefly with the onion before the meat goes in, so the spice has time to round out and meld with the fat from the meat. Cooked beans extend the filling and make it more substantial.

The filling is savoury and warmly spiced — the cumin and chilli come through clearly against the rich beef and beans. Samosas are popular street food and snack food across the subcontinent and beyond, eaten at any time of day. They are served warm, ideally with a sour or sweet chutney alongside. They can be shaped in advance and deep-fried just before serving.

Ingredients

Makes 6 portions

2 tbsp milk
oil, for deep-frying
chutney, to serve

Pastry

150 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
175 g butter (or margarine)
150 ml water

Filling

1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds
250 g minced beef
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
125 g cooked beans
1 tsp coriander leaves, freshly chopped
black pepper, freshly ground

Directions

The pastry

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Add the water a little at a time, stirring until it is fully absorbed into the dough. Knead the dough until smooth and pliable, then cover it with a damp cloth while you make the filling.

The filling

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cumin seeds and fry, stirring regularly, for 5–7 minutes until the onion is soft and golden.

Add the minced beef, chilli and salt. Stir well to break up the meat. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the beans and fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.

Remove the pan from the heat, fold in the coriander and freshly ground pepper, and leave the filling to cool completely before assembling. Warm filling will soften the pastry.

Assembly and frying

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thin circle about 18 cm in diameter. Cut each circle in half so you have 24 semicircles. Keep the dough covered with a damp cloth as you work so it does not dry out.

Brush the straight edges of each semicircle with milk. Fold the semicircle into a cone by bringing the two straight edges together and pressing them firmly.

Fill the cone with a couple of spoonfuls of the meat filling. Close the top edge by pressing the pastry together into a triangle. Make sure all edges are well sealed so the filling does not leak during frying.

Heat plenty of oil in a pot or deep fryer to 175°C (345°F). Deep-fry the samosas in batches of 4–5 at a time for about 3–4 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Turn them during frying so they colour on both sides.

Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm with chutney.

Notes

Active time about 1 hour, frying time 15–20 minutes in total.

Cooked chickpeas, white beans or green peas all work as the bean component in the filling. For more heat, leave the seeds in the chilli or add an extra one.

The samosas can be shaped in advance and stored on a tray lined with baking paper in the fridge for a couple of hours before frying. They can also be frozen raw and fried straight from frozen — give them an extra minute in the oil.