MINCE SAMOOSA
This Recipe Makes ± 40 Samoosa’s
Mince samoosa as well as other fillings are a huge favourite in South Africa & many other parts of the world. It is basically a mince filling that is cooked & stuffed into a pastry, also known as samoosa pur & thereafter fried in shallow oil until golden.
In South Africa, most people refer to it as samoosa, whilst internationally, it is referred to as samosa. Samoosa’s actually originated in the Middle East but passed over to the Indian subcontinent & today most people categorize it as an Indian savoury dish.
Mince Samoosa Ingredients:
- 500 grams mince (beef or lamb)
- 2 teaspoons ginger & garlic paste
- vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ¼ cup mint, chopped
- ½ teaspoon elachi (cardamom) powder
- salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 4-5 green chilies
- 1 onion
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon jeera (cumin) powder
- 3-4 sprigs thyme
- ½ teaspoon dhania (coriander) powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ bunch fresh coriander (dhania)
- ± 40 sheets of samoosa pur
- 2 tablespoons all purpose / cake flour
- water as needed
Method:
- Make sure the mince is defrosted.
- Peel & chop the onion into small pieces & set aside.
- Finely chop the green chilies. Note that the chilies may be added or reduced according to your taste.
- Finely chop the mint.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pot. When the oil is hot, add in the chopped onions, green chilies, chopped mint & the sprigs of thyme.
- Mix well.
- Thereafter, add in the turmeric powder, garam masala, dhania (coriander) powder, jeera (cumin) powder, elachi (cardamom) powder, red chili flakes, chili powder & the ginger & garlic paste.
- Mix well & simmer for 30 seconds.
- Next, add in the mince & salt to taste.
- Mix well.
- Cover with a lid & allow to cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat.
- Notice that after a while, water should form in the pot so there is no need to add any liquid to mince.
- Give it a quick mix & allow it to cook throughout.
- Once the mince has cooked & the liquid has evaporated, turn off the heat.
- Thereafter, chop fresh coriander (dhania).
- Add the chopped coriander (dhania) to the pot.
- Mix well.
- At this point, the thyme may be removed & discarded.
- Whilst the mince cools down, begin preparing the paste that will hold the samoosa together.
- To a small bowl, add in the all purpose flour.
- Next, gradually pour in a little water & stir until it forms a smooth paste.
- When the mince has cooled down, it’s time to start filling the samoosa pur.
- Begin prepping your work station. Have the flour paste nearby, as well as the cooled filling & the samoosa pur. Note that the samoosa pur can be purchased from most grocers or you can make it from scratch at home. I opted for the store bought pur.
- Take one sheet of the samoosa pur & fold it to form a triangle. (View video below on folding technique).
- Add a little of the mince filling into the triangular pocket that was formed.
- Carefully fold over to seal the filling. There should still be a flap remaining.
- Take some of the paste & apply onto the remaining flap & seal the samoosa.
- Place all the samoosa’s into a container lined with plastic. This will avoid the pastry from tearing & the plastic may also be used to divine them in the container. These Mince Samoosa’s can be frozen in the container for up to 4 months. Defrost when needed to fry.
- To fry the samoosa’s, simply add about 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a large pan. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the samoosa’s in.
- Keep an eye on them as leaving them unattended to may result in burnt samoosa’s. Fry the samoosa’s until golden & crisp.
- Once their golden on both sides, remove from oil & drain off excess oil on a paper towel.
- These samoosas can also be fried frozen. When fried whilst frozen, the samoosa pur will have a more bubbly texture.
- Serve whilst nice & hot.
- Serve your Mince Samoosa with your favourite dipping sauce.
