Chamussas

Ingredients

Pastry

• 400 gplain flour
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• about 220 ml warm water
• or ready-made samosa pastry strips
• or spring roll wrappers

Meat filling

• 500 gminced beef
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 3cm ginger, grated
• 2 teaspoonsgaram masala
• 1 teaspoonturmeric
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 2piri piri chillies, chopped
• a handful of coriander, chopped
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoonsoil
• salt and black pepper

To seal and fry

• 3 tablespoonsflour
• 3 tablespoonswater
• oil, for deep frying

To serve

• piri piri sauce
• lemon wedges

Directions

1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the oil and rub it through. Add the warm water in gradually. Bring it together into a firm dough. Knead it for a good eight minutes. Wrap it and rest it for thirty minutes. Resting is what lets it roll thin.
2. Divide the dough into small balls. Roll each one out into a thin round. Brush one with oil and dust it with flour. Lay a second round on top of it. Roll the pair out together very thin.
3. Cook the double round briefly on a dry pan. That method gives very thin pliable sheets. Cut each sheet into long strips. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan. Fry the chopped onions for eight minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies. Cook them for a good two minutes. Add the spices and fry them for one minute.
4. Add the minced beef and break it up. Brown it thoroughly over a high heat. Let it cook down for fifteen minutes. It must end up completely dry. Cook it uncovered until no liquid remains. Season it well with salt and black pepper.
5. Stir in the coriander and the lemon juice. Let it cool completely before you use it. Mix the flour and water into a smooth paste. It should be thick and sticky. Take a strip of pastry and lay it flat. Fold the bottom corner up to form a triangle. Fold it over again to make a cone pocket. Hold the cone open in your hand. Spoon cold filling into the pocket.
6. Fill it about three quarters full. Do not overfill them or they burst. Fold the remaining strip over the opening. Keep folding in triangles to the end. Seal the final flap with the flour paste. Press every single edge down firmly. Check for any gaps before frying. Frying them needs the right heat.
7. Pour oil into a deep pan to seven centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 175C for frying. A scrap of pastry should sizzle up at once.
8. Fry them for about three minutes. Turn them once as they colour. They should be golden and blistered. Lift them onto a wire rack to drain. A rack keeps the underside crisp. Serve piri piri sauce alongside. Fry them from frozen with a minute longer.

Technique

• Indian merchants carried the samosa along the Swahili coast long before Portuguese arrival, and it was later absorbed into Mozambican cafe culture.
• The filling must be cooked completely dry, since any remaining liquid makes the pastry soggy and bursts it in the oil.

Substitutions

• Ready-made samosa pastry strips or spring roll wrappers replace homemade pastry entirely.
• Minced chicken, prawns or spiced vegetables all work as fillings.

Variations

• A vegetable version with potato and peas is widely sold.
• Some cooks add chopped hard-boiled egg to the meat filling.
• Similar pastries are eaten all along the East African coast.

History

The samosa, brought by Indian merchants along the Swahili coast and adopted into Portuguese-Mozambican café culture.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chamussas?

Chamussas is a street food from Mozambique: crisp meat or vegetable samosas, Indian Ocean heritage. The samosa, brought by Indian merchants along the Swahili coast and adopted into Portuguese-Mozambican café culture.

How long does Chamussas take to make?

Chamussas takes 1 hour of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 24 pastries. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Chamussas?

Yes, within limits. Ready-made samosa pastry strips or spring roll wrappers replace homemade pastry entirely. Minced chicken, prawns or spiced vegetables all work as fillings.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chamussas?

Add the minced beef and break it up. Brown it thoroughly over a high heat. Let it cook down for fifteen minutes. It must end up completely dry. Cook it uncovered until no liquid remains. Season it well with salt and black pepper.