Samboosa

Ingredients

Wrappers

• 30samboosa wrappers, or spring roll pastry cut into strips

Meat filling

• 500 gminced lamb or beef
• 2onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbspbezar or baharat
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspchopped coriander
• 1green chilli
• salt

Cheese filling

• 300 gfeta or akkawi, crumbled
• 150 gmozzarella, grated
• 2 tbspchopped parsley
• black pepper

Vegetable filling

• 300 gpotato, diced small and cooked
• 150 gpeas
• 1 tspcurry powder

To seal

• 3 tbspplain flour mixed with water into a paste

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

To serve

• at iftar, with dates, laban and soup

Directions

1. Cook it hard, breaking it up, until it is browned and completely dry. Cook it genuinely dry. A wet filling makes the pastry soggy and, worse, it steams inside and bursts the samboosa in the oil.
2. Add the spices and cook 2 minutes, then stir in the coriander and chilli. Cold filling is far easier to fold and it does not soften the wrapper as you work.
3. Take a long strip of wrapper and lay it in front of you. Put a spoonful of filling at one end and fold the corner over diagonally to make a triangle.
4. Keep folding the triangle over on itself along the strip, corner to corner, until you reach the end. Each fold should line up exactly with the last, and the triangle should stay tight with no gaps at the sides.
5. Seal the final flap with flour paste. Use flour and water paste rather than water alone, which does not hold under frying.
6. Press the whole edge down firmly and check for any gap. Now stack them on a tray, and freeze them if you are making a batch ahead. Heat the oil to 175°C (345°F). Fry them a few at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until deep golden and blistered.
7. Keep the oil at a steady moderate temperature. Too hot and the pastry colours before the filling heats through, which matters most for the cheese version. Drain on a rack rather than paper. Serve them hot at iftar, alongside dates, laban and a bowl of soup.

Technique

• Ready-made samboosa wrappers are sold frozen in Gulf and Asian shops.
• Baked versions are made for those avoiding fried food and are drier.
• The folding is often done communally, with several people working through a large batch.

Substitutions

• Spring roll pastry cut into strips, which is essentially the same product.
• Filo, doubled, though it is more fragile.

Variations

• With cheese, which is the most popular.
• With chopped vegetables and curry spices.
• Baked rather than fried.

History

Fried pastry triangles filled with meat, cheese or vegetables, made in bulk for iftar.

Frequently asked questions

What is Samboosa?

Samboosa is a snack from Bahrain: thin fried pastry triangles of meat, cheese or vegetables. Fried pastry triangles filled with meat, cheese or vegetables, made in bulk for iftar.

How long does Samboosa take to make?

Samboosa takes 1 hr of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 30. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Samboosa?

Yes, within limits. Spring roll pastry cut into strips, which is essentially the same product. Filo, doubled, though it is more fragile.

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

Seal the final flap with flour paste. Use flour and water paste rather than water alone, which does not hold under frying.