Ingredients
Wrappers
- 24spring roll wrappers cut into strips
- or a simple flour and water dough rolled thin
Beef filling
- 500 gminced beef
- 2onions, finely chopped
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 2cm ginger
- 1green chilli
- 1 tspcurry powder
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspturmeric
- 3spring onions
- salt and pepper
Bean filling
- 400 gcooked red beans, mashed
- 1onion
- 1 tspcurry powder
- 2 tbspchopped coriander
To seal
- flour and water paste
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
To serve
- with a chilli sauce
- or a squeeze of lemon
Directions
- Fry the onions, garlic, ginger and chilli until soft and fragrant. Add the mince and cook it hard, breaking it up, for 15 minutes. Cook the filling completely dry. A wet filling steams inside the pastry and bursts it in the oil, and there is no recovering from that. Add the curry powder, cumin and turmeric and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the spring onions and season well.
- Season the filling hard, because the pastry around it is plain and there is nothing else carrying the flavour. For the bean version, mash cooked red beans with fried onion and spices into a thick paste. Cook the bean mixture until it is thick and holds its shape, and dry it out in the pan if it is loose.
- Cool every filling completely before folding. Cold filling folds far more easily and does not soften the wrapper as you work. Roll it thin, close to translucent. A thick sambusa is doughy and heavy rather than crisp.
- Cut the pastry or wrappers into strips about 7 cm wide. Keep them under a damp cloth, because they dry and crack within a minute. Keep folding the triangle over on itself along the length of the strip.
- Line each fold up with the last so the triangle stays tight and no filling shows at the corners. Do not overfill, because an overfull sambusa will not seal and opens in the oil.
- Seal the final flap with flour and water paste and press the whole edge down. Use flour paste rather than water, which does not hold under frying. Heat the oil to 175°C (345°F). Fry them in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until deep golden. Do not crowd the pan, which drops the oil temperature and gives soft greasy pastry.
- Drain on a rack rather than paper. Serve them hot with a chilli sauce or a squeeze of lemon. They freeze extremely well raw and go into the oil from frozen with an extra minute.
Technique
- The bean filling is the everyday and cheaper version and is very common.
- Ready-made spring roll wrappers are widely used and are essentially the same product.
- They are eaten as a snack rather than a meal, bought a few at a time.
Substitutions
- Spring roll wrappers in place of homemade pastry.
- Lentils or peas in place of red beans.
Variations
- With a red bean filling.
- With minced goat, which is common.
- Made larger, as a fuller snack.
History
Sold at Bujumbura street stalls and market corners, carried inland by Swahili coast traders.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sambusa?
Sambusa is a street food from Burundi: deep-fried triangle of pastry stuffed with spiced beef or beans. Sold at Bujumbura street stalls and market corners, carried inland by Swahili coast traders.
How long does Sambusa take to make?
Sambusa takes 50 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 24. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Sambusa?
Yes, within limits. Spring roll wrappers in place of homemade pastry. Lentils or peas in place of red beans.
What is the most important thing to get right in Sambusa?
Cool every filling completely before folding. Cold filling folds far more easily and does not soften the wrapper as you work. Roll it thin, close to translucent. A thick sambusa is doughy and heavy rather than crisp.
