Kenyan Beef Samosas
Dry-frying the filling before wrapping is the restaurant trick: it drives off excess moisture, so the pastry stays crisp instead of turning greasy. I use store-bought spring-roll wrappers at home,…
Ingredients
- 12 wrappers spring-roll wrappers
- 450 g ground beef
- 1 small finely diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoons minced garlic and grated ginger
- 1 whole finely chopped jalapeño
- 1 each teaspoons ground cumin, ground coriander, and salt
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 flour and 3 water tablespoons all-purpose flour and water for sealing paste
- 1 1/2 quarts neutral frying oil
- 2 whole lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it into very small crumbs, until no pink remains and most of the fat has cooked away.
- Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, then add the cumin, coriander, salt, and peas. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the mixture is dry and the onion is tender.
- Spread the beef mixture on a plate or shallow tray and cool it for at least 10 minutes. Cooling matters: hot filling softens the wrappers and makes them split in the oil.
- Mix the flour and water in a small bowl to make a thick, smooth paste. Keep the wrappers covered with a slightly damp towel so they remain pliable while you work.
- Place one wrapper in front of you with a corner pointing down. Put about 2 tablespoons of filling near the lower third, fold the bottom corner up and over the filling, fold in both side corners, then roll toward the top corner. Brush the final edge with flour paste and press firmly to seal. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
- Pour the oil into a heavy pot to a depth of about 2 inches and heat to 350°F. Fry the samosas in batches of 3 or 4 for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until evenly golden and crisp. Do not crowd the pot, or the wrappers will absorb oil.
- Transfer the samosas to a wire rack set over a tray, not directly onto paper towels, so steam can escape and the bottoms stay crunchy. Serve immediately with lime wedges, or hold them in a 250°F oven for up to 20 minutes.
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