Delectable Mince Samoosa recipe (keema samosa)

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This Cape Malay Mince Samoosa recipe for crispy pastry pockets filled with fragrant minced beef or lamb meat, onion, coriander and heady spices, is perfection in every bite.

During my childhood I only ever ate the chicken and meat samosas that my mother or my Aunty Gadija made themselves. They had perfected their individual perfect proportions of protein to onions and spices. Every bite was perfection and I never once thought ‘urggh too much onion’.

When my mum’s hands became too painful with arthritis to continue folding her own samosas, she started ordering from her dear friend Mariam. Aunty Mariam made samosas to sell and over the years since I moved to Dubai I have been the recipient of Aunty Mariam’s generosity. Without fail, whenever I visit Cape Town she still sends me back to Dubai with minced beef samosas, chicken samosas and potato samosas.

Aunty Mariam has not been well for a while so I decided that I need to perfect my own samosa recipes. From cracked pastry triangles with the filling spilling out and sticky black residue left after deep frying, I am not impressed with the store bought versions.

How to make mince samoosa filling

Our meat samosas are similar to Indian Keema Samosa, although we don’t add any peas or potato to the minced meat.

• Dry fry the minced meat (beef or lamb) until no liquid reminds. My mother always bought steak mince for her samosas because it had just the right amount of fat.
• Rub finely chopped onions with salt and then blanch with hot water and drain and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. This will remove what my mum referred to as ‘wild onion taste’.
• Basic spices like garlic, ginger, cumin powder and NO garam masala.

Top tips when making home made mince samoosas

• Use a clean unused fabric kitchen towel for squeezing the liquid from  the onions. I found that cheesecloth works for small batches of onion but you may require a tea or dish towel for bigger amounts . Soak the bag in soapy water immediately after use to remove the smell and yellow onion stains.
• Don’t use the onion cloth for anything else and when it has dried, store it in a ziplock bag for future use.
• When folding a minced meat samosa make sure the filling is tightly packed but not overfilled and that the pastry can be folded over to make a tight corner.
• Check that all the corners are tight and small enough to hold any back any small fragments of filling. If the corners are wide open the filling will escape during frying and turn black in the oil. Remove any burnt bits with a skimmer or spider strainer.
• When removing the cooked samosas from the oil let them drain on a plate or baking sheet lined with kitchen paper towel.
• Do not stack the hot samosas against or on top of each other as the steam and heat will cause the pastry to become soft.
• The uncooked samosas can be frozen for 3-6 months if you do not want to use them immediately. I normally pack 10-12 samoosas laying flat in a ziplock bag and then freeze. It takes up less space this way.
• Defrost in the fridge before use in summer and on the counter for a few hours during winter.

How to make samosa pockets

There are two ways to fold samosas using pastry strips, and you should use the method you find easiest. While you are folding the samosas ensure that the unused pastry sheets are covered with a clean damp tea towel to prevent them drying out and cracking.

Method 1

• Fold one end of the strip over and fold it over again to form a triangle pocket. Spoon in the minced meat filling then fold over the long end until the triangle is sealed and the corners are tight. Smear the glue across the last portion to seal the samosa.

Method 2

• Lay the samosa strips on the work surface and spoon on a bit of the minced meat filling. Fold over the short edge to form a triangle and keep folding towards the long end until a short piece remains. Smear the glue across and seal. Ensure that all the corners are tightly sealed.

How to make crispy mince samoosas

Minced meat samosas can be deep fried, shallow fried or baked from frozen and will stay crispy as long as they are properly drained of oil after frying and not piled on top of each other. The heat and steam will make the pastry soft.

Serve your delicious crispy mince samoosas with spicy chutney or samoosa dip.

How to Deep Fry mince samoosas

• Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or deep saucepan on medium high until the temperature is between 170C-185C.
• Test if the oil is hot enough by inserting the back of a wooden spoon into the oil and if bubbles form around it you can start frying.
• Take each room temperature samoosa and lightly press against the sides to puff them up, taking care not to press too hard and split the pastry.
• Place the samosas carefully in the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden.

How to Shallow fry mince samoosas

• Heat the oil on medium heat in a shallow frying pan.
• Test if the oil is hot enough by inserting the back of a wooden spoon into the oil and if bubbles form around it you can start frying.
• Take each samoosa and lightly press against the sides to puff them up, taking care not to press too hard and split the pastry.
• Place the samoosas carefully in the oil and fry until golden then turn and fry until the second side is the same color.
• The samoosas will be darker where the pastry is closer to the cooking surface of the pan.

How to Bake mince samoosas

• Heat the oven to 200 Celcius / 180 Fan / 390 F / Gas Mark 4 about 10 minutes before you want to bake your mince samosas.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray or brush the paper with oil.
• Place the meat samosas on the parchment paper and brush or spray the top with a light coating of oil.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes then flip them over and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until golden and crispy.

How to cook frozen samosas

• If deep or shallow frying from frozen, put the mince samoosas into cold oil and it will heat up together with the oil. This ensures that the samoosa pastry doesn’t burn while the filling remains cold.
• Fry on both sides until golden.

Other recipes you make like

• Scrumptious Chicken Samoosa recipe – 2 ways
• Cape Malay Daltjies – Spinach and sweet corn fritters
• Cape Malay Chicken Spring roll recipe
• Cape Malay Potato samoosas
• Cheese and Corn samoosas
• Red Chutney Samoosa Dip recipe

Cape Malay Mince Samoosa recipe (beef or lamb)

Razena Schroeder

This Cape Malay Mince Samoosa recipe for crispy pastry pockets filled with fragrant minced beef or lamb meat, onion, coriander and heady spices, is perfection in every bite.

4.52 from 31 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Samosa folding 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizers and Starters

Cuisine Cape Malay

Servings 25

Calories 124 kcal

Equipment

• Bamboo cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Colander or strainer
• Kettle
• Kitchen towel
• Frying pan
• Measuring spoons
• Wooden spoon
• 1 Small food preparation bowls
• Deep fryer pot
• Kitchen paper towels

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Onions

• 7.5 ml salt
• 240 grams onion 1 large finely chopped

Filling

• 500 grams minced beef or lamb
• 10 ml grated garlic or garlic paste approximately 2 teaspoons
• 5 ml grated ginger or ginger paste approximately 1 teaspoon
• 5 ml salt, to taste approximately 1 teaspoon
• 2.5 ml turmeric powder approximately 1/2 teaspoon
• 5 ml chili powder approximately 1 teaspoon
• 5 ml coriander powder approximately 1 teaspoon
• 5 ml cumin powder approximately 1 teaspoon
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 250 ml fresh coriander leaves and stems

Assembly

• 70 grams cake flour approximately 125 ml or 1/2 cup
• 30 ml water
• 25 samoosa pastry sheets

Instructions

 

Onions

• Peel and finely chop the onions then place into a stainless steel colander or strainer.
• Rub the onions with salt and let sit for 5 minutes then pour over a kettle of boiling water and allow to drain.
• Squeeze out the excess moisture from the onions by placing it in a clean unused tea towel, and turning the edges tight.

Filling

• Heat a high sided frying pan on medium high without oil and add the minced beef or lamb.
• Cook the minced meat until it is crumbly and no liquid remains. This may take about 20 mins on medium high.
• Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, chili powder, coriander, cumin powder, salt and sliced chilli and cook through for 5 minutes.
• Add the drained chopped onions and stir to combine thoroughly then remove from heat. You don't need to cook the onions more than that.
• Place the mixture into the stainless steel colander over a bowl and allow to cool and drain of excess liquid.
• When the mixture is completely cool, chop the coriander and stir through before filling the samosas. Use a sharp knife so the coriander doesn't bruise and turn brown.

Assembling the samosa

• Mix the flour and water for the glue when the chicken filling is cool and you are about to assemble.
• Take the short end of the samoosa pastry strip and fold across until it is aligned with the long end and fold over once more to make a triangle shaped pocket.
• Fill the pocket with one tablespoon of samoosa filling. Use more or less depending on the width of the samoosa pastry strips.
• Fold the long end of the pastry strip over the pocket and continue folding the triangle until only a short flap remains.
• Use your finger or the back of a teaspoon to spread samoosa glue onto the pastry strip.
• Fold the glued section against the triangle and ensure that all the corners are tight.
• Deep fry in hot oil and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 124kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 6gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 366mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 128IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg

Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used.

Keyword egg free recipe, make-ahead, spicy

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