Samosas are one of the best snacks ever; they are so versatile and perfect when entertaining lots of guests. My children adore samosas made of lamb mince, chicken mince, and even vegetables. Growing up, samosas were always handmade, and the pastry was by far the best part for me. I still remember when I discovered Spring Roll Pastry; it was the next best thing to sliced bread, and it revolutionised the way I made samosas at home. All of a sudden, making samosas wasn’t daunting anymore, and it became easy for everyone to pack in their freezers.
How to make mince samoosa filling.
In the lamb mince samosas, I don’t add any peas or potatoes to the minced meat. (It’s totally your choice.)
- Dry-fry the minced meat (beef or lamb) until no liquid remains. I always bought lamb mince for samosas because it had just the right amount of fat.
- I also use extra-diced onions. This just adds to the flavour.
Ingredients
- 2 large onions, diced
- Finely sliced green chilies
- Salt
- Chopped mint leaves
- Chopped coriander leaves
- All-purpose flour
- Samoosa pur
Method:
Rinse the lamb mince and leave it in a colander to drain the water. Add the mince to a pot or pan and allow it to cook. When the juices dry up, add the ginger and garlic paste. After giving it a mix on medium heat, add the diced onion. Saute for 10 minutes, then add the green chilies. Mix and simmer on low heat. This curry should be completely dry. Remember, I did not use oil. Now add the mint and mix. Lastly, add chopped coriander.
Be sure the corners are sealed properly so that when you fry, oil doesn’t go into the samoosa.
Top tips when making home-made mince samoosas.
- Use a clean, unused kitchen towel to squeeze the liquid from the onions. I found that cheesecloth works for small batches of onion, but you may require a tea towel or dish towel for bigger amounts.
- Don’t use the onion cloth for anything else, and when it has dried, store it in a zip-top 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 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 towels.
- 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 the summer and on the counter for a few hours during the winter.
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 170°C and 185°C.
- 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 °C, 180 °F, 390 °F, / Gas Mark 4 for 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-frying or shallow-frying from frozen, put the mince samoosas into warm 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.
Happy cooking, and enjoy these delicious delights!
Visit my channel. “Cooking with Shams.”