Many Guyanese enjoy Samosas, a delectable pastry brought to us an East Indian snack. Samosa is believed to have originated in the Middle East but has gradually spread and become in demand around the world in countries ranging from Africa, China, to Guyana and the Caribbean. As the samosa recipe spread across the world, it was modified and each region added its own twist to this traditional pastry. Some other names for Samosa include samoosa, sambosa and samusa. These snacks are Samosas are used as entrées, appetizers, in the local cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, Western Asia, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, and Africa.
Samosas – Photo By Madhura Vaze – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40953649
What is Samosa?
Samosa is a pastry that is usually filled with a savoury combination of vegetables or seasoned minced meat or fish. The vegetarian filling is typically made of cheese, spiced potatoes, onions, peas, meat, or lentils (split peas/dhal). While various meats are used for the filling for the meat samosas like beef, chicken, lamb, and even pork, beef is a popular choice for meat samosa. Samosas can be eaten alone but are best when accompanied by tamarind, mango or mint chutney or a little bit of all.
Interesting Tip
- The earliest form of Samosa originated in the Middle East though many of us know this as an Indian dish.
Vegetable Samosas
Ingredients
- 1 cups flour
- Salt to taste and water to mix
- Some oil and flour mixed to a thick paste
Filling
- 1 lb potato/peas or minced meat
- 1/2 tsp jeera, dhania, garam masala, salt, turmeric
- Few drops of lime juice
- Oil
- Some flour and water mixed into a thick paste
Method
- Add salt to flour and mix with water to form a stiff dough.
- Divide into small portions and roll out portions into small circles.
- Spread oil and flour mixture on one and place another puri over it and repeat twice.
- Then with four puris as one, roll out very thin.
- Heat a skillet and bake roti light without browning it
- Place on a flat surface and cut out edges slight to obtain a square shape. Cut into (four) 4 long strips and separate the layers in each strip.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Alternately make the dough with the help or water and two tablespoons of butter.
- Roll it out to a size of a roti and cut into half.
- Form into a triangle.
- Fill with potato mixture.
- Seal the ends and fry.
- Cover and let cooked.
- Fill the pastry strips with mixed vegetable filling, forming neat triangles.
- Use flour and water paste to paste the edges.
- Heat oil and fry samosa to a light brown colour.
- Allow to cool and enjoy.
Beef Samosas
Ingredients
Filling
- 350 gm ground beef
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium potato chopped
- ¼ cup green peas I used frozen
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- Two cups of oil (To fry in)
Dough
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ cup warm water you may need less
Method
- Add ground beef in a pan and fry for a few minutes.
- Add the onion and potatoes, stir until the onion is translucent.
- Add salt and spices and saute some more on medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat and cook until the onion turns light brown the beef is cooked.
- Add the green peas and cook for another three minutes. Keep aside.
- Note: No oil added to the filling since the beef had enough fat to cook everything with.
Making the dough:
- In a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well.
- Gradually add the water and knead until you get a smooth dough.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Preparing the samosa:
- Make six (6) equal balls from the dough then take one ball and roll with the rolling pin into a medium thickness circle around (6) inches.
- Use a knife to cut the circle into halves.
- Take one-half and fold into a cone. Seal when done
- Place this cone between your thumb and index finger.
- Fill the cone with meat filling, might take two tablespoons or little less.
- Wet the edges of the dough with water and pinch to seal. Now you should have a triangular-shaped samosa. Repeat this step with the rest of the dough and filling.
- Cover the samosa with a cloth and keep it aside for 20 minutes.
- In a medium pan, heat the oil and fry on medium heat four about seven (7) minutes until the samosa is golden brown.
- Leave to cool, then enjoy with chutney.
Interesting Tip
- Beef can be substituted for another meat like chicken, pork or even fish!
Samosa in Guyana
Although Samosas are considered an Indian snack it Guyana, it is still enjoyed by all Guyanese. You will find many Hindus preparing them during their religious holidays, but you can also find Samosas all year-round in most restaurants and cafeterias in the country. These tasty triangles are eaten as a snack, appetizer and are filling enough for a full meal. Samosas, whether packed with vegetable and meat are a worldwide delight.
Article References
- http://guyanainc.biz/daily-updates/guyanese-recipe-samosa/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samosa
- https://sukhis.com/samosa-story/
- https://www.munatycooking.com/punjabi-crunchy-beef-samosa/
