Minced Meat Curry Samosas

My first attempt at samosas happened very early on in this blog's history. While the end result was tasty and quite filling (though not at all photogenic), this first attempt was far from an ideal filled pastry. So a few weeks back when I concocted a curried mince meat for stuffed eggplant, I set some filling aside and froze it in anticipation of a samosas take two.

From the stuffed eggplant experience I knew that the filling was stellar. I need only nail the pastry. After the lackluster baked samosas back in February I opted to fry these savory little suckers. It was the right choice. Deep frying makes everything tastier...

the filling recipe is my own
pastry recipe and samosa frying tips adapted from samosa-recipe.com

makes about 24 samosas

The Ingredients:
filling:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 lb ground meat (lamb, beef or turkey)
1/4 onion, minced
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp tomato paste
pinch of turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked

pastry:
1 - 2/3 cups flour
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup water

The Process:
For the pastry:
Mix flour and salt into a medium bowl. Make a well into the center and add the oil and enough water to make a firm dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes. Roll into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the filling:
Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onions. Saute over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the onions are translucent and beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes more.

Add the ground meat, and cook until no longer pink, 10-12 minutes. Break up any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add the tomato paste, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes more. Stir in peas and rice until well combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the samosas:
Divide the pastry into 12 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time (keep remaining dough covered) form piece into a ball and roll the ball out into a circle about 6" in diameter. Divide circle into two equal pieces with a knife.Brush the straight edge of the semi-circle with a little water and form a cone shape around your fingers, sealing the dampened edge.

Fill the cone with 1 Tbsp of the minced meat curry. Dampen the open edges of the cone with a little water and press firmly together to seal the cone. Set aside on a parchment lined baking sheet and prep the remaining samosas.

In a deep skillet heat about 1/2" of vegetable oil. Working in small batches fry the samosas until crisp and lightly browned, 3-4 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel.

Serve warm with yogurt and chutney.

The review:

These samosas kicked my initial attempt out to the water. I was leery of the pastry at first, mostly because of the tediousness and frustration of filling all 24 little pockets of goodness. For the easily thwarted, I highly recommend purchasing a puff pastry in lieu of making your own. Though the end result of the struggle with a home-made dough is well worth it, I promise.

The pastries bubbled and blistered in deep fried glory. The dough had just enough salt to enhance the curry filling. While in most situations these would be served up as a tasty starter, paired with a fresh green salad ours made for an incredibly satisfying summer dinner.