The Persian word ‘sanbosag’ means triangle pastry. The lineages of samosas (Indian pastries) and sambusek (Arab pastries) can trace their origins to the same point. Today, these deep-fried appetizers are enjoyed everywhere, and they are the perfect addition to any feast. 

Pumpkin soup duo: Lent and Ramadan versions

Pumpkin soup duo: Lent and Ramadan versions

Preparation Time: 3 hours

Difficulty: Medium 

For the Dough : 

Both of the recipes below start with the same dough base. The amounts listed will be enough to make one type of pastry. 

Servings: approximately 40 pieces, depending on the size of each pastry

Ingredients: 

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1 cup water

Directions: 

Place the flour in a large deep bowl. Add the salt and ½ cup of oil to the bowl. Massage the oil into the flour until the mixture resembles a crumbly sand texture. Add the water and mix until a dough forms and comes together. If your dough feels too dry, you can add an additional spoon of water at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. Place your dough back into the bowl and cover with an additional spoonful of oil. Cover the bowl with plastic and let sit for at least an hour, up to overnight. 

While the dough is resting, move on to preparing the filling of your choice. 

Filling #1 : Potato Samosas

Ingredients : 

4 medium-sized potatoes

½ cup frozen green peas

2 tbs olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbs dried ginger

1 tbs ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tbs ketchup

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ cup chopped fresh coriander or mint or dill

Salt (to taste)

Directions : 

Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Add some salt. Place on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes until they are tender and easy to mash. Once they are cooked, strain all the water out, and mash the potatoes in the same pot. Set aside. 

In a separate pan, add your olive oil, onions and garlic. Fry on high heat until the onions cook and start to get lightly golden. Lower the heat to medium and add the ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, red chili powder, black pepper, and cinnamon. Stir well, and cook until the spices begin to toast and become fragrant. Remove from the heat. Add the ketchup, lemon juice, fresh herbs and peas. Stir until well incorporated. Cover the mixture with a lid and let the residual heat of the pan defrost the peas. Once the peas are tender, add the onion mixture to the potatoes and stir until well combined. The potatoes should become a rich orange color. Add salt to your taste. Adjust the spices to your liking. If you want a kick, add an additional spoonful of chili powder or hot sauce. Once everything is well combined, let your mix cool to room temperature, or place it in the fridge until you are ready to form the samosas. 

Assembling the samosas : 

Take your prepared dough from earlier and divide it into two pieces. Place your first piece of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out the dough until it is thin, approx. 1mm thick. Using a medium-sized bowl with a sharp edge, cut the dough into rounds. To achieve the classic classic triangle shape of a samosa, take the round of dough and cut it in half. You should now have two half-circles. Place some water on the cut side of the half circle. Fold the piece of dough in half, so that the straight edges now press together. Seal this side shut. Your piece of dough should now resemble a cone. Fill the cone with one spoonful of the samosa filling, leaving space at the edge to crimp the remaining open side together. Make sure your dough is well sealed on all sides. It should resemble a triangle. Place on a sheet tray, and repeat with the remaining dough. When you have finished the first sheet of dough, roll out the second sheet and repeat the process. You can cover with plastic wrap and store these overnight in the refrigerator, or proceed to frying. 

Frying the Samosas : 

In a large pot, place 3 cups of vegetable oil. Bring to medium-high heat. Once your oil is hot, add the samosas one at a time, until the pot is full but not overcrowded. Lower the heat to medium and cook the first batch of samosas until golden brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining samosas. 

Serve with ketchup or sweet chili sauce.

Filling #2 : Vegan sambusek

This filling is a culinary ‘Trompe-l'œil’. Minced soy protein is used as a substitute for ground beef. With a little bit of culinary magic, even devout meat eaters will come back for seconds. 

Soy protein can be found at most large grocery stores or online delivery services. This recipe uses the “minced” bag.

Ingredients: 

1 cup minced soy protein

2 white onions, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely minced

¼ cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons

1 tbs tomato paste

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp all spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cube vegetable maggi

3 tbs pomegranate molasses

4 green onions, chopped

½ cup slivered almonds

Salt to taste

Directions : 

Place the cup of minced soy protein in a bowl and cover with just enough water to reach the surface. Set aside. 

In a large pan, place olive oil, white onions and garlic and fry on high heat until onions are starting to brown.

Drain the water from the soy protein and squeeze out any excess liquid with your hands. Add the soy protein to the onions, cooking and stirring until the liquid has dried out and the soy protein is frying in the oil. Add the black pepper, allspice, cinnamon and maggi cube. Stir until well incorporated. Add the soy sauce and tomato paste and keep stirring until they start to caramelize. If the mixture feels too dry, add 2 or 3 spoons of water and keep stirring until the mix comes together. It should resemble ground beef at this point. Remove from the heat and add the pomegranate molasses and chopped green onions. Stir well. In a separate pan, fry the slivered almonds in 2 spoons of olive oil until golden. Add the oil and the nuts to the mixture and incorporate well. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Let the mixture cool to room temperature or place in the fridge overnight until you are ready to roll out your sambusek. 

Assembling the Sambusek : 

Repeat the same process as above but instead of cutting large circles with a bowl, cut smaller circles using a small cup (2-3 cm in diameter). Place one small spoon of filling in the center of the circle. Fold the circle in half and using your fingers or a fork, crimp the edges shut, so the seam of the dough is no longer visible. Repeat with the remaining circles and fry according to the instructions above. 

Serve with ketchup or sweet chili sauce.