Cardiff Bay Sambusa
Crisp golden Somali pastry triangles filled with spiced Welsh minced lamb, fragrant cumin, fresh coriander, and fiery green chillies.
- Prep
- 35 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 410 kcal
Equipment
- •Frying pan
- •Deep heavy-based pan
- •Slotted spoon
- •Pastry brush
- •Mixing bowl
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- fat
- 21 g
- carbs
- 32 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 22 g
- calories
- 410 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat on the hob.
- 2
Add the minced lamb and cook until browned, breaking up any large clumps.
- 3
Drain off any excess fat, keeping the browned meat in the pan.
- 4
Add the diced onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, cumin, coriander, cardamom, and salt.
- 5
Cook for five minutes until the onions soften and turn translucent.
- 6
Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped fresh coriander.
- 7
Allow the spiced meat filling to cool completely to room temperature.
- 8
Mix the plain flour and water in a small bowl until smooth.
- 9
Fold a pastry strip into a cone, fill with filling, and seal.
- 10
Heat the vegetable oil in a deep heavy-based pan to 180°C.
- 11
Fry the sambusas in batches for four minutes until golden and crisp.
- 12
Transfer to kitchen paper to drain and serve warm.
Chef's tips
Ensure the spiced filling cools completely before assembling the sambusas, as hot steam softens the delicate pastry and causes tears. Seal all pastry edges firmly with the flour paste so oil cannot seep into the pockets during frying.
Ingredient substitutions
- Welsh minced lamb → minced beef or cooked brown lentils for a vegetarian alternative
- spring roll pastry sheets → filo pastry sheets brushed lightly with vegetable oil
Storage
Keep fried sambusas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days, or freeze assembled, uncooked sambusas for two months.
Reheating
Reheat chilled sambusas on a baking tray in a preheated oven at 190°C for eight to ten minutes until crisp.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overfilling the pastry triangles, causing the seams to burst apart in hot oil.
- •Frying at too low a temperature, which makes the pastry absorb oil and turn greasy.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Cardiff Bay Sambusa?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from Cardiff and the South Coast
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
