This is one of the most anticipated snacks on my dinner table during Ramadan, the Muslim’s holy month of fasting. It is a lengthy and laborious task, but the satisfaction you get from your family enjoying these homemade tasty delights is second to none!

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 my mum discovered Spring Roll Pastry, it was the next best thing to sliced bread and it revolutionised the way we made samosas at home. All of a sudden making samosas wasn’t daunting anymore and it became easy for everyone to pack their freezers full of them. Samosas almost always have to be present at iftar time (sunset, when Muslims break their fast) on my dinner table during ramadan.

I think all of us at some point or another have tried to make pastry like they do in the shops, the pastry is crisp, bubbly and delicious however for convenience we shall be using spring roll pastry. I always find restaurants that sell handmade samosas keep the onions largely sliced and in this recipe this is what I’m trying to replicate. If you don’t like biting into larger bits of onions then you may slice your onions finely. I don’t like adding any extra oil to the mince as it contains plenty already. I know some people boil the fat off but I leave the fat in as this has lots of flavour and instead drain it after cooking. Experiment to create your own combinations; replace the peas I’ve used here with diced potatoes, mixed vegetables or even lentils which was what my mum loved doing. To make your mince go further you might like to try combining a packet of Quorn Mince to this recipe which will mean you’ll have the taste of real mince but it stretches the number of samosas you can make at a fraction of the cost. If you are vegetarian, replace the lamb mince for a Quorn or soya protein alternative and you will have an equally tasty dish. How you vary this recipe rests with your imagination!

You will need: for Minced Lamb Samosas

1 kg lamb mince (approx)
2 tsp minced ginger
3-4 onions peeled
1.5 tsp salt
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
3-4 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
3-4 cardamoms
2 tsp Bolsts mild mixed curry powder
4 green chillies
handful of peas OR vegetable of your choice
chopped coriander
1 pack of spring roll pastry
1 egg (for sealing samosas)

Method:

Wash and drain the mincemeat. Add the washed mince to a large heated frying pan, cook uncovered. Add 2 tsp of ginger while this cooks. By browning the mince like this first and adding your onions to the mince you avoid adding extra oil. You want the mince to brown and most of the liquid to evaporate. Largely slice 3 -4 onions while waiting.

After some of the liquid has evaporated, add the sliced onions and 1.5 tsp salt. Turn the flame down and leave uncovered while you prepare your coriander and cumin seeds.

In your spice grinder add 2 tsp of coriander seeds and 2 tsp of cumin seeds and roughly grind, the texture is much nicer kept rough. If you don’t have a spice grinder like this using a pestle and mortar is equally as good, add to your mince.

Add 3 -4 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 -4 cardamoms and 2 tsp of Bolsts mild mixed curry powder. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and cook covered to allow the onions to soften. Finely slice 4 green chillies.

Add the sliced green chillies to the mince. If there is a lot of liquid remaining in the mince once the onions are soft and cooked through, uncover and allow the excess moisture to evaporate. You should notice the fat/oil bubbling around the top and sides once most of the moisture has evaporated.

I’m using a handful of peas to the mince, peas require very little time to cook through. If you’re opting for a different vegetable like potatoes/mixed vegetables you will need to cover them and allow them to cook through properly. I want to retain a bright green colour on my peas so am literally cooking them uncovered for a couple of minutes, you can taste to check if they are cooked.

Add chopped coriander and remove from the heat promptly.

Place the mince in a colander while it’s still warm to allow the fat to drain away easily. Place colander on a plate to collect the fat which you can discard after it has cooled down in the bin and NOT into your sink/pipes!

5.0 from 7 reviews

Minced Lamb Samosas

 

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Author: Afelia's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 kg lamb mince (approx)
• 2 tsp minced ginger
• 3-4 onions peeled
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3-4 cardamoms
• 2 tsp Bolsts mild mixed curry powder
• 4 green chillies
• handful of peas OR vegetable of your choice
• chopped coriander
• 1 pack of spring roll pastry
• 1 egg (for sealing samosas)

Method

1. Wash and drain the mincemeat. Add the washed mince to a large heated frying pan, cook uncovered. Add 2 tsp of ginger while this cooks. By browning the mince like this first and adding your onions to the mince you avoid adding extra oil. You want the mince to brown and most of the liquid to evaporate. Largely slice 3 -4 onions while waiting.
2. After some of the liquid has evaporated, add the sliced onions and 1.5 tsp salt. Turn the flame down and leave uncovered while you prepare your coriander and cumin seeds.
3. In your spice grinder add 2 tsp of coriander seeds and 2 tsp of cumin seeds and roughly grind, the texture is much nicer kept rough. If you don't have a spice grinder like this using a pestle and mortar is equally as good, add to your mince.
4. Add 3 -4 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 -4 cardamoms and 2 tsp of Bolsts mild mixed curry powder. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and cook covered to allow the onions to soften. Finely slice 4 green chillies.
5. Add the sliced green chillies to the mince. If there is a lot of liquid remaining in the mince once the onions are soft and cooked through, uncover and allow the excess moisture to evaporate. You should notice the fat/oil bubbling around the top and sides once most of the moisture has evaporated.
6. I'm using a handful of peas to the mince, peas require very little time to cook through. If you're opting for a different vegetable like potatoes/mixed vegetables you will need to cover them and allow them to cook through properly. I want to retain a bright green colour on my peas so am literally cooking them uncovered for a couple of minutes, you can taste to check if they are cooked.
7. Add chopped coriander and remove from the heat promptly.
8. Place the mince in a colander while it's still warm to allow the fat to drain away easily. Place colander on a plate to collect the fat which you can discard after it has cooled down in the bin and NOT into your sink/pipes!
9. Take a look at all the fat and feel happy you didn't add any more and have done away with it! ☺
10. Cut your large spring roll pastry into 3 equal parts using kitchen scissors. Alternatively buy smaller pastry made for samosas. Normally I'd use 2 sheets of pastry for a single samosa, as I've purchased an airfryer (look at my older posts to find out what I'm talking about) I won't be frying them, so am using single sheets.
11. Start by folding the left hand side of pastry and creating a triangle shape.
12. Fold the triangle over itself and you've now created a pocket. Pick this up and using your fingers 'open up' the pocket. Take 2 tsp of your mince (more if you want plumper samosas) and fill. To seal the samosa, you can do two things: one is to take some of your whisked egg and apply to the remaining corner of the pastry (bottom right photo). This is the best method if you're frying your samosas.
13. Fold the sealed edge over, the egg helps this stick well (top left photo). The alternative method for those of you that don't want to spend forever sealing it with egg, is to tuck the remaining corner of pastry into the samosa (top right photo). You then have closed the samosa but not completely sealed it (bottom left photo). Line up your samosas as you make them and then freeze.
14. Deep fry in hot oil when you want to serve, or like me, use your airfryer and relish crispy, guilt free samosas. Enjoy with a sauce of your choice, delish!

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