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Misir sambusa
Lentil-filled pastry triangles
Crisp triangle pastries filled with spiced lentils, green chilli and onion
Sambusa are the crunchy triangles sold on the streets of Harar and Dire Dawa, and made at home across Ethiopia for Ramadan, Meskel and Timkat celebrations. The Ethiopian version is usually filled with brown lentils (misir), cooked dry with onion, green chilli and spices, then wrapped in thin pastry and fried until blistered and golden. Eat them hot, with a squeeze of lemon or a spicy dip. Chef's tip: cook the lentil filling until it is quite dry; a wet filling makes the pastry soggy and causes bursting in the hot oil.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the filling
- 7 oz brown lentilsrinsed
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onionvery finely chopped
- 2 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 green chilliesfinely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For wrapping and frying
- 18 spring roll or samosa pastry sheetsabout 21 cm square
- 2 tbsp plain flourmixed with 2 tbsp water to make a glue
- 1 litre vegetable oilfor deep-frying
- 1 lemon wedges (optional)to serve
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cook 7 oz brown lentils in plenty of boiling water for 15–20 minutes, until just tender but not falling apart. Drain very well and spread on a tray to steam dry. Overcooking the lentils into mush is a common mistake; they should still hold their shape.
18 minStep 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 1 red onion for 6 minutes until soft and golden.
6 minStep 3: Add 2 garlic cloves, 2 green chillies, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground cardamom, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and stir for 1 minute. Add the lentils and cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until the mixture is dry and some lentils are lightly crushed. Cool completely.
4 minStep 4: Cut each sheet of 18 spring roll or samosa pastry sheets in half to make long strips. Fold one end over to form a triangle, then fold again to make a cone pocket. Fill with a heaped tablespoon of lentils, fold the remaining strip around it and seal the end with 2 tbsp plain flour paste. Make sure the corners are tightly sealed; open corners let oil in and the sambusa turns greasy.
Step 5: Heat 1 litre vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F (a scrap of pastry should sizzle and rise in 3 seconds). Fry the sambusa in batches for 3–4 minutes, turning, until crisp and golden.
12 minStep 6: Drain on paper towels and serve hot with 1 lemon wedges.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does misir sambusa take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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