Samboosa - a must for Ramadhan

submitted by Sister Khadija, Oum Abdul-Aziz

Ingredients

approx. 1 pound (or ½ kg) of fresh ground meat 
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 diced onion
1 clove of garlic, smashed
¾ cup grated carrot
½ cup frozen green peas
¼ cup chopped parsley, cilantro, or fresh coriander
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon each: turmeric, cumin, black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper powder or 1 chopped fresh hot pepper (or to taste)
salt (or 1 bouillon cube) to taste
Samboosa wrappers, egg roll wrappers, or filo pastry sheets
vegetable oil for deep frying 



Directions

1. In the 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil, brown the ground meat (breaking it into small pieces) with the onion and garlic. Add the carrots, parsley, tomato paste, spices and salt. Sauté for two minutes.

2. Spread the mixture evenly in the bottom of the skillet and add enough water just to barely cover the mixture. Cover and simmer over low heat until the carrot is tender and the liquid is nearly all evaporated.

3. Add the thawed frozen peas in the last few minutes of cooking. When cooking is complete, remove the skillet from the heat and allow the meat mixture to cool to room temperature.

4. To roll: Lay out a samboosa wrapper (long and rectangular in shape) with a short edge of the rectangle directly in front of you. Place a rounded Tablespoon of meat mixture near this edge. Then folding away from you (towards the other short edge), enclose the meat mixture in the wrapper by folding the wrapper in a triangular shape.

5. On the side, make a paste of flour and water (¼ cup flour and ½ cup water). Moisten the final edge of the samboosa wrapper with the flour paste to cause it to stick and keep the individual samboosa in its triangular shape. Place wet ("pasted") side down on a lightly greased plate.

6. Note: if using egg roll wrappers or filo dough, you must cut it into rectangles before stuffing with the meat mixture. For filo dough, use a thickness of two or three sheets. The rectangles can be cut 1½ - 2½ inches wide, depending on the desired size of the finished appetizer, and should be long enough to enable you to completely enclose the meat mixture when folding.

7. When all of the samboosa have been rolled, fry a few at a time in a heavy skillet in one inch of vegetable oil until the wrapper is golden and crispy. Flip at least once while frying to brown both sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm. 

8. Variations: ~ ~ Use shredded cooked chicken instead of ground meat~ ~Add up to two cups of diced vegetables (potatoes, zucchini, tomato, cabbage, green pepper, eggplant and/or cauliflower) with the carrots.