East Africa · Street food

Samboussa comorienne (Spiced Minced Meat Pastries)

Name: Samboussa comorienne (Spiced Minced Meat Pastries)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Comoros
Ingredients: 500 g lean minced beef (10% fat); 18 piece thin samboussa pastry wrappers (or spring roll sheets cut into 20x7 cm strips); 150 g red onions (very finely minced); 50 g spring onions (scallions, thinly sliced); 15 g garlic cloves (finely grated); 10 g fresh ginger (finely grated); 3 piece fresh green pili-pili chilies (finely minced); 20 g fresh coriander leaves (cilantro, finely chopped); 5 g ground cumin; 5 g ground coriander; 3 g ground turmeric; 6 g fine sea salt; 30 g all-purpose flour (mixed with 30 ml water into a sealing paste); 500 ml neutral vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Crisp triangular pastries stuffed with dry-cooked spiced ground beef, scallions, fresh herbs, and crushed green chilies.

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street-foodsamboussafried-pastryappetizer

The story

Reflecting centuries of maritime spice trade with Oman, India, and the Swahili coast, the Comorian samboussa is the undisputed star of island celebrations and afternoon teas. Unlike softer samosas elsewhere, the Comorian version relies on paper-thin homemade pastry rolled from boiled flour dough or delicate brik sheets, fried to a pale golden, brittle crunch. The filling is cooked completely dry before wrapping to prevent trapped steam from softening the delicate pastry crust during frying.

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