If the sight of those Ye Misir Sambusas (Ethiopian Lentil Samosas) instantly makes you need to prep a giant batch for the freezer so that you’ve bought them available each time the craving hits, us too. This recipe from Luladey Moges’ new cookbook, Enebla: Recipes From an Ethiopian Kitchen, is straightforward to scale up and prep upfront, the writer confirmed. “The one factor I’ll notice,” she shared through e-mail, “is the quantity of sambusas you make must be primarily based on how a lot you stuff the wrapper, so should you use the really useful two tablespoons from the recipe, you’ll get double the batch.”
You can also make the filling a day upfront after which fold and fry if you’re able to eat — simply be sure the filling is room temperature or hotter. “I don’t advocate assembling it with chilly filling proper from the fridge, as you might burn the surface attempting to heat up the filling,” Moges cautioned. And if you wish to tuck some pre-cooked sambusas into the freezer for one more day, merely defrost them first and keep away from the microwave for reheating, “as the surface could turn out to be soggy,” she defined. As an alternative, she recommends popping them within the air fryer or oven to crisp them up once more. Learn on to learn to make these lentil-packed snacks from scratch — a favorite of Moges’.
Ye Misir Sambusa (Ethiopian Lentil Samosa)
By Luladey Moges
Sambusa is a pastry full of lentils or beef, much like the Indian samosa. It was one in all my favourite snacks after I was rising up. Truly, it’s nonetheless a favourite. It’s served as an appetizer or snack.
Components
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 jalapeños, deseeded and diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tsp floor coriander
- Salt and pepper
- ½ (4.7-oz) bundle egg roll/spring roll wraps (or 8 sheets of phyllo pastry, halved)
- Vegetable oil for frying (about 4 cups)
Preparation
Place the lentils in a pot, add sufficient water to cowl them by 2 inches, and convey to a boil over medium warmth. Prepare dinner, stirring sometimes, till the lentils are al dente, about 5 minutes. You don’t need them totally cooked or mushy. Take away from the warmth, drain, and put aside.
Place the onions and oil in a skillet. Prepare dinner over medium warmth till the onions are translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir within the jalapeños, garlic, and ginger. Prepare dinner to melt barely, about 5 minutes. Stir within the lentils and coriander, ensuring the coriander doesn’t clump. Flip down the warmth to low, add salt and pepper to style, and stir. Cowl the pot and let cook dinner, stirring sometimes, till the lentils are totally cooked, 8–10 minutes. Take away from the warmth and put aside.
Working with one egg roll wrapper at time, fold every sheet right into a cone and add 2 tablespoons of lentils. Fold within the high edges of the wrapper to shut it, brush a bit water alongside every edge, and seal. Repeat the method with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Place 4 cups of oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot. The oil must be at the least 4 inches deep, nevertheless it shouldn’t come greater than midway up the edges of the pot, so regulate the quantity as required. Place the pot over excessive warmth and convey the oil to boiling level (365°F). Deep-fry just a few sambusas at a time, ensuring they’re submerged within the oil and gently turning them in order that they cook dinner evenly on all sides. Give the oil a couple of minutes to return to temperature between batches. As soon as they’re golden brown, about 5 minutes, use a slotted spoon to take away them from the pot and place on paper towel or parchment paper to empty the oil.
Serve whereas heat with a facet of sauce—my private favorites are awaze or kochkocha—or by itself.
Observe: For the meat model of this dish, known as ye siga sambusa (beef sambusas), substitute the lentils with 1 pound of floor beef. Place the meat in a pot and add sufficient water to cowl it by 2 inches. Convey to a boil over medium warmth and cook dinner, stirring sometimes, till uncommon/medium-rare however not totally cooked, about 5 minutes. Take away from the warmth, drain, and comply with the tactic above from paragraph 2 to the tip.
Serves 4–6.
Excerpted from Enebla: Recipes From an Ethiopian Kitchen by Luladey Moges. Copyright © 2022 by Luladey Moges. Printed by TouchWood Editions. Reproduced by association with the Writer. All rights reserved.
