Even the brave are scared by a lion three times: first by its tracks, again by its roar, and one last time face to face. -- Somali Proverb
Ingredients
Three large potatoes, boiled and diced into small cubes
1 cup of cooked green peas
One large onion, diced finely
1 bunch of coriander, chopped
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
½ teaspoon of ground chilli or two diced green chillies (optional)
Salt to taste
10 sheets of spring roll pastry
Oil for deep frying
Instructions
Sambuus Qudaar filling
1: Gently cook the diced potatoes, peas, coriander, onions, salt and spices in a pan in a tablespoon of oil and cook for about five minutes.
2: Let the mixture cool.
How to wrap the sambuus pastry (see pictures above)
1: Thaw the spring roll pastry and cover with a clean cloth to keep the pastry from drying out.
2: Mix two tablespoons of plain flour with a quarter cup of warm water to form a paste to seal the pastry's edge.
3: Cut the two pastry sheets into thirds of equal size rectangles. Repeat for the rest of the pastries, using two sheets at a time. In total, you will have 15 rectangles, each forming into one sambuus. Ensure that the pastry pieces are always kept covered with a clean cloth.
4: Fold the two sheets of rectangular pastry into pockets - see picture below.
5: Fill the pocket with about two tablespoons of the vegetable mixture.
6: Spread the flour paste along the edges of the final fold and seal the pastry completely. Ensure that the pastry does not have any holes. You should have a neat triangular sambuus. A well folded sambuus will fry crisply and won't be oily.
7: Repeat the process of filling and folding with the remaining pieces of pastry. Keep the pasties covered in cloth to ensure they don't dry out.
Frying the sambuus
1: Heat up oil in a deep frying pan on medium heat. Test the oil with a small strip of excess dough and if the pastry floats up then you are ready to start frying your sambuus.
2: Fry several sambuus at a time until they are a nice golden colour.
3: Drain the sambuus on a clean kitchen towel and serve with a wedge of lemon, lime or shidni sauce.
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Somali Cook book
Randomsomali cuisine varies from region to region and is a fusion of Somali, Ethiopian, Yemeni, Persian, Turkish, Indian and Italian culinary influences. It is the product of the Somali people's tradition of trade and commerce. Some notable Somali delicac...
