#parchment paaper

[atravellingfoodie]

This Cape Malay spicy Chicken Samoosa recipe makes delicious crispy triangles filled with minced chicken, aromatic spices, finely diced onion and coriander. My favorite is an approximation of my mother’s easy samosa recipe using minimal spices.

Samoosas are a very popular snack item in Cape Town and during Ramadhan it is practically compulsory at iftar with soup, boeber or falooda milkshake.

My mother never made the samosa sheets herself but used home made ready made pur or samosa pastry strips. You can use store bought good quality samosa pastry strips to make this chicken samosa recipe. My father always found a reliable supplier for the pur or samosa pastry sheets, and my mother made her own filling for chicken samoosas, meat samoosas, cheese samoosas, potato samoosas and vegan samoosas (made with soya mince). The best thing about making our own samoosas was having the off-cut pastry to fry for paaper and snacking on later.

One day after my father’s best friend mentioned that his daughter Feroza had started a small cottage industry, my dad immediately called her to place an order to support her business. Her products included meat samoosas and chicken samoosas, and from the first bite we were hooked. Her samosa pastry was crispy when fried, and the beef and chicken samoosa filling tasted very close to my mother’s own recipes.

We ordered fresh and frozen samosas from her until she stopped making them for sale. Thereafter my mother resumed making her own samosas until my father passed away. Then she learned that her friend Mariam made samosas to sell, and ordered from her instead. I have been the recipient of Aunty Mariam’s generosity for many years and whenever I visit Cape Town she still sends me back to Dubai with minced beef samosas, chicken samosas and potato samosas.

Aunty Mariam has not been well for a while so I decided that I need to perfect my own samoosa recipes. From cracked pastry triangles with the filling spilling out and sticky black residue left after deep frying, I am not impressed with the store bought versions.

How to make a chicken samoosa recipe

For as long as I can remember, my late father refused to eat anyone else’s chicken samoosas because he said no one else’s tasted as good as my later mother’s samoosas.

I have included two chicken samoosa filling recipes below because they have similar ingredients but different methods of making the filling. Both versions are sealed with an edible glue slurry made from flour and water.

Method 1 is how I remember my late mother making chicken samoosas:

Dry fry the minced chicken until no liquid reminds.

Rub finely chopped onions with salt and then blanch with hot water and drain and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. This will remove what my mum referred to as ‘wild onion taste’.

Basic spices like garlic, ginger, cumin powder and NO garam masala.

Method 2 is the way Katriena makes it based on my Aunt Gadija’s recipe:

Dry fry the minced chicken until no liquid reminds.

Squeeze out as much liquid as possible from the onions then simmer the onions with cooked minced chicken.

Add garam masala and other spices.

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  Top tips when making home made samoosas

Use a clean unused fabric kitchen towel for squeezing the liquid from  the onions. I found that cheesecloth works for small batches of onion but you may require a tea or dish towel for bigger amounts . Soak the bag in soapy water immediately after use to remove the smell and yellow onion stains.

Don’t use the onion cloth for anything else and when it has dried, store it in a ziplock bag for future use.

When folding a chicken samoosa make sure the filling is tightly packed but not overfilled and that the pastry can be folded over to make a tight corner.

Check that all the corners are tight and small enough to hold any back any small fragments of filling. If the corners are wide open the filling will escape during frying and turn black in the oil. Remove any burnt bits with a skimmer or spider strainer.

When removing the cooked samoosas from the oil let them drain on a plate or baking sheet lined with kitchen paper towel.

Do not stack the hot samoosas against or on top of each other as the steam and heat will cause the pastry to become soft.

The uncooked samoosas can be frozen for 3-6 months if you do not want to use them immediately. I normally pack 10-12 samoosas laying flat in a ziplock bag and then freeze. It takes up less space this way.

Defrost in the fridge before use in summer and on the counter for a few hours during winter.

Samosa folding method

There are two ways to fold samosas using pastry strips, and you should use the method you find easiest.

Method 1

Fold one end of the strip over and fold it over again to form a triangle pocket. Spoon in the chicken filling then fold over the long end until the triangle is sealed and the corners are tight. Smear the glue across the last portion to seal the samosa.

Method 2

Lay the samosa strips on the work surface and spoon on a bit of the chicken filling. Fold over the short edge to form a triangle and keep folding towards the long end until a short piece remains. Smear the glue across and seal. Ensure that all the corners are tightly sealed.

My mother always used the first method and I didn’t know there was even a second method until we saw her newly married friend’s wife making minced beef samosas one day when we visited their home.

More than twenty years later the same couple were invited to lunch at our home one Sunday. My mother was making samosas for Ramadhan and when her friend arrived earlier than his wife, he helped us with the samosa folding. When his wife arrived about 20 minutes later she found him chatting away, rapidly folding one samosa after another (using method 1).

I’ll never forget the look on her face as she watched him in utter dismay. Eventually she couldn’t help herself and blurted: ‘you never told me you knew how to fold samoosas’. My mum laughed and said: ‘he’s been folding samosas since he was 9 years old and we helped Mrs. Boltman on a Friday night when she had the takeaways downstairs’.

He looked up sheepishly and said: ‘you were always so organised with your samosa making and I didn’t want to interfere’. 😀

How to cook chicken samoosa

Chicken samoosas can be deep fried, shallow fried or baked from frozen. Serve your chicken samoosa with delicious chutney.

How to Deep Fry chicken samoosas

Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or deep saucepan on medium high.

Test if the oil is hot enough by inserting the back of a wooden spoon into the oil and if bubbles form around it you can start frying.

If frying from frozen, put the samoosas into cool oil and it will heat up together. This ensures that the samoosa pastry doesn’t burn while the filling remains cold.

Take each room temperature samoosa and lightly press against the sides to puff them up, taking care not to press too hard and split the pastry.

Place the samoosas carefully in the oil and fry until golden then turn and fry until the second side is the same color.

How to Shallow fry chicken samoosas

Heat the oil on medium heat in a shallow frying pan.

Test if the oil is hot enough by inserting the back of a wooden spoon into the oil and if bubbles form around it you can start frying.

Take each samoosa and lightly press against the sides to puff them up, taking care not to press too hard and split the pastry.

Place the samoosas carefully in the oil and fry until golden then turn and fry until the second side is the same color.

The samoosas will be darker where the pastry is closer to the cooking surface of the pan.

How to Bake chicken samoosas

Heat the oven to 180 Celcius / 160 Fan / 350 F / Gas Mark 4 about 10 minutes before you want to bake your chicken samoosas.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray or brush the paper with oil.

Place the chicken samoosas on the parchment paper and brush or spray the top with a light coating of oil.

Bake for 10 minutes then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes.

For more appetisers click on one of these other snack recipes below:

Daltjies spinach and corn fritters

Sweet corn and polenta fritters

Caramelised onion, fig and brie tart

Cape Malay Chicken Samoosa recipe (Method 1)

Crispy triangles filled with aromatic spicy minced chicken.

Onions

5 ml salt

250 grams onion, finely chopped (approximately 1 large unpeeled onion)

Filling

500 grams chicken, minced finely

2.5 ml salt (approximately 1/2 teaspoon add more to taste)

10 ml grated garlic or garlic paste (approximately 2 teaspoons or 3 cloves grated)

5 ml grated ginger or ginger paste (approximately 1 teaspoon or 1 inch piece grated)

2.5 ml turmeric powder (approximately 1/2 teaspoon)

2.5 ml chili powder (approximately 1/2 teaspoon)

5 ml coriander powder (approximately 1 teaspoon)

5 ml cumin powder (approximately 1 teaspoon)

2 green chillies, sliced

40 grams fresh coriander leaves and stems, finely chopped (approximately 375 ml or 1 1/2 cups)

Samoosas

25 samoosa pastry sheets

35 grams cake flour, for sealing (approximately 60 ml or 1/4 cup)

45 ml water, for sealing (approximately 3 tablespoons)

oil for deep frying (I use sunflower oil)

Onions

Peel and finely chop the onions then place into a rice colander.

Rub the onions with salt then pour over a kettle of boiling water and allow to drain.

Squeeze out the excess moisture from the onions by placing it in a clean unused tea towel or cheese cloth, and turning the edges tight. Repeat three or four times.

Filling

Heat a high sided frying pan or wok on medium high without oil and add the chicken mince.

Cook the chicken mince until the chicken is crumbly and no liquid remains. This should take about 15 minutes.

Add the salt, garlic, ginger, turmeric, chili powder, coriander and cumin powder and chopped chillies and cook through for 5 minutes.

Add the drained chopped onions stir to combine thoroughly then remove from heat. You don't need to cook the onions more than that.

Taste the filling to check the seasoning and add more salt, if required.

Place the mixture into a rice colander over a bowl and allow to cool and drain of excess liquid.

When the mixture is completely cool, chop the coriander and stir through before filling the samosas. Use a sharp knife so the coriander doesn't bruise and turn brown.

How to assemble a samoosa

Mix the flour and water for the glue when the chicken filling is cool and you are about to assemble.

Keep the length of the pastry facing away from you and fold the bottom right corner across to the left edge.

Now fold that across to the right side again to form triangle shaped pocket. Ensure that the bottom tip of the pocket is tightly sealed or all the filling will escape during frying.

Fill the pocket with two tablespoons of samoosa filling. Use more or less depending on the width of the samoosa pastry strips.

Fold the long end of the pastry strip over the pocket and continue folding the triangle until only a short flap remains.

Use your finger or the back of a teaspoon to spread samoosa glue onto the pastry strip.

Fold the glued section against the triangle and ensure that all the corners are tight.

At this point you can either fry the samosas, refrigerate and use within 2 days, or freeze until required.

Frying

If frying, heat the oil in a medium sized pot, wok or deep fryer. Make sure it is at least 2 cm's deep so that the samoosas don't touch the bottom of the pot.

When the oil sizzles around the back of a wooden spoon add the samoosas one at a time and don't overcrowd the pot.

Cook until golden brown on each side for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Serve hot.

Nutrition: I have estimated 5ml sunflower oil per samoosa even though if cooked at the right temperature the pastry does not absorb any oil. 

If using an air fryer, cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Soak the cloth that you used for the onions in soapy water immediately to remove the smell and stain. Use this cloth only for this purpose.

Method 2 is by Simone and Katriena Fortuin. When relatives in Citrusdal wanted Samoosas a few Christmasses ago,  Simone and Katriena set about to make their own minced meat and chicken samoosa fillings. Katriena couldn’t remember how my mother used to make it and asked my Aunt Gadija for guidance. I have tasted their samoosas and they are very delicious.

Spicy Chicken Samosa recipe (Method 2)

Crispy triangles filled with aromatic spicy minced chicken.

Onions

Filling

250 grams onion, finely chopped (approximately 1 large unpeeled onion)

500 grams chicken, finely chopped

2.5 ml salt (approximately 1/2 teaspoon, add more to taste)

10 ml garam masala (approximately 2 teaspoons)

10 ml fresh garlic, finely minced (approximately 2 teaspoons)

2.5 ml turmeric powder (approximately 1/2 teaspoon)

5 ml cumin powder (approximately 1 teaspoon)

5 ml crushed chili flakes (approximately 1 teaspoon)

40 grams fresh coriander leaves and stems, chopped (approximately 375 ml or 1 1/2 cups)

Assembly

25 samoosa pastry sheets

35 grams cake flour (approximately 60 ml or 1/4 cup)

45 ml water (approximately 3 tablespoons)

oil for deep frying (I use sunflower oil)

Filling

Peel and finely chop the onions then squeeze out the excess moisture from the onions by placing it in a clean unused tea towel, and turning the edges tight.

Heat a high sided frying pan or wok on medium high without oil and add the finely chopped chicken.

Cook the chicken mince until the chicken is crumbly and no liquid remains. This should take about 15 minutes.

Add the drained chopped onions stir to combine thoroughly and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the salt, minced garlic, garam masala, turmeric, crushed chili flakes and cumin powder and cook through for 5 minutes.

Taste the filling to check the seasoning and add more salt, if required.

When the mixture is completely cool, chop the coriander and stir through before filling the samosas. Use a sharp knife so the coriander doesn't bruise and turn brown.

Assembling the samoosa

Mix the flour and water for the glue when the chicken filling is cool and you are about to assemble.

Keep the length of the pastry facing away from you and fold the bottom right corner across to the left edge.

Now fold that across to the right side again to form triangle shaped pocket. Ensure that the bottom tip of the pocket is tightly sealed or all the filling will escape during frying.

Fill the pocket with two tablespoon of samoosa filling. Use more or less depending on the width of the samoosa pastry strips.

Fold the long end of the pastry strip over the pocket and continue folding the triangle until only a short flap remains.

Use your finger or the back of a teaspoon to spread samoosa glue onto the pastry strip.

Fold the glued section against the triangle and ensure that all the corners are tight.

At this point you can either fry the samosas, refrigerate and use within 2 days or freeze until required.

Frying

If frying, heat the oil in a medium sized pot, wok or deep fryer. Make sure it is at least 2 cm's deep so that the samoosas don't touch the bottom of the pot.

When the oil sizzles around the back of a wooden spoon add the samoosas one at a time and don't overcrowd the pot.

Cook until golden brown on both sides for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Serve immediately.

Nutrition: I have estimated 5ml sunflower oil per samoosa even though if cooked at the right temperature the pastry does not absorb any oil. 

If you are concerned about the samoosa coming apart, you can smear some glue along the edges of the triangle of the first and second fold. It may however make the end result slightly heavier and more chewy. 

If using an air fryer, cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Soak the cloth that you used for the onions in soapy water immediately to remove the smell and stain. Use this cloth only for this purpose.

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Scrumptious Chicken Samoosa recipe – 2 ways This Cape Malay spicy Chicken Samoosa recipe makes delicious crispy triangles filled with minced chicken, aromatic spices, finely diced onion and coriander.