Samoosas - the Pastry

Name: Samoosas - the Pastry
Yield: 48
Cuisine: Fusion
Ingredients: cake flour; turmeric; salt; water; white vinegar; vegetable oil

Submitted by bellamojo

Samoosa pastry is the homemade South African version of samosa wrappers, made by stacking oiled and floured dough rounds, par-baking, then peeling into thin sheets. Crisp, flaky pockets ready for any savory filling.

YIELD

48 servings

PREP

30 min

COOK

15 min

READY

45 min

Samoosa pastry is the foundation of South African Indian-style samoosas, those crisp, triangular fried pockets you find at every Diwali table and roadside cafe in Durban. Instead of buying spring roll wrappers, this method builds layered sheets from a simple turmeric-tinted flour and water dough, with a touch of vinegar to relax the gluten and oil between the layers to keep them separate.

The stacking technique is what makes it work. Four oiled and floured rounds get rolled together as one, then a quick par-bake puffs the layers apart so you can peel them into the long, thin strips that fold around your filling. The damp cloth at the end is essential. The sheets dry out fast and crack instead of folding cleanly.

Pro Tips

Knead the dough until smooth and rest it for 20 to 30 minutes before dividing. Rested dough rolls thinner without snapping back.
Be generous with the oil between layers but light with the flour. Too much flour and the sheets seal back together in the oven.
Watch the par-bake closely. Two to three minutes is enough. Any longer and the sheets crisp up and shatter when you try to fold.
Stack peeled sheets with a sheet of parchment between each pile and freeze what you don’t need within an hour of cooling.

Variations

Skip the turmeric for a paler, neutral wrapper that works for both savory and sweet fillings.
Brush a little ghee instead of vegetable oil between layers for a richer, more traditional flavor.
Pair these with a spiced potato and pea filling, or stuff with a curried mince for the classic Durban-style samoosa.

Ingredients

750

ML CAKE FLOUR *

PINCH TURMERIC *

2 ½

ML SALT *

250

ML WATER
cold *

ML WHITE VINEGAR *

ML VEGETABLE OIL *

Directions

Preheat oven to 200 ‘C.

Sift flour, tumeric and salt into a mixing bowl.

Combine water and vinegar and mix with flour to a fairly stiff mixture, The consistency of bread dough.

Divide into 12 balls. Working with four balls of dough at a time, roll each into a round the size of a large saucer (15 cm in diameter).

Using your fingers, spread a little oil on each round, covering it well so that it does not stick during cooking.

Sprinkle lightly with flour and place one round on top of the other, oily sides together.

You will now have two rounds, each made up of a double layer of dough.

Oil and flour the tops in the same way as before. Sandwich these together to form a single pile of four rounds.

Each layer of which has been oiled and dusted with flour.

Repeat with remaining balls of dough.

Gently roll out piles of rounds on a lightly floured board to a 25 cm diameter circle or oval.

Turn the pastry from time to time. Place the rolled out pastry on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 2 to 3 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up slightly.

Remove from oven and cut into strips 6 cm wide and 25 to 30 cm long.

Then separate into thin layers before the pastry cools down.

Cover with a damp cloth to prevent the pastry from drying out.

Fill the pocket with one of the samoosas filling recipes.

Seal off the small remaining edge with a paste of flour and water, Then lightly pinch two bottom edges together to puff it up before you fry it.

Once the filling and folding has taken place, You deep-fry the samoosas in hot oil over medium heat, turning once or twice to ensure that they are evenly cooked.

When golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

* not incl. in nutrient facts

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