Vegetable Samosas (Sambusa ya Mboga)
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When it comes to the world of snacks, few treats offer the same level of satisfaction and complexity as the samosa. This particular recipe focuses on a vegetarian version of the famed treat – the Vegetable Samosa or “Sambusa ya Mboga.” Bursting with flavor, packed with nutrition, and crafted from fresh, seasonal vegetables, this snack is sure to delight everyone in the family, offering a healthy alternative to the traditional meat-filled variant.
PrintVegetable Samosas (Sambusa ya Mboga)
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 23 samosas 1x
Ingredients
- 557 g cabbage
- 1 head fresh garlic (42 g)
- 4 red-skinned onions, unpeeled (389g)
- 2 raw orange carrots (307 g)
- 3 pieces fresh ginger (34 g)
- 3 cups (363 g) raw green garden peas
- 3 ¾ cups (825 g) water
- 4 ¼ cups (608 g) refined wheat flour
- 1 ½ tsp. (7 g) iodized salt
- 1 ½ tsp. (2 g) fresh green chilli
- 4 1/3 cups (857 g) cooking oil
Instructions
Step 1: Preparing the Vegetable Filling
Start by washing your vegetables. Finely chop the cabbage and onions, grate the peeled carrots, and crush the peeled garlic and ginger using a mortar and pestle. Boil the peas in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes.
Next, heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a pot for 2 minutes before adding the onions. Allow these to cook for 12 minutes, then add your garlic, ginger, and green chilli. Stir this mixture as it cooks for 3 minutes, then add in your carrots. Cover the pot, letting it cook for 2 more minutes.
Now it’s time to incorporate the cabbage. Add it to the pot, stir, and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt, stir again, and cook for another minute before adding the peas. After 1 more minute of cooking, remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
Step 2: Creating the Samosa Pockets
In a bowl, mix 3 ½ cups of wheat flour with 1 cup of cold water. Knead the mixture until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough and roll into medium-sized balls.
Flatten the balls on a lightly dusted surface, apply a little oil onto each piece of dough, and stack three pieces together (the oil helps the layers separate later). Roll out each stack into thin discs.
Using a circular plate, trim the edges of the rolled-out dough to form a circle the size of the plate. Lightly cook each side of the dough for 1 minute in a hot pan. Separate each lightly cooked layer and place them into a wide bowl or plate, covering them to prevent drying.
Step 3: Assembling the Samosas
Mix ¾ cup of wheat flour and ¾ cup of water to create a paste. This will be used to bond and seal the samosa edges. Fold the lightly cooked dough layers into two, cut them in half, and then quarters. Fold a quarter into a samosa case, applying the paste to hold the edges together.
Fill each samosa pocket with the cooled vegetable mixture and use the wheat flour water paste to seal the samosa case.
Step 4: Frying the Samosas
Heat the remaining oil in a pan until it bubbles when a pinch of dough is dropped in. Gently drop the samosas into the oil, cooking each side for 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the oil and place them over kitchen towels to drain excess oil.
Notes
And there you have it – a feast of vegetable samosas ready to be enjoyed! Each samosa is packed with nutritional goodness including 1,361 kJ/ 325 kcal energy, 13.1 g fat, 40.2 g carbohydrates, 8.5 g protein, and 6.2 g fiber per 100g of the recipe.
Keep reading, even when you're on the train!
