The South African Indian samoosa is a crispy savoury snack folded into a triangular shape. It can be filled with meat and/or vegetables. The samoosa recipe on the Indian Delights South Africa website is divided into three parts – the pastry (this article), a meat samoosa filling and a potato samoosa filling. Most South African stores now carry pre-made samoosa pastry (pur) which is a convenient option.

Ingredients

3 cups of flour
Cold water
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
12 teaspoons of ghee (clarified butter) *

Substitute
Ghee can be substituted for margarine or butter but this does alter the taste.

Method

  1. Sift flour and salt together.
  2. Combine the lemon juice and water. Add this liquid mixture to the dry ingredients.
  3. Mix well to form a dough. Knead the dough to remove any air bubbles.
  4. Divide the dough into 12 portions.
  5. Roll each portion into a ball and flatten it between the palms of your hand.
  6. Roll the portions on a floured board into circles.
  7. Using only 6 circles, brush each side with 1 teaspoon of ghee.
  8. Pile the each disc on top of each other with a sprinkling of flour between each disc. Do not grease the underneath of the last disc and the surface of the top disc.
  9. Roll out the pile of 6 disc’s into a single large circle.
  10. Trim of the edges of the circle to form a square.
  11. Toast the dough circle on both sides on a non stick frying pan or a flat grill.
  12. Toss and turn lightly several times to separate the layers.
  13. As soon as the layers begin to separate remove from heat and set aside. This is now samoosa pastry or pur.
  14. Repeat the steps with the remainder of the 6 portions.
  15. When the pur is cooled, cut the pur into two inch wide long strips.
  16. The strips can be filled with the filling of your choice and deep fried until golden brown in colour.