Sambusas are a popular snack food that originated from Italy and have been enjoyed by many cultures around the world ever since.
The earliest mention of sambusas dates back to 1590 AD, but it wasn’t until 1820 AD that they were first introduced into America by Italian immigrants who brought them with them on their journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
Today, there are several different types of sambusas, including sweet potato, apple, and even chocolate.
There are also a variety of different ways to enjoy this delicious treat.
What Is The Origin Of Sambusa?
Sambusas are believed to be an adaptation of a dish called “sampusa” which originated in Sicily.
This type of pasta was originally made from chickpea flour (also known as gram flour) and water.
It’s thought that the name “sambusa” comes from the Sicilian word for chickpea, although no one knows exactly when it was first created.
In addition to being served as a side dish, sampusa can also be used as an ingredient in other dishes like meatballs.
The texture of sampusa makes it ideal for this purpose because its softness allows you to easily incorporate it into your favorite foods without breaking up too much.
There are various theories about how the sambusa was adapted to include vegetables instead of just chickpea flour and water.
Some believe that it evolved over time due to the fact that Italians began using more vegetables during the late 19th century.
However, others think that it may have come from American chefs learning what Americans liked better than the original version.
Regardless of where it came from, the end result is still a tasty treat that everyone should try at least once!
What Are The Traditional Ingredients In A Sambusa Recipe?
A good old-fashioned sambusa consists of two flaky layers of dough wrapped around a spicy meat filling.
The most common fillings include spiced potatoes, onion, lentils, ground beef, or chicken.
This type of sambusa is usually served warm and can be eaten alone or dipped in sauce for an extra boost of flavor.
There are also more exotic versions of sambusas available today.
For example, some restaurants offer a dessert version of this classic dish.
Others serve them at weddings and other special events.
If you want to take your taste buds on an adventure, try something new like these chocolate sambusas.
- Apple Sausage (sweet) Sambusea (Italian)
- Spinach and Cheese Sambusa (Mexican)
- Chicken Bacon Sambusa (American)
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sambusa (American)
How Do You Make Sambusa?
There are two main methods for making sambusa – frying and baking.
Frying involves deep-frying the dough while baking uses an oven method to cook the dough.
- Fried Sambusa Recipe
- Baked Sambusa Recipe
Step 1 – Fry
First off, start out by preparing your batter.
You can use either all-purpose flour or bread flour (whichever one sounds better).
Next, add the eggs right before mixing everything together so that they don’t get scrambled.
Then, mix just enough water into the dry mixture to create a thick paste.
This will help prevent lumps when kneading the dough later on.
Now, grab a bowl big enough to hold at least 2 cups of oil.
If you want to be safe, you should use vegetable oil because it doesn’t contain any trans fats.
Once your oil has reached 350 degrees Fahrenheit, drop about 3 tablespoons of batter into the center of the pan using a spoon.
Using a spatula, gently push the batter up against the edge of the pan, forming a disk shape.
Do not spread the batter too thin, otherwise the sambusa won’t puff up properly.
Next, flip the sambusa over after about 5 minutes and let it fry another 10 minutes.
After removing the sambusa from the hot oil, drain it completely on paper towels.
Let it cool down slightly before slicing it open like a sandwich.
Step 2 – Bake
To bake sambusas, preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once heated, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl and then gradually stir in the milk and butter until the mixture forms a ball.
Knead the dough briefly and then divide it into 12 pieces.
Roll each piece between your hands to form a smooth round disc.
Place these discs onto the prepared cookie sheet, spacing them apart from each other.
Brush the top of each disc with melted butter and allow it to sit for 20 minutes.
This gives the dough time to rise slightly.
After the dough has risen, place it into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
Remove the sambusa from the oven and brush it again with more butter.
The entire process takes about 40 minutes total, so prepare yourself a plate full of snacks!
What Are Some Common Variations Of Sambusa?
There are three main variations of sambusas:
- Sweet Potato Sambuca – This variation involves mixing mashed sweet potatoes with bread crumbs and spices before frying in oil.
- Apple Sambuca – This variation includes applesauce instead of breadcrumbs for the coating.
- Chocolate Sambuca – This variation uses dark cocoa powder mixed with coconut milk to flavor the batter.
Some other common variations include adding cheese, chili pepper flakes, or honey to the dough before baking.
What Is The Best Way To Serve Sambusa?
A good sambusa should be served hot out of the oven.
If you want to make your own version at home, head over to our homemade sambusa recipe page where we provide an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide that will help you create your very own sambusa masterpiece.
Although sambusas can be quite large in size, most people prefer to eat them individually rather than sharing one big piece between two people.
That said, if you do plan on serving multiple people, just remember that each person needs about five bites per finger.
If you decide to go ahead and share a single piece of sambusa, then make sure you cut off any excess batter before eating so everyone gets equal portions.
In addition to being eaten alone, sambusas can also be dipped in various kinds of sauce.
These include tomato, chili, and ranch flavorings.
You can purchase these condiments already mixed up, or you can prepare your own dip by mixing together equal parts ketchup, mayonnaise, and milk.
You can also add finely chopped green onion, garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and/or cayenne pepper.
The key here is to not use too much seasoning because this will overpower the flavor of the sambusa itself.
What Are Some Common Dipping Sauces For Sambusa?
The most commonly used dipping sauce when enjoying a sambusa is ketchup.
However, you can find other options like mayonnaise, mustard, hot pepper sauce, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, salsa, guacamole, and more.
Some people love to dip their sambusas in these flavors while others prefer plain old ketchup.
The choice really comes down to personal preference.
You might be wondering how to make your own homemade dipping sauce if you don’t want to buy one at the store.
You can easily create your very own homemade version using any number of condiments.
- 1 cup ketchup (or another thick tomato-based sauce)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- Pinch of paprika
- 1/8th teaspoon chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup water
- ⅓ cup vinegar
- Whisk everything together well before serving.
What Are Some Common Fillings For Sambusa?
There are two main categories when it comes to what you can put in your sambusas.
The first type of filling includes vegetables like spinach, green beans, peas, zucchini, mushrooms, and so forth.
Another category consists of meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs, nuts, seeds, and other ingredients.
If you love pizza, then you will probably be attracted to one of these foods because most toppings are similar to those found on a pizza.
However, if you prefer something more exotic, then you might want to try a vegetable-based filling instead.
Spinach Filling
This is a traditional Italian dish that has become very popular over time.
It typically contains spinach leaves, cheese, egg yolk, salt, pepper, olive oil, and breadcrumbs.
You can use any combination of vegetables that you would normally find in an omelet (such as tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onion, etc.), along with whatever spices you choose to add.
Green Beans Filling
This tasty concoction is made up of green beans, garlic, red bell pepper, olive oil, butter, and Parmesan cheese.
It is important not to overcook your green beans before adding them to your sambusas because once cooked, they tend to lose their vibrant color and taste bland and mushy.
Pea Filling
A classic Italian dish, this filling usually contains fresh or frozen baby peas, mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar, salt, flour, and sometimes cayenne pepper.
You can vary this recipe depending on how much flavor you want to bring to the table.
If you don’t feel like using mayonnaise, you could substitute sour cream or plain Greek yogurt instead.
Lentil Filling
This is another favorite among vegetarians, especially vegans.
You should know that lentils contain protein, fiber, iron, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, and copper.
These nutrients are beneficial to people who need extra protein during pregnancy, nursing mothers, children, athletes, and anyone else looking to build muscle mass.
Some recipes call for mixing whole lentils with tomato sauce, while others use canned lentils alone.
Either way, the mixture needs to be drained well before being used in your sambusas.
Ground Beef Filling
Just like a hamburger patty, ground beef provides high levels of both fat and carbohydrates.
This means that it helps keep you full for longer periods of time.
When buying ground beef, make sure that it isn’t too lean because this means that the amount of calories per serving goes down significantly.
Also, avoid fatty cuts of meat because they will take longer to cook than leaner ones.
Chicken Filling
Many people opt for a chicken filling because it tastes great, is easy to prepare, and is low in cost compared to other options on this list.
However, you must remember that chickens come in various sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors.
Therefore, you will need to adjust the cooking times accordingly.
Fish Filling
Most fish dishes consist of seafood, which offers lots of vitamins and minerals.
These include vitamin B12, DHA/EPA omega 3 fats, iodine, calcium, selenium, phosphorous, and protein.
Other components in fish include amino acids, nucleic acids, lipids, pigments, enzymes, steroids, and hormones.
All of these elements play a vital role in keeping our bodies functioning properly.
What Are Some Tips For Making The Perfect Sambusa?
Although most people know about these tasty treats because of their savory nature, there are actually quite a few ways in which you can make them more palatable and enjoyable.
For example, if you want to add a bit of sweetness to your sambusa, you can always use applesauce instead of oil when frying them up.
If you don’t like the idea of using oil, then you may be interested in trying out these other recipes for sambusas – all of which call for vegetable oil.
You may find one that appeals to you enough to try it at home!
- Italian-style Sambusa Recipe – This recipe uses whole wheat flour, olive oil, water, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and sugar. It also calls for 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley.
- Spicy Sausage Sambuca Recipe – This recipe uses sausage, bread crumbs, eggs, milk, butter, milk powder, green bell pepper, sage leaves, thyme, and oregano. The author recommends adding 2 teaspoons of paprika to the mix.
- Chili Lime Chicken Sambuasa Recipe – In this recipe, the author cuts the chicken breast into strips, mixes them together with chili lime sauce, rolls them up, and fries them before serving them hot with an optional side dish of rice pilaf.
- Chicken and Cheese Sambuasca Recipe – This recipe calls for shredded cheese, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, milk, and whole grain mustard. The author suggests cooking the mixture in a skillet over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes per side.
- Sweet Potato Sambuasca Recipe – This recipe combines mashed sweet potato, grated parmesan, and egg yolk with melted butter, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla extract.
- Apple Sambuasca Recipe – Apple pie spice, brown sugar, raisins, and walnuts combine with diced apples, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar to create this scrumptious sambuasca.
How Do You Store Sambusa?
You can either eat your sambusas straight out of the skillet or oven, or you can refrigerate them and consume them later.
You will find that the crispier your sambusa is when you bake it, the better it tastes.
When storing sambusas in an airtight container, keep them away from moisture so they don’t get squishy.
If you plan on keeping them for longer than 2-3 days, place them in the refrigerator once they cool down completely, wrapped tightly inside plastic wrap.
What Are Some Common Mistakes People Make When Making Sambusa?
Like most foods, there are certain things you should avoid while cooking sambusas if you want your dish to turn out well.
- Over-frying: The key to making great sambusas is not frying too much. You don’t want your batter to be cooked so thoroughly that it will become dry and hard. If you fry for too long, your sambusa ends up tasting more like french fries than anything else.
- Not adding enough oil: The second mistake people often make is using too little oil in their sambusa batter. This can result in a very greasy product, which isn’t necessarily desirable.
- Using frozen ingredients: Sous vide (French for “under vacuum”) cooking has revolutionized modern cuisine. It allows chefs to cook at precise temperatures without any risk of overcooking their dishes. But because you’re working with raw meat or vegetables, you need to use fresh ingredients. That means no frozen products.
- Cooking over high heat: When you’re cooking sambusas, you need to keep an eye on how hot your pan gets during the process. Overcooking results in burnt flavor and texture issues, so you want to keep the temperature low.
Ingredients
- 1 package spring roll wrappers
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 leek chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 quart oil for frying
Instructions
- A big skillet with medium heat is used to heat the olive oil. When the onions are translucent, add the leek and garlic and continue to simmer while stirring. Cook the ground beef until about halfway done. Add cardamom, cumin, salt, and pepper for seasoning. After thoroughly combining, grill the beef until browned.
- Make a thin paste out of the flour and water in a small bowl or cup. Fold each wrapper into a cone form one at a time. The meat mixture should be poured into the cone, which should then be sealed with paste. Repeat as necessary to finish the filling or wrapping.
- In a deep fryer or large, deep saucepan, heat the oil to 365 degrees Fahrenheit (170 degrees Celsius). The wrapping should be fully submerged in oil. A couple at a time, fry the Sambusa till golden brown. Carefully remove and let dry on paper towels.
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Nutrition
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