UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
Recipes from Kenya

Recipes from Kenya

Date: 28 Nov 90 21:13:19 GMT From: nessinger@atmo1.atmo.arizona.edu Subject: MEAT: Samosa

I lived in Kenya for about 3 years and as I was leaving I found this recipe for SAMOSAs in the Daily Nation (Their so called newspaper). What follows is word for word.

SAMOSA

Patricia had often tried to make samosas at home but with little success, I sugested this recipe to her and others.

Ingredients: 200 gms flour For filling : 150 gms minced meat 1 bunch of DHANIA 3 chopped onions 1/2 tsp mixed spices 1/4 tsp white pepper 4 green chilies 1/2 tsp cummin seeds 2 gloves of garlic 1 finger fresh ginger

You can add spices as you choose. You will also need salt to taste, oil for deep fat frying, a little flour for making paste and some slices of lemon for sprinkling the ready product.

Fry the minced meat with all the onions and all the spices in a little oil. Mix the dough with water until you have a consistent structure as for CHAPATI. Divide it into small protions, add some margine and roll out the 6cm cube into a thin round shape about 6cm 12-15cm.

Brush with oil, dust with abundant flour, place another round on top after having rolled as the first. Repeat this operation so that you now have three layers rolled out, oiled and dusted with flour.

Roll out the triple layer until quite thin. Put on a hot pan free of oil. Do not allow to brown. Only cook lightly. Turn to cook the other side only for about 30 seconds. It should now look like a whitish CHAPATI.

On taking it out of the frying pan separate the three layers from each other. They should readily come apart. Put aside covering with a damp cloth to keep moist.

Mix the little flour and water to prepare a thin paste. Cut the rounds horizontally. Pick an lower edge and move toward centre, making a triangular shape. Seal the sides with paste.

Fill with an appropriate amount of filling Seal open side When you have six deep fry and make the next ones. Serve with lemon slices which when squeezed add an appetising flavour.

The words which are all caps are Kiswahili words. Dhania is a readily found spice here called cilantro. You need to have a thin dough, for when you deep fry, the outside will be crunchy and inside doughy if the dough is thick.

I also have a recipe for MANDAZZIs but I will have to post it later. If you want to use the Kikuyu (one of the tribes) cooking method at home, it simple:

Boil til soft.

Kupika vizuri! na aliniandika ikiwa yeye kupenda chakula. Asante Sana.

G. Nessinger E-mail Nessinger%ATMO@RVAX.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU


Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
Previous Menu Home Page What's New Search Country Specific