These vegetarian “beef” samosas are a 100% plant-based take on East African style samosas. Crunchy and deliciously filling.
Samosas are eaten in many forms around the world. Many may also know it as sambusa, samosa, sambosek, or singara, but they are more or less the same thing. Samosas are unyeasted flour dough stuffed with spiced beef, chicken or potatoes and peas, shaped into triangles and fried. As a kid in Tanzania, I used to love eating these after school. Now that I’m an adult who’s also vegan, I’ve missed these childhood treats and ventured to veganize their beef versions. The plant-based mince is perfectly seasoned, and the crust is extremely crunchy and delicious.
What is a samosa and where does it come from
When most people hear about samosa, they might fall in love with Indian food that is usually served in Indian restaurants or sold in Indian grocery stores. A triangular-shaped snack with a well-seasoned filling made with spices traditionally used in Indian cuisine. But like many dishes found in the Indian Ocean and Middle East, samosas are another artifact of trade and migration with roots throughout the Middle East and South Asia.
The first mention of samosa is by an 11th-century Persian historian, describing a snack stuffed with meat, nuts and spices and fried until crisp. The snack then made its way to India through trade, war and migration, where it adapted to local tastes. Trade brought this flaky dish across the Indian Ocean, where it was adopted as part of the diet by cultures in the Horn of Africa and East Africa. In Tanzania and other East African countries, samosa was brought with the millions of indentured Indian laborers brought by the British to build railroads or has been used for centuries on the Swahili coast. It may have existed because of the Indian and Arab influences in
What you need for this recipe
filling
- Plant-based mince: These plant-based mince add a taste and texture similar to real beef mince and complement the spice flavor well. For substitutions, please read the substitution list.
- vegetable: Onions, ginger, garlic, green peppers, carrots. These are customizable, but onions, garlic and ginger are very important.
- spices: Just cumin, garam masala and salt.
rapper
- If you want to make your own, just flour and water
- You can also buy frozen spring roll wrappers at the grocery store
How to Make Vegetarian “Beef” Samosas
filling
- Cook the plant-based mince until all the moisture evaporates and is crisp
- Add the seasonings and vegetables and sauté until the vegetables are tender.
- set aside to cool
rapper
- Knead the water and flour together until you have a soft, non-sticky ball.
- rest for 30 minutes
- Roll into a log and divide into 6 equal parts
- Take one, roll it into a small circle, oil it and then dust it with flour.set aside
- Roll the next piece into a small circle, layer oil and flour over the expanded circle, then oil and dust with flour. Repeat with next dough.
- Repeat step 5 to start another stack
- Roll out the stack and fry in a skillet until partially cooked
shape and fly
- Make a paste/glue with flour and water
strip method
circle method
Frequently Asked Questions + Substitutions
- I have nothing but meat. Are there any alternatives you suggest? Any plant-based ground meat works well. You can also feel free to use cooked lentils in this recipe. 1 can of browned lentils or about 1.5 cups of cooked lentils work well for this recipe. Place the lentils, spices and vegetables in a pot and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
- Garam Masala is not accessible. Are there alternatives? Garam masala is now readily available at many major grocery stores.
- Do you have any suggestions for gluten-free wrappers? The wrapper is gluten-dependent, but you’re welcome to try this recipe with all-purpose gluten-free flour. Bob’s Red Mill.
Want to try other East African recipes?
- Mushroom Pilaf: A typical rice recipe eaten throughout East Africa with a plant-based twist.
- Mishkaki Tofu: Mishkaki is a style of grilled meat eaten in some East African countries. This plant-based alternative used the same flavors and spices to make tofu taste even better.
- Ugandan Rolex: This Ugandan-inspired street snack is made with eggs cooked with chapattis to make a great roll.
If you like this recipe leave a comment below
Vegetarian “Beef” Samosa
These vegetarian “beef” samosas are a 100% plant-based take on East African style samosas. Crunchy and deliciously filling.
Serving: 16 samosas
rapper
- 230 g flour
- 1/2 cup water (155g)
filling
- 1 vegetable meat pack 340g
- 1/2 mini onions
- 1/3 green onion
- 1/3 Carrot
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- salty
samosa skins (skip if using store-bought skins)
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Measure the flour into a bowl and add water. Start with 1/2 cup and add more if the batter is too dry. You want it soft, but not sticky.
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Knead for 5 minutes to get a soft ball
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Place in a well-oiled bowl to rest
samosa filling
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While the wrap is resting, mince all ingredients and weigh out all spices.
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Place the vegetable meat mouse in a pot and heat over medium heat until it changes color. I used the Beyond Meat Pack so I waited for all the gravy to release and start crisping.
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Make sure there are no large chunks of plant-based mince
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Add the seasonings and chopped vegetables and simmer until the vegetables are soft (about 10 minutes).
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Place the filling in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator
Cook samosa wrappers (skip step if using store-bought wrappers)
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Roll the skin into a log and cut it into 6 equal parts
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Take one of your cut pieces and roll it into a circle about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.
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Brush generously with vegetable oil on top, dust with flour and set aside.
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Roll out another cut piece into a circle of approximately the same size and layer oil and flour on top of the first rolled out circle.
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Repeat the above steps with another dough. For this last circle, do not grease the top. You should have a stack of 3 small circles.set aside this stack
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Repeat steps 2-5 to start another stack
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Roll out each stack into a large circle 11-12 inches in diameter
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Place the rolled wrappers in a large saucepan over medium-low heat and cook. Cook until the top begins to turn translucent. Flip over and cook the other side for 1 minute. Repeat for the next stack.
strip method
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The strip method cuts the round wrap into three equal strips. Since it is a circle, the edges are curved. You can cut off the curved part to make sure the strip is rectangular. Set aside these pieces as they can be fried as chips.
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Gently separate the strips
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See photo above for a good depiction
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Make a paste with about 2 tablespoons of flour and enough water
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To assemble the samosa, first fold one corner into a triangle, then fold it in half to make an inverted triangle, apply glue to the unfolded part, and fold the triangle into the glued part.
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pick up a triangle like a cone
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fill with filling
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Put the flour paste on the widened side and fold the triangular stuffing on the raw paste part
quadrant method
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The quadrant method cuts the circle diametrically from left to right then top to bottom to get four corner pieces.
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Gently separate the strips
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See photo above for a good depiction
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Make a paste with about 2 tablespoons of flour and enough water
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Pointed corners face up and rounded corners face down.
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Fold the rounded ends to form an inverted triangle and use flour paste to glue the sides
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Gently lift the triangle and hold it like a cone
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Stuff tightly, then tuck shortest end into stuffed samosa to seal in place
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Apply glue to the flap and fold it in to complete the triangle.Make sure all corners are tightly sealed
fried samosa
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Fill the pan with neutral oil up to about 1/3
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Heat the oil over medium heat and add the dough pieces to the oil to make sure it is hot enough. When it floats and sizzles, the oil is ready.
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Add the samosas one by one into the oil until the pan is full.Fry both sides until golden brown
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Remove and dry with a paper towel
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It is best eaten warm, and can be enjoyed as is.
