Beef samosa: recipe with ground beef, folding and cooking

Beef samosas are made with a filling of ground meat cooked in advance, flavored with garam masala, cumin, and coriander, then rolled into a triangle in half a sheet of brick pastry. They are then fried for 3 to 4 minutes at 170 °C, or browned for 12 to 15 minutes in a 200 °C oven. It all comes down to a well-dried filling and a tight fold that does not let oil or steam through.

Here is the recipe for about twenty samosas, how to mince and season the filling, the step-by-step folding, and the choice between frying, the oven, and the air fryer.

Homemade beef samosa recipe

Here are the ingredients needed for 20 beef samosas, followed by the preparation steps to follow in order, from cooking the potato to the filling.

Ingredients for 20 samosas

• 300 g of ground beef with 15% fat
• 1 medium potato (about 150 g)
• 80 g of peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 cm of fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon of garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1 pinch of chili, salt
• A small bunch of fresh coriander
• 10 sheets of brick pastry
• 1 tablespoon of flour mixed with a little water, for sticking
• Oil for frying, or 3 tablespoons of oil for the oven

Steps

1. Peel the potato, cut it into small 5 mm cubes, and cook for 8 minutes in salted water. Drain.
2. Sauté the finely chopped onion, garlic, and ginger in a drizzle of oil for 5 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add the spices, stir for 30 seconds, then add the meat. Break it up with a spoon and cook until it has lost all its red color and the juices have evaporated.
4. Add the potatoes and peas, season with salt, and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the chopped coriander.
5. Let the filling cool completely before folding. When hot, it softens the pastry and causes it to tear.
6. Fold the samosas (see below), then fry or bake them.

The filling is completely cooked before going into the pastry: the final cooking is only to brown the pastry, it would not be enough to cook the meat through. If you want a filling base to use in other dishes, start with our ground meat filling recipe.

How many samosas to plan per person?

The quantities depend on whether the samosa opens or makes up the meal. Allow 3 to 4 samosas per person for an aperitif, and 5 to 6 as a main course with a salad. The recipe with 300 g of meat makes about twenty pieces: it is enough for an aperitif for 5 or 6 people. Double the quantities for a full meal for 7 or 8 guests.

Getting the filling right: mincing, spices, and moisture

A samosa filling must be fine, flavorful, and dry. A grain that is too coarse pierces the pastry at the corners of the triangle, and a moist filling makes it soggy and causes it to burst during cooking.

• The grain: a fine 3 to 5 mm grid gives meat that distributes well in the small triangles. If you mince it yourself, choose a cut like chuck, with a little fat for tenderness.
• The cooking juices: let them evaporate completely in the pan. A liquid base in the filling means pastry that softens in a few minutes.
• The spices: toast them for 30 seconds in the oil before adding the meat. They release their aroma and the filling does not taste like raw powder.
• The coriander: always off the heat, at the last moment, so that it retains its freshness. A few pulls of a model from the manual cord mincer collection are enough to chop it without crushing it.

Homemade ground meat, prepared just before cooking, also releases less water than a tray left open since the day before. To compare the appliances that do this work at home, from manual to electric, see our meat grinder collection.

Which pastry to use: brick, filo, or samosa dough?

The pastry determines the ease of folding more than the taste. Brick pastry is the easiest to find and the sturdiest for folding. Samosa dough sold in pre-cut strips saves time, as there is nothing left to cut. Filo pastry, which is thinner, is layered in two sheets so as not to tear.

Triangle folding, step by step

Frying, oven, or air fryer: which cooking method to choose

This table compares the three cooking methods for samosas, with the temperature, duration, and result obtained. Choose according to the desired crispiness and the quantity to cook.

In the oven and the air fryer, brush each samosa with oil using a brush on both sides: without fat, the brick pastry dries and whitens instead of browning. When frying, submerge them in small batches so that the oil does not cool down, then drain them on absorbent paper.

Can samosas be prepared in advance?

Yes, and it is even practical for an aperitif for several people. The filling can be kept for 24 hours in the refrigerator in a closed box. The folded and raw samosas freeze flat on a tray, then in a bag, for about 3 months. Cook them without thawing, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the cooking time.