Bet you can’t eat just one! These beef samosas are straight out of my childhood. My mom would always have a batch of these in the freezer to fry up whenever we got home from school or if we had guests over for tea, and of course, samosas are a staple for so many families in the month of Ramadan! I love recipes like these keema samosas because they are made all around the world and are called some variation of the same name. Samosa, samboosa, sambusa, and sambousak are all variations from different cultures for the same thing – cute little triangles filled with ground beef (or poultry, potatoes + peas, or cheese, etc.) filling.
What are samosas?
A samosa is a fried pastry stuffed with a savory filling. It can be made with ground meat, potatoes and peas, cheese, and many other ingredients. Pakistan, India, Kenya, Egypt, Lebanon, and countless other countries make these cute appetizers. You can serve samosas on their own or with a chutney or sauce on the side.
Ingredients for beef samosas:
Ground beef: I like to use 90-95% lean ground beef for this recipe. You don’t want the filling to be excessively greasy!Ginger and Garlic: I use ginger and garlic paste that I find premade at the Asian grocery store. Nowadays you can find this in mainstream grocery stores as well. Many stores have tubes of these ingredients in the refrigerated food section of the store. You can also use a combination of ginger and garlic paste, just use double the amount if the ingredients are combined. You could also grate fresh ginger and garlic if you’d prefer to use that instead.Seasonings: You’ll need a few different spices for this recipe: kosher salt, Indian chili powder, red pepper flakes, garam masala, and turmeric. Keep in mind that Indian chili powder is a little different than cayenne. If you use cayenne, you’ll want to start with 1/2 teaspoon and adjust as desired.Onions: The chopped onions go in towards the end once the protein is cooked. These add lots of crunch and flavor to the samosas! Cilantro: Some parts of the world call this coriander leaves. These go intowards the end with the chopped onions. If you aren’t a fan, I suggest using less, but once the samosas are fried, I personally can’t single out the flavor of cilantro! You can omit it if you’d like though.Serrano Pepper: Add freshness and a tiny kick. I usually remove the seeds and ribs before mincing these finally, so all you get is the pepper flavor without too much heat!Lemon Juice: I like to use freshly squeezed for this recipe to make sure that it gives the samosa the best flavor. The acid in the lemons also helps cut the spice a bit!Spring Roll Sheet: You could also use samosa wrappers (which I have a difficult time finding in my area.) There are a few go-to brands I like to use such as Spring Home or Wei-Chuan. You can also use Lumpia wrappers but I don’t suggest egg roll wrappers for this recipe. They are slightly thicker and have a different texture once fried.Egg White: a beaten egg white is used as an egg wash that we brush on the samosa wrappers before folding. This just ensures that the samosas stay wrapped and don’t pop open!
Making the beef samosa filling and folding:
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Chicken Puff PastryHomemade Naan (and Garlic Naan)Finger Lickin’ Butter Chicken30-Minute Spicy Shrimp MasalaBest Garlicky Palak Paneer
Ginger and garlic paste: You can find this easily now in most mainstream grocery stores. If you’re using a blend of ginger and garlic paste, replace it with 1 tablespoon total.Spring roll wrappers: These are different from egg roll wrappers. They are easily available in Indian/Asian grocery stores. Look for brands like Spring Home or Wei-Chuan. They are also sometimes labeled Lumpia wrappers.Air Fryer Directions: spray one side of the samosa and add them to a preheated air fryer at 375ºF for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway and spraying the other side as well.Reheat: Reheat the samosas in an air fryer at 330ºF for 8-10 minutes flipping halfway through.Frozen Samosas: will last for up to 4 months in the freezer.
