Samosa warqi (layered pastry with smoked spiced lamb)

‘Samushak’ or ‘sambusak’ was a dish cooked in the royal kitchens of the Delhi Sultanate. Several scripts from the era describe a filled, deep-fried flaky pastry. Lamb, chicken and egg were popular fillings that were seasoned with spices and textured with nuts and raisins. This dish was later reinvented with similar spices and a potato filling as the samosa, one of the most popular Indian foods. This samosa with a celebratory filling is often made during Ramadan. It has a smoky, meaty filling with raisins and nuts encased in delicious flaky pastry.

Samosa warqi (Layered pastry with smoked spiced lamb). Credit: Hardie Grant Books

• serves

  2

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  55 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 60 g (2 oz) ghee, for layering paste and smoking (see here if you'd like to make your own)
• 25 g (1 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, for layering paste
• 1 egg, beaten
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• Charcoal, for smoking (see Note)
• Green chutney (see Note), to serve

Pastry

• 150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10 g (¼ oz) ghee
• 1 tsp fine salt

Garam masala

• 15 whole black peppercorns
• 7 whole cloves
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 5 cm (2 in) cinnamon stick

Filling

• 2 tbsp ghee
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1½ tbsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and coarsely crushed
• 1 tsp garam masala (see above)
• 2 whole cloves
• 250 g (9 oz) minced (ground) lamb
• 1 tbsp sliced almonds
• 1 tbsp sliced pistachio nuts
• 1 tbsp raisins

Resting and chilling time: 50 minutes (but most of this can occur while preparing the filling).

Instructions

1. Combine 50 g (1¾ oz) ghee and the flour in a small bowl, then set aside.
2. Start with the pastry so it can rest while you make the filling. Add the flour, ghee and salt to a bowl, and mix well. Working a little at a time, add approximately 100 ml (3½ fl oz) water and mix with your hand to form a smooth dough. Remove from the bowl and knead on a lightly dusted bench for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is stretchy. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for at least 20 minutes. (You can make the garam marsala and filling – see below – during the pastry resting times).
3. Roll the rested dough out to a 20 cm (8 in) square, then spread about 1 teaspoon of the flour and ghee mix evenly on the rolled dough. Fold the dough in half to make a rectangle, then spread another teaspoon of the flour and ghee mix evenly on the dough, before folding it in half again to make a square. Pinch the sides to seal them. Cover the dough with a tea towel (dish towel) and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the dough and roll out again to a 20 cm (8 in) square and repeat the previous steps. After resting in the fridge roll out the dough a third time to a 20 cm (8 in) square. Cut into 10 cm (4 in) squares. Lay the squares flat on your dusted benchtop and cover with a tea towel.
5. Make the garam masala by toasting all the ingredients in a dry frying pan over a low heat for about 6 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir continuously to avoid burning the spices. Remove from the pan and set aside to come to room temperature. Once cool, grind to a smooth powder with a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
6. To make the filling, heat the ghee in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes until fragrant and lightly toasted.
8. Now add the coriander seeds followed by the lamb, then add 1 teaspoon garam masala and mix well. Fry for 20–25 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated, then season to taste with salt. Remove from the heat and allow the mix to come to room temperature.
9. Next, we want to smoke the lamb mixture. To do this, add the lamb mixture to a deep glass or steel bowl. Place a piece of aluminium foil on top of the lamb mixture in the middle. Heat a small piece of coal either on the stove top or with a blowtorch until it is red hot and place on the aluminium foil. Melt the remaining tbsp of ghee and pour it on top of the coal. Top with the two cloves, then quickly cover the bowl with another piece of foil. Leave to smoke for 15 minutes.
10. Uncover the bowl and take out the coal and foil.
11. Add the almonds, pistachios and raisins and mix well.
12. Now take one square of pastry and place 25 g (1 oz) of the lamb mixture in the middle. Brush the pastry edge with the beaten egg, then fold in half and press the pastry to enclose the filling. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
13. Heat enough oil for deep-frying in a large saucepan until the oil reaches 160°C (320°F) on a cooking thermometer. Working in batches, drop the pastries into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, turning halfway through. Remove and drain on paper towel.
14. Serve with green chutney.

Notes

• Wood chips can be used if charcoal is not available.
• To make the green chutney, add 2 bunches coriander (cilantro), leaves picked; ½ bunch mint, leaves picked; 2 large garlic cloves, peeled; 15 g (½ oz) toasted peanuts; 2 green chillies, destemmed; ½ tbsp toasted cumin seeds; 1 tsp Indian black salt; ⅛ teaspoon citric acid; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tbsp sugar; and 3 tbsp lime juice to a blender and blitz until smooth. Add a little water if necessary to adjust the consistency; it should be the pouring consistency of tomato sauce (ketchup).

This is an edited extract from The Food of Bharat by Helly Raichura (Hardie Grant Books), photography by Jana Langhorst and Brett Cole.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.