Chamuças (Mozambican Spiced Beef Samosas)
In short: Small triangles of thin pastry filled with cumin and coriander spiced minced beef and onion, fried until crisp. Served with piri-piri sauce. It takes about 1 h 25 min in total and makes 8 servings.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 h 25 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 225 kcal
Chamuças are the Mozambican take on samosas, a snack that Indian traders brought to the coast and that became part of everyday life. Small triangles of thin pastry are filled with spiced minced beef, onion and coriander, then fried until crisp. They are sold at street stalls and bakeries, served at parties and eaten dipped in piri-piri sauce. Folding is the only fiddly part, and a first batch usually teaches you the trick.
Instructions
- Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and ginger for 1 minute.
- Add the beef and the spices and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking up the meat, until no pink remains and the beef reaches 71°C (160°F). Cook off any liquid so the filling is dry.
- Stir in the fresh coriander and cool the filling completely.
- Keep the wrappers under a damp towel. Place 1 tablespoon of filling at one end of a strip, 2 cm (3/4 in) from the edge.
- Fold one bottom corner diagonally over the filling to meet the opposite edge, forming a triangle. Keep folding the triangle up the strip like a flag, and seal the last flap with a little flour paste.
- Heat the oil to 170°C (340°F). Fry the samosas in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp.
- Drain on paper towels and serve warm with piri-piri sauce.
Tips
- The filling must be dry and cold. Wet filling softens the wrappers and bursts them in the oil.
- For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with 300 g (10 1/2 oz) of cooked, diced potato and 100 g (3/4 cup) of peas, seasoned the same way.
Questions and answers
Can I bake chamuças instead of frying them?
Yes. Brush them with oil and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 18 to 20 minutes, turning once, until golden. They will be a little less blistered than fried ones.
Can I freeze chamuças?
Freeze them filled but uncooked, in a single layer and then in a bag, for up to 2 months. Fry them from frozen at 160°C (325°F) for 5 to 6 minutes.
What do you serve with chamuças?
Piri-piri sauce, a mint or coriander chutney and a squeeze of lemon. They also go well with a cold drink at a party.
How long does it take to make Chamuças (Mozambican Spiced Beef Samosas)?
About 1 h 25 min in total: 45 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Chamuças (Mozambican Spiced Beef Samosas)?
About 225 kcal per serving, with 10 g of protein, 23 g of carbohydrates and 10 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 225 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 10 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23 g |
| Fat | 10 g |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Sodium | 300 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
