ep. 1: ye siga sambusa for Tigest Girma
feast like a dranaic on these “bleeding” ye siga sambusa
MAKES: 24
PREP TIME: 60 mins + 8 hrs setting time
COOKING TIME: 15–20 mins
developing this recipe for Tigest’s episode was a lot of fun. after reading ‘Immortal Dark’ and ‘Eternal Ruin’, i knew my recipe had to involve blood (obviously) as well as pay tribute to Tigest’s Ethiopian heritage. a bit of research led me to the sambusa — the Ethiopian version of samosas — specifically ye siga sambusa, which are meat-filled (though there are also vegetarian versions made with lentils, known as ye misir sambusa). but how to make my sambusa bleed? i drew inspiration from Chinese xiao long bao — soup dumplings — which have cubes of jelly stock mixed in with the meat, so that when steamed, the jelly melts, providing the soup aspect.
the result of my experimentation are these somewhat finicky but absolutely delicious sambusa that “bleed” when you bite into them, paired with a spicy, earthy awaze dipping sauce. this recipe may require a bit of preparation and work but I promise, the sambusa are absolutely addictive and keep you coming back for more — much like how Susenyos feels about Kidan. however, unlike in Tigest’s books, no actis were harmed in the making of this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
for the berbere (spice mix):
25g ground dried New Mexico chillies
2 tbsp paprika
½ tbsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ tsp ground fenugreek
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground cloves
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
for the niter kibbeh (spiced browned butter):
120g unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2cm piece of ginger, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
4 black cardamom pods, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
for the “blood” jelly:
120ml beef stock
1 tsp red food colouring
1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 1 tbsp cold water
4g powdered gelatine dissolved in 40ml hot water and set aside for 5 mins
pinch sea salt
pinch MSG
for the sambusa filling:
225g minced beef
1 brown onion, finely diced
1 tsp grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ large tomato, chopped roughly
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely diced
1 tbsp berbere
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
sea salt, to taste
for the sambusa dough:
250g plain flour
100ml cold water
40g niter kibbeh
2 tsp table salt
for the awaze dipping sauce:
20g berbere
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp gin (choose a gin that isn’t too botanical)
2 tbsp water
METHOD
for the berbere:
combine all ingredients and set aside.
for the “blood” jelly:
in a medium pot, bring beef stock to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. add cornflour mix and return to boil, whisking continuously until thickened.
remove from heat and add red food colouring and gelatine mixture, whisking well to combine, then pour into a shallow heat-proof container. cover surface with clingwrap, and set in fridge for 6–8 hrs or until jellied.
when set, run a table knife through to cut into small pieces, and return to fridge until ready to use.
for the niter kibbeh:
place all ingredients in a small pan over a low heat and allow the butter solids to caramelise slightly to beurre noisette (brown butter), whisking every so often to prevent the milk solids from burning on the bottom of the pan (should take around 5–10 mins).
remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. set aside.
for the sambusa filing:
heat 1–2 tbsp of niter kibbeh in a pan, then over a medium-low heat, add the diced onion and cook until just beginning to soften and turn translucent. add the garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant (be careful not to burn).
once fragrant, add the tomato and cook out until the tomato has broken down, releasing its juices, and those juices have evaporated.
add the minced beef, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon until it’s mostly cooked through.
add the green chilli, berbere, and season with salt to taste. turn the heat up to medium and continue to cook until the beef is cooked all the way through and all the moisture has evaporated. the oil from the beef and niter kibbeh will rise to the top — this is fine, but make sure there’s as little moisture as possible in the mix itself.
remove to a bowl until cool, then add the chopped coriander, and set aside.
for the awaze dipping sauce:
combine all ingredients together — you may need to add a little more water so the sauce isn’t too thick and paste-like. Set aside.
for the sambusa dough:
using a fork, combine all dough ingredients in a bowl until a rough ball forms. if your dough feels dry, add a tiny bit more water, ¼ tsp at a time, but be careful of adding too much as this will make it tough.
turn out onto a clean surface and knead until smooth — roughly 5 mins. since this is plain flour and not strong, gluten development will be very limited and you won’t be able to get it really smooth, but you just want your dough to feel soft, slightly tacky, and pliable with no obvious dry patches.
place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and rest for 30 mins.
divide the dough into 30g balls (you should get about 24), then use a rolling pin to roll each ball into an even 2mm-thick circle (it should be thin enough that you can see the surface of the table beneath it). cut in half, and be sure to cover the dough you’re not working with with a clean cloth or clingwrap to prevent it from drying out.
to assemble:
place 1 tsp of filling into the middle of the dough semi-circle (the two “corners” should be facing you, with the curve at the top), and place about 1 tsp of “blood” jelly in the centre, sealing it in with the meat. be careful not to overfill or they’ll explode when you fry them!
bring one of the bottom corners up to the top, sealing it well against all edges, and then do the same on the other side, so that you’ve created a triangle. ensure you’ve pinched all the open edges together well, using a bit of water brushed along the bottom edge if necessary — make sure you seal them really well!
to fry:
pre-heat neutral oil in a deep pan (or deep fryer) to 180ºC.
once at temp, gently lower the sambusa into the oil and fry, basting and flipping as necessary, until the dough has bubbled and they’re lightly golden brown (about 1 min).
remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil or a wire rack set over a tray, and repeat until you’ve fried all your sambusa.
can be served hot or at room temperature with awaze dipping sauce — be careful of spurting hot liquid “blood” when you take a bite!
NOTES:
you can purchase ready-mixed berbere seasoning in specialty stores, however it can be hard to find, so i’ve provided the recipe above (from AllRecipes)
you don’t have to make your own sambusa dough if you don’t want to (though it is very easy to do) and can substitute with store-bought filo or wonton wrappers — just make sure you seal them really well!
I recommend not flouring your surface or rolling pin when rolling out the dough — there’s enough fat in the dough so it won’t stick, and extra flour will make the wrappers dry (and your hot oil dirtier)
to make the blood really “addictive”, I added a pinch of MSG. if you’d prefer, you can leave this out (though MSG is a great flavour enhancer, found naturally in tomatoes and mushrooms, and unfairly villainised, but that’s a Ted Talk for another day)
the recipe for the berbere makes more than you need — keep it and add into any dish for a bit of extra kick
the awaze sauce is a little on the fiery side, so if you want something cooler to dip your sambusa, I recommend giving this yoghurt sauce a try. Simply mix the following together in a bowl:
225 g plain yoghurt
large squeeze lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
large pinch salt
when deep frying, practice care: only fill a pot to maximum 2/3 full, make sure all of your equipment is dry, never leave a heating pan of oil unattended, monitor your temperature with a fast-read thermometer (i use a temp gun), and keep a lid nearby in case of fire
i cannot stress enough how well you need to make sure these sambusa are sealed tight before frying. any gaps or leaks will make the oil spit and sputter, which — if you’re not careful — can lead to some nasty burns. if your sambusa do leak while frying, don’t panic — just remove your pan from the heat and fish out the leaky sambusa with a slotted spoon, then continue frying as normal
if you want, you could make this vegetarian. simply replace the minced beef with cooked lentils, and use vegetable stock instead of beef (or omit if the idea of bleeding sambusa is a bit much for you!)
this recipe was developed from Great British Chefs and Just a Pinch Recipes
the awaze sauce recipe is based on this Spices Inc. recipe