Somali Week

This weekend the Twin Cities are going to be filled with celebrations. Not only is the Fourth of July but also Somali Week will be celebrated starting tomorrow!

Somali Week is the largest celebration of the year for the Minnesota Somali Festival. Chef and Culinary Instructor Jamal Hashi is in the studio to give us a sneak peak of how to make Sumbusas.

Jamals’ Recipes:

Beef Sambusa Recipe-
Ingredients
Vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound 85% lean ground beef
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon curry powder, plus more to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package egg roll wrappers/ Tortilla
Water, for sealing
Method
1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook about
4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in the beef, parsley, curry powder, garlic,
salt, and pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to break up lumps, until the meat
is no longer pink. Taste and add more curry powder if you want. Transfer the meat
mixture to a medium bowl and cool to room temperature. Wipe out the skillet.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut each egg roll wrapper in half diagonally.
Working with one triangle at a time, lightly brush the edges of the wrapper with water.
Fold the long side of the triangle in half, pinching the edge to seal and form a little cup.
3. Place a generous tablespoon of the meat mixture into the cup, then pull the open flap of
the wrapper over the cup, pressing to seal. As each sambusa is finished, place it on the
baking sheet. When the sheet is full, cover the sambusas with another piece of
parchment paper and continue layering with finished sambusas.
4. Line a platter with several layers of paper towels. In the skillet, heat about 1 inch of oil
until a deep-frying thermometer reads 365°F to 375°F, or a pinch of flour bubbles and
sizzles in the oil. Add half of the sambusas to the oil and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, turning
once, until golden brown on both sides. using tongs or a skimmer, transfer the sambusas
to the paper-towel-lined platter to drain briefly. Repeat with the remaining sambusas.
Serve.

Lentil Sambusa Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Beluga lentil soaked overnight (Available Whole Foods)
11/2 cups green lentils
4 jalapenos (finely diced)
4 onion (finely diced)
3 cloves garlic (finely diced)
1 cup cilantro (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds (crushed)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon black pepper
about 10 Spring Roll Sheets
olive oil (for frying)
Method:
● Soak the lentils overnight.
● Boil lentils the next morning until tender: About 20 minutes.
● Heat Olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic, and jalapeno until translucent,
about 5 minutes.
● Add spices, sauté 2 minutes.
● Add the boiled and drained lentils and cook for about 10 minutes.
● Taste and adjust seasoning.
● Take off stove and let it cool.
● Add cilantro leaves.
● Heat oven to 400 degrees and have ready a non-stick baking sheet.
● Take a spring roll sheet and generously dampen the edge by dipping your
fingers in the dish of water and spreading the water around the perimeter.
● Mound one heaping teaspoon of filling on the spring roll sheet.
● Close the sheet so that it’s now a triangle. Pinch the edge tightly and set
on the baking sheet.
● Repeat until you run out of filling.
● Brush the sambusas liberally on all sides with olive oil.
● Bake until golden brown, about 6-10 minutes, then flip and brown on the
other side for just about 2-3 minutes.

Biz Baz Recipe
Ingredients
● 1 large garlic clove, crushed
● Juice of half a large lime
● 1/2 to 2 whole fresh Serrano chiles (depending on your taste)
● 1/2 to 2/3 tight-packed cup fresh coriander leaves
● 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
● 1/2 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
● Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
● More lime juice if needed
Procedure
1. Place the garlic clove in a coffee cup and squeeze the lime juice over it. Let stand 20
minutes while you gather the other ingredients.
2. Place the garlic, lime juice, chile, coriander leaves, sugar, yogurt, salt and pepper into
the bowl of a food processor and purée. Taste for balance. Refrigerate the Bizbaz an hour
or so to mellow, and use cool.