Crisp spiced lentil sambusas tucked into injera or flatbread with fresh vegetables, a portable take on Ethiopia's beloved fried pastry.
This dish reworks sambusa -- Ethiopia's beloved triangular fried pastry filled with spiced lentils or meat -- into a portable wrap format, tucking crisp, freshly fried sambusas into injera or flatbread along with fresh vegetables for an easy, handheld meal. Sambusas themselves, related to the samosa family found across South Asia and the Middle East, are a beloved Ethiopian snack and appetizer, especially popular during Ramadan and at gatherings. The technique that matters is the lentil filling and the folding: red lentils are cooked down with berbere spice blend, onion, and garlic until thick and well seasoned, then wrapped in thin dough triangles and fried until deeply golden and shatteringly crisp. The folding technique -- creating a cone shape from a strip of dough, filling it, then folding the top down into a sealed triangle -- takes some practice but is essential for keeping the filling secure during frying. Wrapped into injera or flatbread with fresh tomato, onion, and greens, this sandwich delivers Ethiopia's warmly spiced, crisp-fried sambusa in an easy-to-eat format for a satisfying lunch.
Serves 4
Simmer lentils in water for 15-18 minutes until soft and most liquid is absorbed.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook onion 5 minutes until soft, add garlic and berbere, cooking 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Stir cooked lentils into the spiced onion mixture along with salt. Cook 3-4 minutes until thick. Let cool completely.
Cut wrapper sheets into strips. Place a spoonful of lentil filling at one end and fold into a triangle shape repeatedly until fully wrapped, sealing the final edge with the flour paste.
Heat oil to 175C/350F. Fry sambusas in batches 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crisp.
Wrap fried sambusas in injera or flatbread with tomato slices and greens.
Serve immediately while the sambusas are still hot and crisp.
Let the lentil filling cool completely before wrapping -- warm filling makes the thin dough difficult to work with and prone to tearing.
Fold the wrappers tightly with no gaps; loose folds let oil seep in or filling leak out during frying.
Fry at a steady 175C/350F -- too hot burns the wrapper before the filling heats through; too cool makes them greasy.
Use a spiced ground beef filling instead of lentils for a meat version, a very common variation.
Bake instead of fry at 200C/400F for 15-18 minutes, brushed with oil, for a lighter alternative.
Serve the sambusas plain as an appetizer instead of wrapped in a sandwich.
Refrigerate fried sambusas up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a hot oven for 8-10 minutes to restore crispness before assembling into a fresh wrap.
Sambusa reflects the broader samosa family found across South Asia, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa, believed to have arrived in Ethiopia through trade routes, and it remains one of the country's most popular snacks, especially during Ramadan.
Yes -- bake at 200C/400F for about 15-18 minutes, brushed lightly with oil, though the texture will be less crisp than deep-fried.
They likely weren't sealed tightly enough, or were overfilled. Use a modest amount of filling and seal the final fold securely with the flour paste.
Berbere is Ethiopia's signature spice blend, typically including chile, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, and warm spices, forming the backbone of much of Ethiopian cuisine's flavor.
Per serving (280g / 9.9 oz) · 4 servings total
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