Samusa (Myanmar Fried Samosa)

About This Recipe

Samusa are Myanmar's version of the Indian samosa, introduced via the large Indian Muslim trading community and transformed over generations into something distinctly Burmese. The filling — typically spiced potato, glass noodles, onion, and sometimes peas — is wrapped in a thinner, crispier pastry than the Indian original and deep-fried to a translucent, shatteringly crisp shell. What makes Burmese samusa distinctive is the way they are eaten: cut open or crushed into a bowl, they are served with a drizzle of thin tamarind sauce, sliced fresh chilies, a handful of crispy fried garlic, and sometimes a splash of fish sauce — transforming the samosa from a hand-held snack into a semi-deconstructed street-food bowl. Samusa are found at every teahouse (lahpet yay zain) in Myanmar, eaten alongside a glass of sweet milk tea as a mid-morning snack or afternoon treat.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gall-purpose flour
• 0.5 tspsalt
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 3 tbspneutral oil (for dough)
• 80-100 mlwarm water
• 400 gpotatoes, peeled, cubed, boiled until soft
• 50 gglass noodles, soaked 10 minutes and cut into 3cm lengths
• 1 mediumonion, finely diced
• 2 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tspcumin seeds
• 0.5 tspturmeric
• 0.5 tspchili powder
• 1 tbspfish sauce
• 0.5 tspsalt
• oilfor deep frying
• 3 tbsptamarind paste dissolved in 150ml water, strained (for sauce)
• 1 tsppalm sugar (for sauce)
• fresh cilantro and sliced green chilifor serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Combine flour, salt, turmeric, and oil. Rub oil into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add warm water gradually and knead 5 minutes into a smooth, slightly firm dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Fry onion and garlic in 1 tbsp oil over medium heat until soft. Add cumin seeds, turmeric, and chili powder, stir 1 minute. Add boiled potato and glass noodles. Mash potato roughly, leaving some chunks. Season with fish sauce and salt. Cool.

3. 3

   Shape the samusa

   Divide dough into 12 balls. Roll each into a thin circle (15cm diameter). Cut in half. Fold one half into a cone, seal the straight edge with water, fill with 2 tbsp filling, fold the top over and seal completely.

   Ensure all edges are tightly sealed — any gap will allow oil to enter and filling to leak.

4. 4

   Deep fry

   Heat oil to 170°C. Fry samusa in batches of 4-5 for 5-7 minutes until deep golden and crispy. Do not crowd the oil.

5. 5

   Make tamarind sauce

   Combine tamarind water with palm sugar and a pinch of salt. Simmer 3 minutes until slightly thickened.

6. 6

   Serve Myanmar style

   Crush or cut samusa into pieces in a bowl. Drizzle tamarind sauce. Top with fresh cilantro and green chili. Serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian samusa: replace fish sauce with soy sauce. The dish is nearly vegetarian already.

• •

  Pea and potato samusa: the most common Indian-influenced version, adding 100g frozen peas to the filling.

Storage

Fried samusa keep at room temperature up to 4 hours. Reheat in a 180°C oven for 8 minutes to restore crispiness. Unfried samusa freeze well for up to 2 months; fry from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions