Senegalese Fataya (Fried Meat Pies)

About This Recipe

Fataya is Senegal's beloved fried meat pie — a thin, crispy half-moon pastry shell stuffed with spiced ground beef and onions, deep-fried until golden. Sold by street vendors throughout Dakar and eaten as a snack at any hour, fataya are quick, satisfying, and utterly addictive. The thin, shatteringly crisp pastry and the well-seasoned meat filling make them impossible to stop at one.

Ingredients

Serves 20

• 3 cupsall-purpose flour
• 1/2 tspsalt
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 3/4 cupwarm water
• 400 gground beef
• 1 largeonion, very finely chopped
• 1/4 cupfresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tspcumin
• 1/2 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 cupsvegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mix flour, salt, and oil. Add warm water gradually and knead until smooth. Rest 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Combine raw ground beef with onion, parsley, cumin, pepper, and salt. Mix well.

3. 3

   Shape the fataya

   Roll dough thin. Cut into circles (10cm). Place a spoonful of filling on one half. Fold over and crimp the edge firmly with a fork.

4. 4

   Fry

   Fry in hot oil at 175°C for 3–4 minutes until golden and crispy all over.

5. 5

   Drain and serve

   Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with pepper sauce.

Variations

• •

  Fill with canned tuna and onions for a faster version

• •

  Make vegetarian with black-eyed peas filling

• •

  Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes for a lighter version

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Freeze before frying. Fry from frozen, adding 2 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions