These cheese samosa are my favorite samosa, a creamy cheese, potato and corn mixture encased in the perfect golden crispy wrapper. Such an easy filling to make, and utterly addictive.
What are cheese samosa (samboosak)
Sambosa are fried or baked pastries, usually filled with a savory filling that are folded into triangle or half moon shapes. They are very commonly consumed fried appetizer in the Middle East and Central Asia. Sambosa are addictive and very customizable! They are often known as samboosak in the Middle East.
This version is a cheese version, thats inspired by the type of samosa very commonly consumed in the Gulf of the Middle East, especially Bahrain. Instead of using salty white local cheeses, these are unapologetically stuffed with processed American cheese. The good thing about them is that the mixture stays creamy even after the samosa cool.
Sambosa are enjoyed year round but are especially prevalent in Ramadan, the month long fast that Muslims undertake every year. It’s traditional to break your fast with dates, then sambosa and soup.
What ingredients do you need to make these?
Cheese: A processed American style cheese like Velveeta, or in the Middle East, the kraft cans as pictured.
Corn: Optional, but I love the way the little kernels give a little sweetness to the mixture.
Potatoes: Mashed potatoes added to the cheese barely alter the flavor, it can be hard to even tell they are there. What they do, is give a smooth creaminess to the filling. They really round out the samosas!
Salt and Pepper: All you need really to season. The cheese is already salty so add a pinch of salt, taste, then add more if needed. Same goes with the pepper.
Samosa wrappers: This is by no means sponsored but my favorite wrapper to use so far has been Switz’s baladi (the green package pictured above). You’ll use about 1/2 pack of samosa sheets, giving you around 20-22 samosas give or take how much filling you use in each.
You can use any samosa wrapper of your choice of course, and you’ll usually find these in the refrigerator section or the freezer section of the supermarket. If you can’t find samosa wrappers, you can use phyllo dough or sping roll wrappers. You might even try wonton wrappers!
How do I make these samosas?
You prepare the filling by boiling the potatoes until soft, mashing them, then mixing the mashed potatoes (that have cooled slightly so they don’t melt the cheese), with grated cheese, corn, salt and pepper. That’s it! Filling complete.
How to stuff and fold samosa:
Lay out the sambosa wrapper flat. Place a heaped tbsp of filling in the bottom corner of the wrapper. Fold the sambosa wrapper up and over the filling in a triangle shape to the opposite side of the wrapper. Tuck in the filling to seal before flipping the wrapper again, up and over in another triangle shape. Keep flipping up, making triangles each time until you get to the top of the wrapper.
Honestly, everyone has their own method but that’s what works for us! You can see this in more detail in the video embedded in the recipe card.
How to fry samosa:
Heat enough vegetable oil in a deep skillet that it’ll come up a few inches. Wait until the oil gets very hot, then drop the samosa in carefully. Fry for a couple minutes a side or until golden brown, then remove to a paper towel lined plate to soak up the extra oil.
If frying frozen samosas, I suggest letting them thaw 10 minutes or so at room temperature so that there’s less ice on them. Adding water/ice to the hot oil will cause it to sputter.
Storing leftover samosas:
It’s tradition to wrap a large batch of samosas, and keep in the freezer to fry up on whim. This will mean 6-8 per evening with iftar, depending on how many people are dining with you and how many samosas every one wants to eat. I did warn you, these are addictive, so maybe account for that and fry up a little extra!
Sambosa are best enjoyed fresh, but can be stored tightly covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or a hot oven.
Uncooked samosas freeze so well. Freeze samosas on a single layer on a tray first until hard, then place them in a freezer safe bag so they don’t stick to each other. Samosas can be frozen for 4-6 months.
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Bites
Cheese Samosa
Ingredients
- 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes 8 oz total, 235 g
- 1/2 cup corn kernels, from a can, drained
- 12 oz American cheese, like Velveeta or Kraft, grated 340 g (2 170g cans of Kraft processed cheese)
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1/2 pack samosa wrappers each pack is 500 g, 1 lb see notes for substitutions, recipe makes about 20 samosas
For frying:
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Cover potato cubes with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are completely cooked through. Drain, and mash.
- Let potatoes cool slightly then combine mashed potatoes with the grated cheese, drained corn, salt and pepper. Mix well until the mixture is evenly combined. Taste for and adjust seasoning.
- Fill each samosa wrapper with a tbsp of mixture on the bottom corner, then fold the corner of the samosa up and over the filling to the other side, to make a triangle. Keep folding this triangle over all the way up the top (check the video at the bottom of this recipe card to see how). Mix together the flour and water to form a thick paste, and seal the ends of the samosa to prevent them from opening up while frying.
- Place vegetable oil in a skillet, about 2 inches deep and heat on medium high heat. Once hot enough, add the sambosa and fry for around 2 minutes a side until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to absorb some of the excess oil, then enjoy warm.
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