Spicy Lamb Samosa Cups – a quick and easy appetiser for your party table!
I was asked to come up with a tapas-style recipe for Tasty Easy Lamb (who sponsored this post) for National Curry Week 2017.
I love lamb, and curry, and mini food, so needless to say I immediately agreed!
Although lamb is probably my favourite joint for a roast dinner, there’s so much more you can do with it!
Shepherd’s pie and hotpot are probably the first things that come to mind, but spices, curries and even salads (wow, that’s an old photo, I must re-shoot that one!!) work amazingly well.
I decided to make these pretty little open samosas using minced lamb and filo pastry. I’ve gone three-fold on the chilli – using fresh chillies, chilli powder and chilli flakes. However, I’ve only used small amounts, so it leaves a lovely spicy-warm taste, rather than blowing your head off! You can tone it down or leave it out completely if you prefer.
Gracey’s been a little obsessed with samosas lately – ever since she had one for breakfast at the treacle market up the road from us in Macclesfield (it’s called the treacle market after a centuries old accident when a horse drawn wagon overturned, spilling its cargo of treacle onto the cobbles – I love little stories like that).
Anyway. She requested one for breakfast, then she asked if she could take one for her packed lunch the next day at school!
Despite the chilli-heat, they got the Gracey-seal-of-approval straight away.
You can make them ahead and reheat later, so they make a great party food or canape. And with Christmas coming fast (OMG only 11 weekends to go!) we all need, like a zillion party food ideas 🙂
Check out more lovely lamb recipes inspired by National Curry Week at Tasty Easy Lamb.
The Lamb Samosa Cups Recipe:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 thumb-sized piece ginger peeled and minced
- 1 red chilli I used Fresno variety, finely chopped (remove the seeds if you don’t like it too hot)
- 2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp chilli powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 300 g minced lamb
- 75 g frozen petit pois peas
- 6 sheets filo pastry
- 3 tbsp melted butter
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander to garnish
- 1 tsp chilli flakes to garnish
- Preheat the oven to 175C/350F.
- Heat the oil in a medium frying pan and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until starting to soften. Add the garlic, ginger, chopped chillies, garam masala, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Fry, stirring regularly for 2 minutes until the fragrance is released.
- Add the lamb, and mixt together. Cook, stirring regularly, until the lamb is browned (about 5 minutes). Add in the peas and stir. Turn off the heat.
- Whilst the lamb is cooking, lay the filo sheets out and brush melted butter on top of each sheet. Layer up the sheets, so you have 2 piles of 3 sheets. Use a 98mm (3+7/8") cookie cutter* to cut out circles. You should get at least 12 rounds (you may get a few more depending on your filo pastry sheet size).
- Take a 12-hole shallow bun tin, and brush with melted butter. Fill each hole with a pile of the filo sheets. Squash them in, all the way to the edges.
- Spoon in the lamb mixture and brush any pastry on show with melted butter.
- Place in the oven for 12-15 mins until the filo pastry is crisp and browned.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot, topped with a sprinkling of fresh coriander and chilli flakes.
*If you haven't got a cookie cutter, you can cut each pile into 6 squares, so you have 12 little piles altogether. You'll need to trim them with scissors once you have pushed them into the muffin tin.
If making ahead, cook for 5 minutes less than stated, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to one day. Reheat for 7-8 minutes at 175C/350F until piping hot.
.
Nutritional Information is per serving.
Katy says
This was my contribution to a family get together over the bank holiday weekend. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed them