Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Keeme ke Samose
Keeme ke Samose (Lamb Samosas)

Keeme ke Samose

Lamb Samosas
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin AwadhPrep 1 hour, plus cooling timeCook 20 minutesMakes 40

Crisp, flaky pastry cones packed with savoury spiced minced lamb and deep-fried to a rich golden brown. They offer a warming, aromatic blend of earthy spices balanced with ginger, garlic, and fresh herbs.

Ground spices for the filling

3.2 gStirred into the pan with the aromatics (step 3)
01
1.5 g½ teaspoon
spice
02
1.7 g1 teaspoon
spice
Combine in a small bowl; they enter the pan together.

Everything else

01
Plain flour · Maidaplus extra for dusting
250 g
flour
02
~0.3 gpinch
salt
03
69 g5 tablespoons
oil/fat
04
24 g8 cloves
aromatic
05
40 g3 tablespoons
oil/fat
06
300 g2 onions
vegetable
07
Ginger · Adrakpeeled and chopped
4.8 g1 piece
aromatic
08
60 g4 tablespoons
dairy
10
2 g2 tablespoons
herb
11
500 g
oil/fat
12
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Combine 250 g flour with 0.3 g salt in a broad bowl. Work in 5 tablespoon ghee using your fingertips until the mixture takes on a coarse, breadcrumb-like texture. Add just enough water to bind it into a stiff dough, knead until smooth, and drape with a moist towel while preparing the meat.
  2. Blitz 24 g garlic in a mini chopper or blender until completely pureed into a fine paste.
  3. Warm 39.6 g ghee in a deep pan set over medium heat. Fry 300 g onion for 5 to 7 minutes until golden, then add the garlic paste, 4.8 g ginger, and the ground spices for the filling. Fry briefly, blending in 60 g plain yogurt a spoonful at a time.
  4. Season with salt to taste, drop in 500 g meat, and cook for 5 minutes until evenly browned. Pour in 250 ml water, cover tightly, and simmer on low for 30 to 45 minutes until the mince is thoroughly tender and no free moisture remains. Stir in 2 g coriander leaf, remove from the heat, and allow the mixture to cool down fully.
  5. Pinch off marble-sized balls of dough and roll them out thinly on a floured counter into flat rounds. Halve each circle through the centre. Lightly moisten the straight edge with water, fold it over to form a hollow cone, and squeeze the seam tight. Fill the cavity with 2 to 3 teaspoons of the cooled mince, brush the rim with water, and press the edges shut, crimping to seal.
  6. Bring 500 g ghee or vegetable oil to 180°C (350°F) in a deep pan or kadhai, then ease the heat back slightly. Fry the samosas in small batches for around 5 minutes, flipping occasionally until golden brown and crisp all over, then lift out with a slotted spoon to drain on kitchen paper.

Don't have something?

Plain flour
  • Whole wheat flour

    Use the same weight, add 10–15% more water and rest the dough for 20 minutes; the result is heavier and nuttier.

  • Rice flour

    Use the same weight for crisp coatings; for doughs use no more than half rice flour with wheat flour, or it will be crumbly.

  • Cornflour

    For thickening use half the weight, mixed with cold water; it is not suitable for bread or chapati dough.

Ghee or butter
  • Ghee

    Use the same weight. Gives a richer aroma and nuttier taste; if the dish already uses butter for finishing, ghee can make it slightly heavier.

  • Butter

    Use the same weight. Lower smoke point than ghee, so keep the heat moderate; if unsalted, add a small pinch of salt.

  • Vegetable oil or ghee

    Use about 90% of the weight. Less rich flavour; good when you want a lighter result.

Garlic
  • Garlic paste

    Use equal weight. Fry gently in oil or ghee with the ginger; incorporates smoothly into curries without visible minced bits.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 15% to 20% of the weight (about 1 g for every 5 to 6 g fresh cloves). Whisk into sauces; gives a savoury, toasted garlic flavour without raw pungency.

  • Shallot

    Use 1.5 times the weight, very finely minced. Sauté until golden; provides savoury allium sweetness, though it lacks garlic's pungent sulphur bite.

Ghee
  • Unsalted butter

    Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.

  • Vegetable oil

    Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.

  • Mustard oil

    Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Ginger
  • Fresh ginger

    Use equal weight; scrape off the skin and grate or finely julienne according to the recipe.

  • Ginger paste

    Use equal weight; stir straight into the sizzling aromatics, taking care as the extra moisture may spit.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 15 to 20% of the weight; add alongside ground spices, noting it imparts warm, dry heat rather than zesty freshness.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Coriander seeds
  • Ground coriander

    Use 75% of the weight; stir in along with wet masala or tomato purée rather than frying in hot oil, as the fine powder burns instantly.

  • Cumin seed

    Use 50% of the weight for tempering in hot oil. Lacks the floral, sweet citrus flavour of coriander, introducing warm, pungent earthiness instead.

  • Fennel seed

    Use 50% of the weight in tempering; provides pleasant aromatic sweetness, though noticeably aniseedy rather than citrusy.

Plain yogurt
  • Yogurt

    Use equal weight, whisked thoroughly until smooth before adding to hot dishes to prevent curdling.

  • Coconut milk

    Use equal weight with 1 teaspoon lemon juice mixed in. Provides rich creaminess in curries, but adds a noticeable coconut flavour.

  • Single cream

    Use 80% of the weight plus a squeeze of lemon juice for acidity. Enriches sauces nicely, though it is richer and less tangy.

Minced lamb
  • Ground lamb

    Use the same weight; it is the same thing under another name and cooks identically.

  • Minced chicken

    Use the same weight; it is leaner, so add 1 tbsp oil and cook 3–4 minutes less.

  • Boneless lamb

    Mince at home; use the same weight. Keep some fat for juiciness and cook until browned.

Coriander leaf
  • Coriander

    Use equal weight finely chopped; this is the exact same fresh herb.

  • Mint

    Use half the weight finely chopped; provides vibrant green freshness, though the flavour profile becomes noticeably cooler and sharper.

Ghee or vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use equal weight; handles high tempering heat well and keeps flavours neutral.

  • Butter

    Use equal weight; cook over gentle heat to prevent browning the milk solids too quickly.

Similar dishes

Baant
Lamb in a Spicy Sauce
Baant delivers a more pungent, spicy heat from mustard oil and dried chillies, lacking the cooling dairy tang and rich pastry crunch of this dish.
  • Same: Baant also features lamb prepared with onions, ginger, garlic, ground turmeric, and coriander seeds.
  • Different: Rather than wrapping minced lamb in pastry to deep-fry in ghee, Baant simmers lamb pieces into a gravy using mustard oil and dried red chillies without yogurt or fresh coriander.
Kaleji ka Salan
Liver Curry
Kaleji ka Salan is saucier, tangier, and sharper with chilli heat and the rich mineral flavor of liver, lacking the crisp pastry crunch and herbal coriander notes of this dish.
  • Same: Kaleji ka Salan shares an aromatic base of onions, ginger, garlic, and plain yogurt cooked in oil.
  • Different: Instead of encasing spiced minced meat in pastry and deep-frying it with turmeric and coriander seeds, Kaleji ka Salan simmers liver in a loose gravy seasoned with chilli powder.
Garhua
Lambs' Feet
Garhua is intensely gelatinous and pungent from the mustard oil and whole chillies, lacking the crisp crunch and tangy yogurt of this dish.
  • Same: Garhua shares a base of lamb cooked with onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, and coriander.
  • Different: Instead of deep-frying minced lamb and yogurt inside pastry, Garhua slow-simmers lamb trotters in mustard oil with bay leaf, black cardamom, and dried red chillies.
Bhutua
Spicy Fried Offal (Variety Meats)
Bhutua has a sharper, more pungent heat from the mustard oil and dried chillies, lacking the flaky pastry crunch, aromatics, and tangy yogurt richness of this dish.
  • Same: Both dishes season rich cuts of meat with ground turmeric and coriander seeds.
  • Different: Bhutua slow-cooks offal in pungent mustard oil with dried red chillies, whereas this dish encases spiced minced lamb in a deep-fried pastry wrapper flavored with onion, ginger, garlic, and yogurt.