Curried Lamb Samoosa with Chutney Dip

(South Africa)

Samoosa, which originated in East India as "Samosas," are meat - or vegetable-filled pastries.  They are popular as snacks in much of eastern and southern Africa, where they are sold at street stands.

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 small onon, minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1 pound ground lamb or ground beef round 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 14 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup store-brought mango chutney 3 tablespoons orange juice 40 wonton skins, about 3 1/2 inches square Vegetable or for deep frying

Directions:

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and stir 1 minute.  Add the ground lamb and cook, stirring often, until the meat loses its pink color, about 5 minutes.  Drain off any excess fat.  Add the cinnamon, salt, cumin, curry powder, pepper and cloves, and stir for 1 minute.  REmove from the heat and let the lamb filling cool completely.

Meanwhile in a blender or food processor, process the chutney and orange juice until smooth.  Cover and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.

Place a wonton skin on a work surface.  Place about 2 teaspoons of lamb filling in the center.  Moisten the edges of the wonton with water, fold it over diagonally to form a triangle, and press the edges to seal.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  In a large skillet, pour enough vegetable oil to reach 1/2 inch up the sides.  Heat the oil over medium high heat until it is hot but not smoking. (An electric skillet set at 35o degrees works well.)  In batches, fry the samoosas, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.   Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried samoosas to a paper towel lined baking sheet, and keep the warm in the oven while frying the remaining samoosas.

Serve the samoosas warm, with the chutney dip on the side.