Samboosa are Arabic fried triangle pastries. They are most often savory, so the title word here, halwah or ‘sweets’ gives us a clue that this is a fried triangular pastry sweet snack.
The original recipe I played off called for cashews and walnuts, but I am really not a fan of walnuts. For my rendition I used roasted, salted cashews and pine nuts instead. I ground them each in a bullet, then mixed them with white sugar, which I also ground finer, to resemble caster sugar. To make for easy handling I added some butter.
The triangles are intended to be stuffed full, but for a new member of the kitchen, perhaps a child, it can be hard to wrap such a tight vesicle. Feel free to cut the phyllo sheets just a little wider as needed.
As for a final touch, a sprinkle of sugar over the fried triangles is always enjoyed, however a more savory crowd may enjoy a touch of beautiful finishing salt instead.
Cashew and Pine Nut Triangle Sweets – Samboosa Halwah
By: Semiserious Chefs
Makes: 30 Pieces
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup whole roasted cashews; ground
- 1/4 cup whole pine nuts; ground
- 1/4 cup caster sugar*
- 1/2 t ground cardamom seeds
- 2 t unsalted butter
- phyllo dough; cut into 2 inch wide strips
- OR 2 1/2 for easier handling
*You can simply grind white sugar finer, but not powdered.
Directions:
- In a bowl mix the ground nuts, sugar, and cardamom. Add the butter and blend in well. It will still be dry to speak of, but will stick together a little for ease of handling.
- After cutting your stack of phyllo sheets, be sure to cover it with a piece of plastic and a wet towel to keep the sheets from drying out, while you work.
- Place a teaspoon of mix near the bottom corner of a vertically placed piece of phyllo. Fold over the corner to create a triangle. Flip this triangle up and continue folding/flipping over until all of the strip as been wrapped. Secure with a small bit of water and place on a tray or towel.
- With oil at 350°F, deep fry the triangles for 3-4 minutes each, in batches as needed. Be sure to flip each triangle to get an even crisp. Golden brown is done.
- Sprinkle with either sugar or coarse salt as desired, and allow to cool to the touch on a drying wrack.
- Enjoy!
Post a comment