Indian samosa adapted to the Afghan-Persian palate — lentils and potato replace the South Asian pea filling, and Herat's everyday black pepper takes over from garam masala. Near Iran in the country's west, Herat is more deeply Persianized, and this vegetarian version is especially common during Ramadan.
Crackling shell breaks into soft spiced lentil filling; the heat of black pepper, sweetness of fried onion, all coated in fragrant frying oil.
Boiling lentils to mashed consistency before stuffing means the filling holds together when fried; thin dough crisps fast at 180 °C.
Variations
Kabuli sambosa uses ground meat; vegetarian Herati version stays popular for Ramadan.
On the Palate
Where Sambosa Herati sits in the Afghan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
4 steps · 50 min active + 30 min waiting
- 130 min
Cook 200 g lentils 25 min until very soft; mash; mix with 1 chopped fried onion + 1 boiled mashed potato + 1 tbsp black pepper + cumin + salt.
Watch outBoil the lentils until they collapse into a soft mash — any firm, whole beans left in and the filling won't bind, so it spills when you fry.
- 235 min
Make dough: 400 g flour + 250 ml water + 5 g salt + 30 ml oil; knead, rest 30 min.
- 310 min
Roll dough thin; cut into 12 cm circles; cut each into half-moons.
- 46 min
Fold half-moons into triangles, fill, seal edges with water; deep-fry in 180 °C oil 4 min until golden.
Watch outSeal every edge with a wet finger and press firm — an open seam lets hot oil rush in and the filling blows out.
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