Ghanaian Spring Rolls & Samosas (Crispy Party Snacks)

Ingredients

• 20 spring-roll wrappers
• 20 samosa wrappers or additional spring-roll wrappers cut into strips
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus more for deep-frying
• For the spring-roll filling:
• 2 cups (475 ml) cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp (5 ml) grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp (2 ml) curry powder
• ½ tsp (2 ml) ground white pepper
• ½ tsp (2 ml) salt
• For the samosa filling:
• 450 g (1 lb) lean minced beef
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp (5 ml) ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp (5 ml) curry powder
• ½ tsp (2 ml) dried thyme
• ½ tsp (2 ml) ground chilli, or to taste
• ½ tsp (2 ml) salt
• ½ cup (120 ml) green peas
• For sealing:
• 3 tbsp (44 ml) plain flour mixed with 4 tablespoons water into a thick paste
• Shito or fresh pepper sauce, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the spring-roll filling: heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the onion, ginger, cabbage, carrot and bell pepper for 3-4 minutes, keeping the vegetables slightly crisp.
2. Season the vegetables with curry powder, white pepper and salt. Spread the filling on a tray and let it cool completely; hot or wet filling makes wrappers tear.
3. Make the samosa filling: heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and brown the minced beef, breaking it into small crumbs. Add onion, ginger-garlic paste, curry powder, thyme, chilli and salt.
4. Cook until the beef is dry and no liquid remains, then stir in the peas for 2 minutes. Transfer to a tray and cool completely.
5. For each spring roll, place a wrapper like a diamond, spoon filling near the lower corner, fold the corner over, tuck in both sides and roll tightly. Brush the final corner with flour paste to seal.
6. For each samosa, form a cone with a wrapper strip, seal the overlapping edge with flour paste, add a spoonful of beef filling, then fold and seal into a compact triangle.
7. Heat 5 cm (2 inches) of oil to 175°C (350°F). Fry in small batches for 3-5 minutes, turning as needed, until crisp and evenly golden.
8. Drain on a rack or paper towels. Serve hot with shito or fresh pepper sauce.

Tips & variations

• Keep unused wrappers under a barely damp tea towel so they do not dry out. Both fillings must be cool and fairly dry before wrapping. Do not overfill, and press out trapped air as you roll. The assembled snacks can be frozen in a single layer, transferred to a bag, and fried from frozen at a slightly lower temperature.