Afro Deli ★ 4.4
Abdirahman Kahin's Afro Deli on 5th Street South has run Beard-nominated halal sambusas in Minneapolis since 2011. Lunch combos under ten near the U of M campus.
Try: Sambusas, gyro
History
The Twin Cities hold the largest Somali population in the United States, roughly 80,000 in the metro, anchored in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood west of downtown Minneapolis since the early 1990s. Sambusas, the East African cousin of the South Asian samosa, came with the diaspora and now sit at every Somali deli counter in the city. Afro Deli, opened on Riverside Avenue in 2010, set the bar for the Twin Cities version: thinner pastry than the South Asian samosa, beef seasoned with cumin and cardamom, served with green hot sauce. Safari Restaurant runs a Halal kitchen of the same caliber.
Common allergens: Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion finely diced, 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp cardamom, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 green chili minced, 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 tbsp neutral oil, 1 tsp salt
- 16 spring roll or samosa wrappers (5-inch square)
- 1 tbsp flour mixed with 2 tbsp water (sealing paste)
- Neutral oil for deep frying
Method
- Heat oil in a skillet. Cook onion until soft. Add garlic, cumin, cardamom, pepper; bloom 30 seconds.
- Add beef. Brown and break apart, 8 minutes. Stir in chili, cilantro and salt. Cool fully.
- Cut each wrapper diagonally to make 2 triangles, or fold square per package instructions.
- Form a cone with one corner; spoon in 1 tbsp filling; fold to a triangle, sealing edges with paste.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a deep pot to 350F.
- Fry sambusas in batches 3 to 4 minutes, flipping halfway, until deep golden. Drain on rack.
Tip from the editors. Keep wrappers covered with a damp towel while assembling; they dry out in minutes and crack at the folds when they do.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Where to eat sambusa
Sambusa in Minneapolis
Safari Restaurant ★ 4.4
Safari on 4th Avenue South has run Minneapolis's defining Somali dining room since 2003. Goat suqaar, sambusas, anjero pancakes and a halal banquet hall.
Signature: Goat suqaar, Sambusas
Order: Goat suqaar with rice and the lamb sambusas.
Tip: Lunch buffet weekdays runs $12. Ramadan iftar evenings pull a community crowd.
More cities are in research. Want sambusa covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.