Crisp fried pastry filled with spiced lentils — Ethiopia's favorite street snack.
Sambusa arrived in the Horn of Africa along ancient trade routes from the Arabian Peninsula and South Asia, and over centuries it became as Ethiopian as the highlands themselves. The Ethiopian version differs from its South Asian samosa cousin in a few key ways: the pastry is thinner and crispier, the seal is tighter, and the filling is almost always spiced lentils. During fasting season, meat sambusa disappears from the street stalls and lentil sambusa takes over completely. In Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa, sambusa vendors set up their frying stations in the late afternoon when the school day ends and workers begin heading home. The sound of oil bubbling, the smell of spiced lentils in hot pastry, the snap of the first bite — this is one of Ethiopia's great urban sensory experiences. Children pool coins together; office workers grab two and eat them walking. Sambusa is democratic food, affordable and universally loved. Making sambusa at home requires patience with the folding — the triangular pocket shape that protects the filling during frying and creates the distinctive three-sided crunch. The fold is simple once you understand it, and there is deep satisfaction in lining up a tray of perfectly formed sambusas before they hit the oil. Serve with awaze or green chili sauce for dipping.
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