Stuffed and fried around the world
At a Hindustani birthday party, it’s the first thing we make a beeline for: the platter of samosas. In Colombia and Spain, there’s the empanada, while Italy has the mini calzone, or panzerotti.
Stuffed, fried snacks are loved all over the world. Here are the 10 tastiest ones and how you can make them yourself. Happy snacking!
Samosa from India
People eat samosas all over India. These are pastry parcels filled with potato, peas, green chili and spices. In the northern Punjab region, samosas are often made a little larger and, unlike in other regions, the ingredients aren’t ground into a coarse purée. They’re usually vegetarian, but you can also get them with chicken or lamb.
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Empanada from Argentina and Spain
If there’s anywhere you can eat juicy beef, it’s Argentina. Before using it for your empanadas, make sure the meat has cooled completely; otherwise, they’ll fall apart. In Spain, the dough is made with olive oil and the traditional filling consists of smoked paprika, tuna, bell pepper, tomato and egg.
Curry puff or karipap from Malaysia
In Japan, they’re called kare pan (pan = bread), but in Malaysia they’re known as karipap or simply curry puff. It’s a pastry filled with—surprise—curry. Curry with chicken, or sometimes even curry with sardines. Puff pastry provides the ‘puff‘.
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Briouat from Morocco
Kofta in warqa. In other words: spiced minced meat in a kind of filo pastry. Briouats are usually served as a snack or treat, but they can also be served as a starter. If you’re having trouble folding the briouat, we have a handy explanation here.
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Panzerotti from Puglia, Italy
Pizza pockets, yes! Because that’s essentially what a panzerotti is. Pizza dough filled with tomatoes, garlic, basil and mozzarella. Just imagine the moment you tear open one of those pastry parcels and all that cheese starts melting out… What’s the difference between a calzone and a panzerotti? Calzoni are baked, while panzerotti are fried.
Pastel from Brazil
Pastel is eaten at kiosks, in pubs and bars, and on the street… you’ll find this snack everywhere in Brazil. The cheese-filled pastel, pastel de queijo, is the most popular variety. Oh, and white rum goes into the dough. What more could you want?
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Bánh gối from Vietnam
Because of the filling ingredients—pork, carrot, egg and glass noodles—bánh gối most closely resembles a mix between a bánh mi and a fresh Vietnamese spring roll. The shape of the pastry resembles a pillow, hence the name, which means ‘pillow cake’.
Chiburekki from Russia
Chiburekki is a pastry filled with minced meat and onion. It doesn’t matter much what animal the mince comes from, as long as the pastry itself is light and crunchy. Grate the onion for extra flavour. The onion juice infuses the meat. Delicious with sour cream.
Pierogi from Poland
Pierogi are often boiled and filled with fruit. Then they’re a dessert. If you fill them with meat or cheese and fry them, they’re the tastiest snack you can get in Poland. Pierogi are also served boiled, like a kind of ravioli: with ricotta and spinach, for example.
Haam sui gok from China
This dough is made from glutinous rice flour. Adding cornstarch and sugar eventually creates a firm, sticky ball into which you put stir-fried vegetables and mushrooms. The egg-shaped dough balls sink a little after frying, so if you want to take a photo, you need to be quick. This snack is very popular in Chinese dim sum restaurants.
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