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Mexican Picadillo Samosa

Name: Mexican Picadillo Samosa
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 30 g Raisins; 250 g Plain flour; ½ cdita Cinnamon; 2 Jalapeño chilli; 1 White onion; 30 g Almonds; suficiente Vegetable oil; 50 g Butter; 300 g Minced beef (picadillo); 2 Tomato

50 min (30 prep + 20 cook) Medium 6 servings Fusión India-MX

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 30 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Crispy triangular samosas filled with Mexican picadillo mince with raisins, almonds and cinnamon.

About this recipe

Crispy samosas filled with Mexican picadillo mince with jalapeño chilli, raisins, almonds and cinnamon. The perfect fusion between Indian cuisine and the bittersweet flavours of colonial Mexico.

History & Origin

The samosa is one of the world's most popular fried snacks, with a history extending across the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, where it is known as sambosa or sambusak. It arrived in India from Central Asia around the 13th century, and today it is ubiquitous from Mumbai to London. Its characteristic triangular, crispy pastry, filled with spices and vegetables or meat, has a surprising parallel with Mexican empanadas and fair pastries. Mexican picadillo, meanwhile, is a minced beef stew bearing the unmistakable stamp of colonial cuisine: the mixture of New World ingredients (jalapeño chilli, tomato) with products brought by the Spanish (almonds, raisins and cinnamon). This sweet-salty-spiced combination is typical of central Mexico, especially in Puebla and Mexico City, where picadillo is used to fill chiles en nogada, potatoes and peppers. By placing this picadillo inside samosa pastry and frying it until achieving that characteristic bright golden colour, a bite is created that honours both cultures: the Indian, with its mastery of fried pastries and aromatic spices; and the Mexican, with its tradition of complex and aromatic fillings that tell centuries of culinary history. This recipe demonstrates that fusion is not a passing trend, but the natural result of the exchange between cultures that share a love of flavourful and spiced food.

Estimated cost

£7.00

Total cost

£1.17

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

310

Calories

16g

Protein

26g

Carbohydrates

17g

Fat

Fibre

540mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Prepare the pastry: mix the flour with a pinch of salt. Rub in the cold butter in pieces with your fingertips until you get a sandy texture. Add cold water tablespoon by tablespoon (about 6-8) until a soft dough forms. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2
Prepare the picadillo mince: soften the chopped onion in vegetable oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and jalapeño chilli, cook for 1 more minute.
3
Add the minced beef and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. When browned, add the chopped tomato.
4
Add the raisins, chopped almonds and ground cinnamon. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes until the flavours meld. The mince should not be watery. Leave to cool completely.
5
Divide the dough into 12 balls. Roll each one into a circle about 12cm in diameter with a rolling pin. Cut each circle in half.
6
Form a cone with each semicircle of dough, dampening the edges with water. Fill with a spoonful of the cooled mince and seal the top edge by pressing firmly so it does not open during frying.
7
Heat plenty of vegetable oil to 180°C. Fry the samosas in batches for 3-4 minutes, turning them over halfway through cooking, until golden and crispy on all sides. Drain on kitchen paper.
8
Serve the samosas hot accompanied by chilli sauce or soured cream with chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime.