Some recipes carry entire histories within them, Sambusak Batawa is one of those. This traditional Iraqi appetizer, made with spiced chickpeas wrapped in crisp dough and fried until golden, has been passed down through generations in my family. My grandmother’s family is from Basra and moved to Iran in the 1940s, where her mother made everything from scratch. Even Passover matza. Not all her memories of that time are sweet, but cooking brings back the good ones: the smell of frying , the warmth of a shared kitchen. Today, she takes a small shortcut, swapping homemade dough for wonton wrappers, but the result tastes just like home, crisp, savory, and full of memory. And since they’re fried, these sambusak batawa make the perfect addition to any Chanukah table. A meaningful way to celebrate tradition, resilience, and family.
Sambusak Batawa – Iraqi Chickpea Appetizers
Ingredients
- ¼ cup avocado oil plus more for frying
- 3 large onions thinly sliced
- 1 15 oz can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 12oz pack of wonton skin wraps I like Nanka Seimen brand
Instructions
- Heat ¼ cup of avocado oil in a large pan over low heat, add in all of the onions and allow them to caramelize, tossing with a spatula every so often. This process should take at least 45 minutes. You're looking for soft, golden brown onions that have been cooked down completely.
- Add drained garbanzo beans to a food processor and blend until the beans have turned practically turned into a paste. You will need to scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times to get all the pieces.
- Add the blended chickpeas to the pan of onions, add in all of the spices and mix with a spatula until all of the ingredients and warmed and incorporated. This will allow the spices to warm up and bloom. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.
- Set up your rolling station. Place wonton skins down on a clean surface. Add a heaping teaspoon of filling onto the center of one wonton skin. Fold two corners in around the filling. Then fold the bottom flap over the filling, add a bit of water on the top flap, and rolled to seal the wrapper.
- Heat avocado oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add in sambusak rolls and fry about 5-6 minutes, turning once halfway through. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Remove from oil and cool on a sheet tray lined in paper towels. Serve immediately to keep in the fridge and reheat in the oven for guests.