Fataya (Senegalese Beef Turnovers)

Method

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, add the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the water a little at a time, bring it together and knead for 5 min until smooth and soft but not sticky. Cover and rest for 20 min so it won't shrink when you roll it.

   Add in this stepPlain (all-purpose) flour 160 gBaking powder ½ tspSalt ½ tspButter, cold 30 gLukewarm water 80 ml

2. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Heat half the oil in a 24 cm frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 4 min until soft and translucent, then add the garlic for 30 seconds until fragrant.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil (filling and sauce) ¾ tbspSmall onion (for the filling) 1Garlic cloves 2

   medium heat

3. Add the beef and break it up finely with a spatula, cooking over medium-high heat for 7 min. Crumble in half the stock cube and add the pepper and chilli flakes. Keep going until no pink remains and there is no liquid left in the pan; a wet filling makes soggy pastry. Turn off the heat, stir in the chopped parsley, then spread the filling on a plate to cool completely. Hot filling tears the dough.

   Add in this stepMinced beef 200 gChicken stock cube ½Ground black pepper ½ tspDried chilli flakes ½ tspFlat-leaf parsley 10 g

   medium-high heat

4. Roll the dough out 2 mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut 10 cm rounds with a bowl or glass to make 6 turnovers in total (re-roll the scraps). Put one heaped tablespoon of filling in the middle of each, brush the edge with water, fold into a half-moon pressing out the air, and seal firmly with a fork.

5. Thinly slice the sauce onion. Heat the rest of the oil in a small pot over medium heat, cook the onion for 3–4 minutes, add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Add the water, the rest of the stock cube and the vinegar and simmer for 10 min until glossy and thick. Taste and add salt if needed.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil (filling and sauce) ¾ tbspSmall onion (for the sauce) 1Tomato paste 2 tbspWhite vinegar 2 tspWater (for the sauce) 100 mlChicken stock cube ½

   medium heat

6. Pour the frying oil into a 22 cm · 2× pot, at least 4 cm deep but no more than half full, and heat over medium-high heat to 170 °C (a wooden chopstick should fizz steadily). Dry your hands and slide the fataya in away from you, frying in the number of batches shown without crowding, 4 min per batch, turning once, until deep golden. If they brown too fast, turn down to medium heat. Drain on a rack and serve warm with the sauce. Never leave hot oil unattended.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil for deep-frying 700 ml

   medium-high heat→medium heat