Best Indian snack SAMOSA Recipe

Filling for samosa

1)  potatoes 500 grams

1. ½ cup green peas (boiled or frozen)
2. 8 cashews chopped (optional)
3. 1 tablespoon oil or ghee
4. 1 tablespoon ginger minced or paste
5. 1 to 2 green chilies chopped (optional)
6. 1 pinch hing or asafoetida (optional)
7. 4 tablespoons coriander leaves chopped finely
8. 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or ½ tsp amchur or chaat masala)
9. ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)

1. Spices

1. ¾ teaspoon cumin or jeera
2. ¾ to 1 teaspoon garam masala
3. ¾ teaspoon red chili powder
4. ½ teaspoon cumin powder

Process. 

1. Boil potatoes just until are done without making mushy. You can either boil them in a steamer, pot or a cooker. (refer notes)
2. Crumble them, do not mash them up. Set aside.

1. Make samosa covering (or use frozen puff pastry sheets)

2. Mix together ajwain, salt, flour and ghee in a mixing bowl.
3. Rub the flour well for 2 to 3 mins in between the palms to incorporate the oil or ghee well.
4. Take handful of flour and press down with your fingers. It must hold shape and not crumble.
5. Add water little by little and mix the flour to dough.
6. It has to be stiff & hard. Do not make a soft dough.
7. Cover and set aside for 25 to 30 mins.

1. Make potato filling for samosa

2. Heat a pan with oil. Add cumin.
3. When it begins to sizzle, add ginger & fry until it smells good. Next add cashews if using. Fry for a while.
4. Next add green peas and saute for 2 mins.
5. Add red chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder & chaat masala (optional). Saute for 30 seconds.
6. Next add potatoes and sprinkle salt.
7. Mix and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Mix in coriander leaves & set aside to cool.
8. Taste and add more salt if needed. If using lemon juice, add it now.

For samosa covering

• 2 cups all-purpose flour or organic maida (250 grams )
• ¼ cup oil or melted ghee (or 60 ml)
• ¼ cup water (+ 2 tbsp )
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon ajwain or carom seeds
• ¾ teaspoon salt

1. How to make samosa

1. Knead the dough to smoothen a bit.
2. Make 5 portions and roll to balls. Cover the dough.
3. Grease the rolling area and then flatten a ball. Drizzle some oil.
4. Begin to roll to oval shape of 8.5 inches long by 6.5 inches wide. It should be neither too thick or too thin.
5. Cut it to two. If the edges are too thick, gently roll it to thin down.
6. Smear water over the straight edge. Join the edges to make a cone. Press gently to seal the cone from inside as well.
7. Fill the cone with potato masala and press down. Smear water on the edges.
8. Bring the edges together and make a pleat on one side. Bring back the pleat and seal it. Make sure the samosa has been sealed well.

1. Deep frying samosa

1. Make 5 samosas and begin to heat the oil until medium hot.
2. The oil has to be medium hot. A piece of dough dropped in the oil should not sizzle or bubble or rise immediately.
3. Gently add as many samosas as you can to the oil and fry them on a low flame undisturbed for few minutes.
4. When the crust turns firm, flip them and fry on a medium flame until crunchy and golden.
5. While the first batch of samosas fry, make the rest of them.
6. Remove the golden fried ones on to a colander. Let the temperature of oil come down slightly before you fry the next batch.