Samosa

For Making Samosa Pastry

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (maida), 250 grams
• 1 teaspoon carom seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt or add as required
• 6 tablespoons Ghee
• 7 to 8 tablespoons water or add as required
• For Cooking Potato & Peas
• 3 medium-sized potatoes – 300 to 350 grams or 3 cups chopped boiled potatoes
• ½ cup green peas – 180 grams, fresh – can use frozen peas
• 2 cups water – for steaming

Other Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Fiona Refined Sunflower oil
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger or 1 inch ginger
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped green chillies or serrano peppers or 1 to 2 green chillies
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
• 1 to 2 teaspoons dry mango powder (amchur)
• salt as required
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)
• Fiona Refined Sunflower oil for deep frying – as required, any neutral tasting oil

Whole Spices To Be Ground

• ½ inch cinnamon
• 1 clove – optional
• 3 black peppercorns
• 1 green cardamom
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds

Making The Samosa Pastry Dough

• Take the flour, carom seeds, salt in a bowl. Mix well and add ghee.
• With your fingertips rub the ghee or oil in the flour to get a breadcrumb like consistency.
• The whole mixture should clump together when joined and not fall apart.
• Add water in parts and knead to a firm dough.
• If the dough looks dry or floury, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water and knead.
• Cover the dough with a moistened napkin and set aside for 30 minutes.

Making Potato And Peas Stuffing

• Steam or boil the potatoes and peas till are cooked completely. Drain them of any extra water in a colander or sieve.
• Peel the boiled potatoes and chop them into small cubes
• Dry roast all the whole spices mentioned in the above list until fragrant taking care not to burn them.
• When the spices are warm or cool at room temperature, grind them in a dry grinder or coffee grinder to a semi-fine or fine powder.
• Heat oil in a pan. add the cumin seeds and crackle them.
• Add the ginger and green chillies. Sauté for a few seconds until the raw aroma of ginger goes away.
• Add the steamed green peas, red chili powder, the freshly ground spice powder, dry mango powder and asafoetida.
• Stir and sauté on a low heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the potato cubes. Mix very well and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes on low heat with frequent stirring.
• Set aside the potato filling aside to cool at room temperature.

Assembling & Shaping Samosa

• After resting the dough for 30 minutes, divide the dough in 6 equal pieces.
• Take each piece and roll in your palms first to make a smooth ball.
• Then roll it with a rolling pin keeping the thickness to 1 mm throughout.
• Cut with a knife or a pastry cutter through the center of the rolled samosa pastry.
• With a brush or with your finger tips, spread some water all over the edges.
• Join the two straight ends forming a cone shape.
• Press the edges so that they get sealed well.
• Stuff the prepared samosa cone with the prepared potato-peas stuffing.
• Pinch a part on the edge (check the video & photos). This helps the samosa to stand once it is shaped.
• Press both the edges. Be sure there are no cracks.
• Prepare all the samosa this way and keep covered with a moist kitchen napkin.

Frying Samosa

• Now heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. Once the oil becomes hot (test by adding a small piece of dough – it should come up quickly once added to the hot oil). Gently slide the prepared stuffed samosa & quickly reduce the flame to low.
• Turn over in between and fry until golden. Drain the fried samosa on paper towels to remove excess oil.
• Fry them in batches. For frying the second batch, again increase the temperature of the oil to medium-heat. Do not overcrowd the pan while frying.
• Add the samosa and then lower the flame, thereby decreasing the temperature of oil.
• This way fry all the samosa in batches.