Samosa

Samosa

Classic Indian potato-and-pea samosas with a crisp, flaky homemade pastry. Serve hot with tamarind and mint-coriander chutneys for the true subcontinent tea-time experience.

Prep

45 min

Cook

25 min

Total

70 min

Serves

12 samosas

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •250 g (1¾ cups) plain flour (maida), or all-purpose flour
• •60 ml (¼ cup) ghee, melted, or neutral oil
• •125 ml (½ cup) water, approx., for kneading
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt, for the dough
• •500 g (1.1 lb) potatoes, waxy variety, boiled and mashed
• •120 g (¾ cup) green peas, fresh or frozen, thawed
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) neutral oil, for the filling
• •1 g (1½ tsp) cumin seeds
• •2 g (1 tsp) coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• •2 g (1 tsp) garam masala
• •3 g (½ tsp) red chilli powder, adjust to taste
• •5 g (1 tsp) ground coriander
• •3 g (1 tsp) amchur, dried mango powder, or 1 tbsp lemon juice
• •10 g (1 tbsp) fresh ginger, finely grated
• •15 g (1 tbsp) green chilli, finely chopped, adjust to taste
• •20 g (¼ cup) fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt, for the filling, or to taste
• •500 ml (2 cups) neutral oil, for deep-frying

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: in a bowl rub the melted ghee into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water a little at a time and knead for 6–8 minutes until very firm and smooth (firmer than a chapati dough). Cover and rest 30 minutes.
2. 2 Make the filling: heat 30 ml oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and crushed coriander seeds; when they sizzle and darken slightly (about 10 seconds), add the green chilli and grated ginger and stir for 20 seconds.
3. 3 Add the mashed potatoes, peas, garam masala, ground coriander, red chilli powder, amchur and salt. Mix gently on low heat for 3–4 minutes until well combined and any excess moisture has evaporated. Stir in the chopped coriander. Cool completely before stuffing.
4. 4 Shape the samosas: divide the dough into 6 equal balls (about 55 g each). Roll each ball into a thin oval roughly 18 cm long. Cut each oval in half to get two semi-circles.
5. 5 Form a cone: take one semi-circle, brush the straight edge lightly with water, and bring the two ends together to form a cone, pinching the seam firmly to seal. Hold the cone open.
6. 6 Stuff: fill the cone with about 2 heaped tablespoons of the cooled potato mixture, leaving a 5 mm gap at the top.
7. 7 Seal: brush the inner rim of the opening with water and press flat to close, then pleat the seam by folding small pleats along the edge and pinching tightly to form a triangular pocket. Repeat with all 12 cones.
8. 8 Fry: heat oil in a deep, heavy pan to 165 °C / 330 °F. Slide in 3–4 samosas at a time and fry on low-medium heat for 8–10 minutes total, turning often, until deep golden, crisp and the centre is piping hot. Do not rush on high heat or the pastry will brown before the filling heats through.
9. 9 Drain on a wire rack (not paper towels, which soften the crust) for 2 minutes. Serve hot with tamarind chutney and mint-coriander chutney.