Description
This classic Samosa recipe features a crispy, flaky pastry filled with a spiced potato and green pea mixture. The dish involves preparing a flavorful potato filling infused with aromatic spices, encasing it in a tender yet crunchy dough, and deep frying the samosas to golden perfection. Served best hot with tamarind dipping sauce, these samosas are perfect as a snack or appetizer.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ajwain seeds
- 1/2 tsp salt (kosher/cooking salt)
- 4 tbsp ghee (melted and cooled) or any vegetable oil
- 6 tbsp cold tap water
Potato Filling
- 500g starchy potatoes
- 2 tbsp vegetable/canola oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tbsp green chili (serrano or cayenne), finely chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp amchur (dry mango powder)
- 1/2 tsp asafoetida
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt (kosher/cooking salt)
- 2 tbsp coriander/cilantro leaves, finely chopped
For Frying
- Vegetable or canola oil (at least 1 litre/1 quart)
Serving
- Tamarind Dipping Sauce (see separate recipe)
Instructions
- Boil Potatoes: Peel and halve the potatoes. Place them in a pot of cold water, bring it to a boil, and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes.
- Mash Potatoes: Drain the potatoes onto a plate and roughly mash with a fork, leaving some chunks for texture.
- Cook Spices: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn them.
- Add Aromatics and Peas: Stir in grated ginger, chopped green chili, and thawed peas. Cook for about one more minute until the chili softens.
- Spice the Filling: Add garam masala, amchur powder, asafoetida, cumin powder, turmeric, and salt. Cook for another 30 seconds to blend the spices.
- Combine Filling: Add the mashed potatoes and gently stir to coat the potatoes evenly with the spice mixture for about a minute.
- Cool Filling: Remove the skillet from heat, stir in chopped coriander leaves, and spread the mixture on a plate to cool completely before assembling samosas.
- Prepare Dough Mix: In a bowl, combine flour, salt, and ajwain seeds. Add melted ghee or oil and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, aiding flaky pastry texture.
- Form Dough Ball: Add cold water gradually and mix until a soft, pliable dough forms that doesn’t stick to your hands.
- Rest Dough: Cover the dough with cling wrap and rest for 30 minutes to relax the gluten for easier rolling.
- Divide Dough: Cut the dough into 6 equal portions and form each into a ball. Keep covered with cling wrap to prevent drying.
- Roll Dough: Place one dough ball between two sheets of parchment paper, flatten slightly, then roll into a disc about 2mm thick and 16cm diameter. Avoid flouring the surface to keep the dough moist.
- Cut Disc: Using a knife, cut the disc in half to create two semicircles.
- Form Cones: Brush the straight edge of each semicircle with water, fold the straight edge over to form a cone shape overlapping by about 1 cm. Press edges firmly to seal.
- Fill Cones: Hold the cone open and fill with approximately 2 tablespoons of cooled potato mixture, lightly pressing it in.
- Seal Samosas: Brush open edges with water and pinch closed to seal the samosa. Place sealed edge down and trim excess dough. Fold in corners and pinch the top to form a pointed shape.
- Repeat Assembly: Complete all 12 samosas using the remaining dough and filling.
- Heat Oil for Frying: In a deep pan or pot, heat at least 5cm (2 inches) of vegetable oil to 160°C (320°F) for the first fry.
- First Fry: Carefully add 3-4 samosas at a time into the hot oil. Fry for about 3 minutes while gently moving them occasionally to prevent burning. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Increase Oil Temperature: Raise the oil temperature to 190°C (375°F) for the second fry.
- Second Fry: Fry the samosas again in batches of 3-4 for 1.5 to 2 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- Serve: Serve hot with tamarind dipping sauce or mint raita for a delicious snack.
Notes
- Ajwain seeds add a distinctive flavor and aid digestion, but can be omitted if unavailable.
- Using ghee in the dough improves flakiness and adds rich flavor compared to oil.
- Use starchy potatoes such as Russet or King Edward for best texture.
- Amchur is dried mango powder and adds a subtle tang; substitute with lemon juice if unavailable.
- Asafoetida adds a unique aroma and aids digestion; omit if allergic.
- Do not flour the rolling surface or dough to prevent drying out the pastry.
- Maintaining the correct oil temperature during frying is essential to cook samosas properly without greasy spots.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Snack
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: Samosa, Indian snack, Potato samosa, Fried snack, Indian appetizer, Crispy samosa, Vegetarian snack
