Samosa

 

I have made samose ( plural for 'samosa') many times before, and while they've always got eaten quickly,  this is the first time that I'm 100% happy with how they turned out..okk, i agree, they could have been more uniform, but when I'm making like 40 of them for a potluck, do you think I'd care:)

My earlier attempts almost always resulted in a crust flecked with tiny bubbles, or chewy samose like so.

 

There are a few things to be kept in mind to avoid this from happening:

1. The crust needs a reasonable amount of oil to work, there's no getting around it, if you seek "proper" samose.

3. The doough should be firm, yet smooth. If there are dry cracks in the dough, you won't be able to roll it properly. If that happens, sprinkle a few drops of water, and knead some more.

3. Finally, the samose should be cooked on a low-medium flame to ensure that the crust has enough time to get cooked inside.

So here's the recipe that worked well, while its still fresh in my memory

Makes 40 dainty samose/ 20 large ones, I suppose

The crust:

4 cups of AP flour (maida)

4 to 6 tbsp of oil ( I first added four, then a little more to get a crumbly mix)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

Mix the flour, salt and ajwain in a big bowl. Add the oil, and mix it well with the flour, till you get a somewhat coarse breadcrumby consistency. Now add water, and knead it into a firm dough ( will be firmer than roti dough, and would depend on the humidity and temperature around). I used about a little less than a  cup of water. Now cover it with a well fitting plate/ damp towel/ plastic wrap, and allow it to rest while you start work on the filling.

The filling:

Here you can be as imaginative as your pantry allows you: spinach & paneer, cooked and mashed mung dal, soya mince, minced & cooked mushrooms are all good bets. I stuck to the more traditional filling of potato and peas, which is always a crowd pleaser.

5 medium potatoes, boiled and slightly coarsely mashed

1 cup of peas ( defrosted if frozen, boiled if using fresh peas)

1 tsp of chili powder ( or to taste)

2 tsp of coriander powder

1 tsp of cumin powder

1 tbsp of lemon juice

1 tsp cumin seeds ( zeera)

1/2 tsp garam masala ( optional)

salt to taste

1 tbsp of oil

1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a pan ( I used  non stick ), and toss in the cumin seeds. As soon as they start spluttering, take the pan off heat ( so that spices don't burn), and add all the spice powders.

Now put it back on heat, and add the potatoes, peas and salt, and mix well with the spices. Cook for about two minutes, the turn off the flame. Add the lemon juice, and cilantro and mix once more. Turn it out into a plate to cool.

Divide the dough into 4 parts, and divide each part into five equal sized piceces. Work with one part, while you keep the others covered. Keep some water handy in a bowl to seal.

Shape each piece into a ball, and roll out into a thin, round circle. Now cut it through the middle to get 2 semi circles. Dip your finger in the water and trace the circumfrence of the semi circle with your wet finger. Now pick up the semi circle, overlap the edges, and stick them together to form a cone. Stuff potato mixture in the cone, making sure not to overstuff, or else it will be difficult to seal. Pinch the edges together, to seal, making sure there's no opening.

Repeat till you finish making the samose. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a wok, making sure the oil is not too hot, else the crust will colour without cooking through. The oil should very gently bubble when you slip in the samosa to fry. Cook till they turn a light golden colour, then dish out on a plate.

Serve with green chutney, ketchup, barbeque sauce, salsa, chili sauce or any dip you fancy.