Little flaky parcels of pastry filled with tender potatoes, peas, and spices. These vegetable samosas are so popular when we make an Indian buffet. I love a samosa dipped in mango chutney or sweet chilli sauce.
I’m going to show you how to make the samosa pastry from scratch, but I’ll also share how to make this with store-bought wrappers.
INSTRUCTIONS
Samosa Dough:
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Add the flour, carom seeds, and salt to a bowl and mix together.
280 g (2 ½ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, 1 tsp carom/awjain seeds, 1 tsp salt
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Add the ghee, and mix, using your fingers to gently rub the dough, so you get breadcrumbs.
5 tbsp melted ghee
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Add three-quarters of the water and mix together with your hands, adding more water, until you get a firm (not sticky) dough.
7 tbsp water
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Put to one side, cover with a piece of clingfilm/plastic-wrap (or a wax wrap) and rest for 30 minutes. You can make the filling while the dough is resting.
Potato and Pea Filling:
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Place the peeled and chopped potatoes into a pan and cover with cold water.
2 medium-large potatoes
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Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-11 minutes, so they’re just tender (a knife should slide into them with just a bit of resistance).
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Drain and put to one side.
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Heat the oil (or ghee) in a large frying pan, over a medium heat.
1 tbsp ghee or oil
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Add the cumin seeds and fry for one minute, stirring often, until they start to sizzle.
½ tsp cumin seeds
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Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, asafoetida, ginger, and chilli.
¼ tsp ground cumin, ¼ tsp ground coriander, ½ tsp garam masala, ¼ tsp asafoetida, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 green chilli
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Fry for one minute, until fragrant.
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Add the peas, and cook for a minute, then add in the potatoes.
50 g (⅓ cup) frozen peas
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Gently crush the potatoes, with the back of a spoon to break them up slightly.
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Sprinkle over the chopped coriander, salt, and lemon juice, and fold everything together, until combined (be sure to fold, so the mixture doesn’t go mushy).
10 g finely chopped fresh coriander leaves, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp lemon juice
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Put to one side.
Making the Samosas:
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Divide the samosa dough into 6 balls.
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Oil your board, then roll out one of the balls into an approximate circle, about 15cm (6”) across.
1-2 tbsp oil
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Slice in half through the middle, then take one of the halves and shape it into an open-ended cone shape. Use a little water to seal the edge.
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Spoon one-twelfth (about a heaped tablespoon) of the potato mixture into the cone, then seal the end shut, using a little water.
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Repeat, until you have used up all the dough and filling – making 12 samosas.
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Cover half of the samosas with a damp towel and preheat your oven to a very low temperature (to keep the samosas warm). Place a tray in the oven to heat.
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Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan or Dutch oven, over a medium heat until hot. The oil should reach no further than halfway up the pan (or it might bubble over). You want to be able to add a tiny blob of dough or tiny chunk of bread into the oil, and it should bubble very very slowly (if you have a temperature probe this should be about 160-165C/320-329F). We don’t want the oil too hot. If it’s too hot, the dough will burn before fully cooking.
2 litres frying oil (a little under half a gallon)
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Carefully add 6 samosas to the pan, one at a time.*see note about pan size
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Cook for about 10-12 minutes, turning a few times, until golden brown.
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Drain on kitchen paper and place on the warmed tray in the oven, then cook the second batch.
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Once the second batch is cooked, drain and arrange all of the samosa on a serving plate.
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Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.
sweet chilli sauce