Makes 8–10 Samosas
In Punjab, Samosas and Tikkis are extremely common snacks. I remember as a kid, after going to the park or hanging out with my friends, we would always go to a food cart and buy samosas and tikkis. They were sold at every corner and is something everyone ate in my community. When I started cooking, the first few items I learned to make were samosas and aloo/palak tikki.
Stuffing Ingredients
- 4 medium sized potatoes (Boiled and diced or mashed).
- 4 oz (113 g) frozen green peas
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 inch ginger root, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon mango powder
- Chopped cilantro/coriander
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
Pastry Dough Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 oz) all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tablespoon warm oil
- Salt
- About 2 oz (60 mL) of water to knead the dough
- Oil (to fry)
Instructions
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Sauté for one to two minutes until cumin seeds begin to crackle. Add onion and ginger and sauté until they are golden brown. Add frozen green peas. Cook for 5 minutes. Add potatoes and rest of the spices. Mix well and let cool before filling the pastry. Your stuffing is now ready.To make the pastry, add the flour to a bowl and rub in the oil finely. Mix in water to form a dough. Knead lightly and divide into 4-5 portions. Form each portion into a ball and roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 7 inch (18 cm) circle. Cut each circle in half.
Divide the filling equally between each semicircle of pastry. Spread the filling while avoiding ¼ inch (6 mm) of the edges. Brush the edges of the pastry all the way round with water and fold over to form triangular shapes, sealing the edges well to enclose the filling completely.
Fill a third of a large deep frying pan with oil and heat to 300° F (150°C). Fry the samosas 5 or 6 at a time until golden brown. Your samosas are now ready to eat.
Serve hot with tamarind chutney.
Raman Kumar is the owner and executive chef of Taste of India II, one of Staten Island’s New York oldest Indian eateries, established in 1990.
This article was originally featured in Radiant Life Magazine.
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