Samosas

I was in a cooking mood this weekend. I'd found a great cook book at the library the week before, and I thought of making Samosas a shot... yeah, Samosas!!

I think they turned out pretty well...


Spicy:

Ingredients:

For the dough:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp ground anise
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 cups vegetable shortening to fry the samosas

Filling for samosas:

• 6 Medium potatoes, boiled and cut into small pieces or broken into coarse chunks
• 1 Large onion, very finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (use a bit of each if paste is unavailable)
• 1 cup peas (if frozen, wash them with warm water and ensure that they are soft)
• 1 tsp red pepper
• 2 tblsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 cups chopped coriander / cilantro
• 1 tblsp salt

Take a large plastic bowl (like a popcorn bowl) to make the dough. Mix the flour, anise, cumin and salt. Add the shortening, and rub into the flour mixture until little granules are formed. Add the water, a little at a time, until a stiff dough is made. I think it should take somewhere from 1/3 to half a cup. Knead well for a few minutes, and then refrigerate for an hour. While you wait, you can work on the filling. This is really very simple. Simply mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, so that they stick together like a dough. Make sure that the filling is absolutely dry. This very important: if the filling is not dry, the liquid can make it very hard to deal the samosa.

Now to actually make the samosas...
Divide the ball of dough into 10 pieces of approximately the same size. Take one of these pieces and roll them into a small ball, as you would for making a chapati. Now flatten the ball. Using a rolling pin, roll out a flat round shape of about 7" diameter. The thickness should be as thin as possible, but don't go overboard with it, else wrapping the samosa becomes a problem.

Using a pizza cutter, cut the rolled out circle in the middle, to cut the shape into two equal halves. Each half shall create one samosa. Take a tblsp full of the mixture and place it in the middle of one of the halves as shown in the picture below.

Before you proceed, take a cup of water. dip you index finger, and run it around the edges of the entire shape, to dampen the edges. Now, take the right most edge, lift it, and bring the dough layer towards the left such that it covers the filling on the right. Repeat the procedure for the left hand side, and ensure that the top portion is nearly or completely sealed.

Moisten the base of the triangle; fold up at the edge and the top. Press down well with a fork or your fingers to completely seal it. This is imperative so that the shortening does not seep in during the frying, and the filing does not spill out.

Repeat this procedure, and you should have around 20 samosas ready for frying.

Frying:

Heat the two cups of vegetable shortening in a wok / kadai.
I am sure the shortening could easily be substituted with refined oil, but the shortening is healthier, and gives the samosa a lighter feel & taste. Matter of personal preference.

Reduce to medium high heat.

When the shortening has been on medium high for about 5 minutes, drop a pinch a dough in it. If the dough rises at once, the shortening is ready.

Now deep fry the samosas, frying on one side until it is golden brown, and then turning it over. When done, place the samosas onto a stack of 3-4 paper towels. This helps soak the excess oil.


Serve samosas hot or hot with ketchup or chutney.
Hope you enjoy them!!!