How to make Samosas

Pakistani Samosas

A samosa is a common snack in South Asia, in countries such as India, Pakistan and Nepal as well as Bangladesh. It generally consists of a fried triangular- or tetrahedron-shaped pastry shell with a savory (khusbo dar pati) potato, onion, fresh coriander (dhanya), Paneer and pea (matar) stuffing, but other stuffings like minced meat and fish are often used but not traditional. The size and shape of a samosa, as well as the consistency of the pastry used, can vary considerably although it is mostly triangular. It can be spicy and is often eaten with chutney, such as mint, coriander (dhanya) or tamarind (imli). It is often savored with tea or coffee. It can also be prepared as a sweet form, rather than as a savory one. In Pakistan samosas come in various sizes and with various stuffings, and are often accompanied by various kinds of chutneys, such as mango chutney and mint (podina) chutney.

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 1 cup of boiled potato, cubed
• 1/2 a cup of green peas, boiled
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (jeera)
• 2 teaspoons of ginger-green chili paste
• 2 teaspoons of amchur (raw mango powder)
• 1 teaspoon of coriander-cumin seed (dhana-jeera) powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of garam masala
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• salt to taste

For the chapatti

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons of ghee
• 1 1/2 cups of water

Steps

Making the filling

1.       Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds (zeera).

2.      Add paste. When they crackle (karkarana), add the ginger-green chili paste.

3.      Sauté (halka bhuna hua) for one minute and add the potato, green peas (matar), amchur, coriander-cumin seed powder, garam masala and salt.

4.      Mix well and mash lightly.

5.      Remove from the fire, cool, divide into 12 equal portions and keep aside.

Making the Chapatti

1.      In a bowl, sieve the flour and salt together.

2.      Add the ghee and mix with fingers.

3.      Knead into a soft dough using water.

4.      Divide the dough into eight equal portions.

5.      Roll in each round into 150 mm. (6") diameter chapattis. (A Chapatti is a thin flat circular bread or dough in this instance.)

Instructions

1.      Divide each chapatti into two halves.

2.      Make a cone from each part and stuff with samosa filling.

3.      Seal the edges carefully using a little water. (You can also make paste using flour and water for easier sealing).

4.      Repeat with the remaining chapattis and filling.

5.      Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown in color.

6.      Serve hot with green chutney. Hot crispy samosas are ready to eat with chutney or ketchup.