Samosas

Recipe : Samosas

450g white flour

a few pinches of salt

125ml vegetable oil

700g potatoes

2 medium onions, chopped small

15g grated fresh ginger

2 small green chili

1 bunch fresh cilantro

200g fresh green peas

10g curry powder

20g garam masala

20g coriander powder

10g red chili powder

Notes

The key to samosas is very thin pastry. Chef Gurpreet suggested that when held to the light, it should be almost transparent. This ensures a truly crisp samosa.

Crimping the edges of samosas with your fingers ensures they are even crisper still. Obviously, the crispness is something highly desirable with these little fried dumplings.

The dough

Mix the flour and salt together then add the vegetable oil and mix to breadcrumb consistency.

Add 125ml water and bring together with your hands to create a soft dough.

Wrap in cling wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

The stuffing

Boil the potatoes in boiling salted water until soft, then dice finely. Taste and add more salt if required.

Heat oil in a pan over medium - high heat and saute the onions and ginger. When the onions begin to brown, add all the spices and stir well for a minute.

Add the green peas and cilantro, taste again and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add everything to the diced, cooked potato, stir thoroughly and allow to cool.

To make the samosa, divide the dough into balls, (as many as you like, but generally samosas are quite small). Roll each ball into a circle very, very thinly. As I mentioned in the notes, this is key to a crisp samosa. 

Cut each circle in half to form two semi circles. Fold the semi circle on itself to make a cone sealing the edges with a little slur, (a mixture of dough and water to form a sealing paste). Fill the cone with about 1/2 - 1 tbsp of filling, (don't overfill or the samosa will break) and then seal the edges shut with more slur. Crimp the top seam with your fingers to make it very thin, then repeat with the other dough and fillings.

Deep fry each samosa at a temperature of 350oF until golden brown and crisp.

Serve with tamarind chutney and mint chutney, (recipes follow).

Recipe: Mint chutney

2 bunches fresh mint

1 bunch fresh cilantro

2 green chilies

100ml plain yogurt

15ml lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients to a smooth paste in a blender or processor.

Recipe : Tamarind chutney

65ml tamarind pulp

1.5 cups jaggery, (cane sugar could be substituted)

5tsp roasted cumin seeds

1 tsp black salt

1.5 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp red chili powder

salt to taste

10ml ginger juice

1 cup water

Heat 1 cup water until hot and add the tamarind pulp.

Add all the other ingredients and simmer slowly until it reduces down to a sauce consistency.

Allow to cool before serving.