Samosas

The perfect samosa cover has evaded me for a long time now, but no more thanks to this special book called  660 Curries. This book has been the answer to many of my food related questions. Raghavan Iyer, the author, has done a wonderful job of compiling such a wide range of recipes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. His section on various indian chaat recipes alone, which he calls in this book 'appetizer curries', is totally worth buying this book.

Some of the best samosas I have ever tasted came from near the Hanuman Mandir/temple near my granny's house. The Samosa-wala ( person who sells samosas) had his little samosa shack just next to the entrance of the mandir. This spot was frequented a lot by college students, especially during exam time, as they got to do two things in one place -  pray to god to help them pass and eat yummy samosas.

Later on, in our college under a big tree near the gates, one bai / lady use to come carrying a huge cloth-lined basket over her head containing hot delicious samosas. In India there are usually round concrete platforms built around the base of huge trees for the public to sit and rest under the shade. So she would sit on this platform along with her samosa filled basket. The cloth helped keep them warm and soaked up the moisture thus preventing the samosas from getting soggy. She was always surrounded by students, drawn in by the tantalising aroma emanating from her basket. Having samosa at the end of college day was our way to unwind, relax and enjoy this special comfort food while venting our day's frustrations. I wonder if she is still there today under the tree selling those yummy samosas to another batch of students who when they leave college will carry a few special memories, one amongst them will be of our Samosa Bai and her magic samosas

I am so glad to have found this recipe so as to replicate those delightful samosas. These samosa turned out as scrumptious as I remembered them. The addition of ginger and garlic to the filling makes it even more tasty. The cover is very crispy and would fall apart in your mouth into flakes. A little word of caution - these are rich in calories but do not deny yourself the pleasure of having one some, just have them in moderation.

Please do note that my stove is electric; Electric stoves do not get as hot as the gas stoves, so please do adjust your tempertures accordingly.


Samosas

makes about 24 samosas


Ingredients

For the filling:


4 medium potatoes, boiled and peeled
1 large onion chopped
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
a pinch of sugar
1/4 cup frozen green peas, thawed ( optional )
For the cover :
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) / 1/2 cup / 4 oz  butter chilled and cut into thin slices.
About 1/2 - 1 cup ice water
1 tsp oil


 Method

For the filling:

1. Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan.
2. To the hot oil add the cumin seeds and coriander seeds. Let it splutter for 5 seconds, do not let it brown too much. Now add the green chilies and ginger-garlic paste, saute briefly for 1 minute and then add the onions. Saute the onions for 2 minutes, till it turns translucent.
3. Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder and garam masala powder. Stir the mixture and cook for a minute
4. Next add the chopped potatoes,lemon juice, salt, pinch of sugar, green peas and cilantro leaves. Mix well until all is combined and cook for another 2 minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat and let it cool.

To make the cover :

1. In a mixing bowl mix the flour and salt together.
2. Add the butter slices and using your fingers and palms rub the butter into the flour. The flour should look all crumbly.
3. Now add the ice cold water a little at a time and knead it into a smooth ball.
4. Add the oil to the kneaded dough and coat it with it, as this will prevent the dough from forming a hard 'skin'. The dough should rest for 20 minutes and it is ready for rolling. If you are going to use the dough later on then keep it covered in the fridge till you are ready.
5. Now roll the dough , it should be a little on the thick side, about 6-inch diameter circle. As depicted in the picture below.

Rub the butter slices into the flour, so the the resulting mixture looks crumbly.

6. The rolled dough should be a little on the thicker side, not too thin as your samosa will have not have the desired crispy hard shell.

7. Now cut it into two halves ( you can use the pizza cutter ).

8. Now take one half of the circle and also keep a small bowl of clean water handy nearby.

9. Take one corner and fold it like this,

10. Dab a line of water down the edge of the turned corner, as shown below. I colored the water to show where to put it, keep your water plain.

11. Now do the same with the other corner, bring it to the middle and make sure it overlaps the first panel. The water acts like glue here and helps it stick.

12. Gently pick up your cone and hold it in your hand. Form a circle with your index finger touching your thumb and place the cone in it.

13. Now place the stuffing in the cone. Start by putting a small piece of the stuffing down the cone so that it fills the tip area of the cone. This step is necessary if you want your samosa to look uniformly filled.

14. Dab a line of your plain water around the diameter of your cone, as shown below and pinch the ends to seal the samosa filling.

15. This is now ready to fry. Fill the rest of the samosas in a similar fashion. Deep fry on low heat ( I have an electric stove and I keep my setting on mark 3-4, on the low side ) till it is golden brown on both sides, since you are frying it on low lame it will take a long time to cook, do not get worried as this will make it crispy and not soft and soggy. Also frying them on low heat the outer cover a smooth appearance, unlike the samosas in the pic below Once fried, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper. Enjoy them hot with your favorite chutney or ketchup.

Samosas can be served with mint chutney, imli / tamarind chutney or even ketchup. You can substitute the above filling for any filling of your choice. Just make sure that the filling is dry and not watery. Water and hot oil do not mix well.....