Samosa (Spicy Potato stuffed Pastries)

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

Samosa is one of the most popular street foods in India and as I have written numerous times in my articles, this is one of my favorite snacks and everyone knows my love for them. During my recent India trip, my dad used to bring Samosas almost every evening and we used to enjoy it together. 

What is a Samosa? 

Samosa is a deep fried pastry, its outer layer is made of all purpose flour and it’s filled with potato, spices and sometimes peas. Samosas have their own versions in every state of India but its unique triangular cone like shape remains more or less the same. Although nowadays we get many versions of Samosas (filled with meat, paneer or lentils) my favorite is the traditional one where the filling is made of fried mashed potatoes and spices. I love the Samosas of Allahabad as they have the perfect crust and filling ratio. Because of their small size they are super crispy. The crust holds the filling perfectly and it doesn’t crumble with the first bite. 

Why is Samosa the most popular street food?

I think its because of its cute small size and tangy spicy taste. Samosas are widely popular amongst people of all age groups. Eating hot samosas during rainy or cold season with a cup of hot tea is in itself an ecstatic feeling. I have enjoyed many such Chai (Tea) Samosa party with my friends. Samosa is usually served with the green Dhania (Cilantro) chutney although sometimes it is also served with a tart Tamarind Cilantro Green Chili chutney. Compared to a plate of Chow mein or Sambar Vada, Samosa costs way less and is quite filling.

Homemade Samosas or Readymade?

Yes, you can get ready made Samosas from the Indian restaurants. Sometimes the Indian stores also have ready to fry or bake Samosa packets which comes quite handy if you are entertaining people on a short notice. However, if you want to taste real Allahabadi Samosa without travelling to Allahabad then I suggest you to prepare this Samosa at home. Now I have to admit, I have never prepared it myself because in our home, Debarshi prepares this Samosa. He knows how much I love this snack and he devotes all his time and attention to prepare this from scratch. I help him in chopping or kneading but he takes care of the rest. So, a couple of weeks ago when he was in the kitchen preparing this for me, I asked him for some photos so that I can provide step by step directions. 

I would like to share a few pointers for making these Samosas, first we need a smooth and tight dough, well kneaded for making the cups so be very careful while adding water. Once the kneading is done, cover the dough with a moist cloth and set it aside. Next we will prepare the stuffing which will be filled in a semi circular rolled out dough and sealed. Finally, we will deep fry the Samosas and enjoy them hot with Dhania chutney.

You can use the leftover dough to make Parathas and the stuffing can be used to make Alu Parathas or Chops. Try it, this is a lip-smacking snack.

Ingredients for the dough:

• All Purpose Flour - 2 Cups
• Carom Seeds – ½ Teaspoon 
• Oil – 3 Tablespoons 
• Salt - To Taste (About ¼ Teaspoon)
• Baking Powder – About ¼ Teaspoon

Ingredients for making the stuffing:

• Potatoes – 3 large (boiled, peeled and mashed)
• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Onion – ½ medium, minced
• Garlic – 2-3 cloves, minced 
• Green chilies – 2, minced
• Cilantro – a handful, minced
• Salt - to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
• Crushed Red Pepper – 1 teaspoon
• Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
• Chaat Masala – ½ teaspoon
• Amchur – ¼ teaspoon 
• Garam masala – ¼ teaspoon 
• Oil - about 4 cups (for frying) + 4-5 tablespoons for making the stuffing

Others:

• wok
• Spider spoon

Tip:

• Like hot spices? feel free to increase the amount of the spices in the stuffing.

Got everything? Good. Its time to knead the dough. Follow the Directions for Kneading the Dough by Hand:

• Wash your hands, you will be using them a lot.
• In a large bowl mix together the All Purpose Flour, Carom Seeds, Oil, Salt, Baking Powder. (I prefer to sift the Flour). Mix using either your fingers or a whisk.
• Add water, a little at a time, and knead into a dough. We need a tight dough for making the cups so do not add a lot of water all at once. 
• Keep kneading until the dough feels smooth, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest while we prepare the stuffing.

Directions for kneading the dough using a Stand Mixer:

• Attach the Bowl and Hook to your Stand Mixer and connect it.
• Add the All Purpose Flour, Carom Seeds, Oil, Salt, Baking Powder to the bowl. (I prefer to sift the Flour).
• Give it a whirl on the lowest speed until its well blended.
• Now we start the kneading, start the mixer on lowest speed and slowly start adding half a cup of water in the flour. I give it time to knead and form the dough. If the sides are sticking with the bowl too much I switch off the mixer and clean the sides using a spatula.
• I keep it running until the dough begins to come together adding a tablespoon of water at a time.
• At this stage it will look dry, remember we need a tight dough for making the cups so do not add a lot of water all at once. 
• Now sometimes the dough turns out a bit stickier I usually add a little flour and keep kneading it until its smooth and almost non sticky. You can also add a tablespoon of oil and keep kneading till it looks smooth.
• Remove the hook and cover the bowl. Let the dough rest while we prepare the stuffing.

Directions to prepare the stuffing:

• Heat a wok over medium high heat.
• Add about 4-5 tablespoons of Oil in it.
• Temper the oil with Cumin seeds. After a couple of seconds, add the Onion and Garlic and fry them till they are golden brown in color. 
• Add the Green Chilies and Cilantro and mix well.
• Add the mashed Potato in it with Salt and mix well.
• Now let’s add all the spices - crushed Red Pepper, Cumin powder, Coriander powder, Chat masala, Amchur powder and Garam Masala.
• Mix everything well and fry the mixture until its fragrant and the Potatoes change color to dark red and get dry.
• Turn off the heat and allow it to cool down (about 10 minutes).

Directions to roll the dough and make the cups:

• Re-knead the dough for a few seconds. Then divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll each part into a log like a thick breadstick. Divide both the logs into 6 equal pieces. 
• Now these 6 pieces will make 12 cups. Take a piece of dough between your palms and roll it into a ball. Press the ball lightly between your palms to flatten it a little like a disc. Put all the other balls of dough back in the bowl and cover it. This will prevent the dough from drying out. Keep in mind, there should be enough dough in each piece to form two cups so that we can put the stuffing inside it. 
• Now let’s roll the dough, remember if the dough has been kneaded properly it will not need any extra flour for dusting and rolling. However, if you can’t manage it, it’s ok to dip the disc lightly into the All Purpose Flour. This will give it a smoother texture. Place the disc on the rolling board and start rolling it into a thin oval shaped circle, about 6-inches in diameter.
• Cut each circle in half so that you have two semi circles.

• Now take a piece of rolled dough on your palm and apply just a little water all around the edges.

• Join the two edges together to form a triangular cup.

• Take about 2 spoonfuls of stuffing and fill it inside the cup. Make sure you are holding the cup properly. Also do not over fill.
• Press the remaining two edges of the dough together to seal the cup securely. Make sure it is sealed properly on all the sides otherwise the stuffing will break and spill in the oil.

• Put the prepared Samosa on a baking sheet and mold the rest.

Let’s fry the Samosas:

• Once all the Samosas have been molded, it’s time to fry them.
• Heat a wok over medium heat. We want the Samosas to be crispy and their color golden brown so keep the heat balanced so that the Samosas do not get burned. If they are changing color quickly turn down the heat a bit.
• Flip sides so that they get fried evenly.
• Remove with a spider spoon and drain on paper towels. 
• Serve hot with Dhania chutney.

Recommended Reading:

• Dhania chutney
• Chow Mein recipe
• Allahabad - The City of Good Food
• How to know when the oil is hot enough to deep fry
• How to deep-fry food with confidence?
• Plain Paratha (Fried Flat Bread)
• French Chops
• Alur Bora (Mamma’s Potato with Garlic fritters)
• Alu Tamatar Sabji (Curried Potatoes with Tomatoes)
• Kabiraji
• Picnic at Smithville Lake, Missouri
• Meethi Chutney Matar Phulki
• Alu Tikiya ki Chaat (Crispy Fried Potato Patties with Dried Peas, Yogurt, Chutney and Spices)
• Know more about Joan (Ajwain or Carom Seeds)
• Tamarind Chutney – sweetness with tang
• Methi Pakora (Gram flour and Fenugreek leaves Fritters)
• Palak ke Pakore (Gram flour and Spinach Fritters)
• Jalapeno Poppers with Cream Cheese and Bacon
• Alu Cutlet (Crispy Shallow Fried Potato Patties)
• Loknath wali Meethi Lassi (Sweet Yogurt based drink)
• Namkeen (Savory Deep Fried Indian Snacks)
• Plum Chutney
• Mamma’s Dahi Bara (Lentil Fritters with creamy Yogurt, Chutney and Spices)
• Egg Devil (Bengali recipe of Croquettes with egg and minced meat/ Indian Scotch Eggs)
• Bread Pakora (Deep fried Bread Fritters with Potato filling)
• Vegetable Cutlets
• Bread Pakora with Soa Alu (Deep fried Bread Fritters with Dill and Potato filling)
• Paneer Pakore (Fresh Cheese Fritters)