HOW TO MAKE SAMOSAS LIKE A CHEF?

Samosas are a little different from your standard vegetable samosa. They have a delightful aroma, a taste and the added delicious experience of crispness from the frying. Give these samosas a try and you may just find they become a firm family favorite.

When it comes to Asian appetizers, samosas seem to be at the top of everyone's list. Eating these crispy, golden triangular-shaped patties is no doubt a treat. Making them, however, can be a challenge for home cooks. That is, until today. We've got here the ultimate guide for how to make samosas like a native chef.

Samosas hail from Asian and there are countless ways to prepare them some people favor meat or chicken fillings but the most popular samosas, by far, are the ones with a potato and green pea filling . In aasia, you'll find samosas being sold on street corners, at roadside shacks or fancy restaurants, and prepared for family gatherings where they are commonly enjoyed with a nice cup of masala chai.

The Basics

Before learning how to make samosas it is imperative to make sure you have all the ingredients on hand. The traditional recipe calls for white flour - not whole-wheat, spelt or buckwheat four. That's because white flour yields a soft pliable dough that results in flaky samosas. Who wouldn't want to bite into that? You can, of course, use a mix of whole-wheat and white flour but it won't yield the ultimate tender crust.

You'll also need to have a few spices on hand, such as turmeric, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and garam masala (that’s just covering the basics!). Can you do without one or two of those? Sure, but if your aim to is get that authentic Indian flavor you're better off taking a trip to the nearest spice shop.

Plan of Action

Most chefs will agree that the best plan of action is to divide the work in two sections. A great tip is to make the filling the day before you intend to serve the samosas so making them will be a breeze. Time doesn't always allow for that so you can always make the filling while the samosa dough is resting (ideally, you'd boil the potatoes ahead of time).

Once you learn how to make samosas, you'll see that it's not as complicated as you thought. The biggest challenge in the entire process is mastering the triangular shape. Below is a step-by-step guide that will help you learn to fold samosas once and for all. It's fair to point out there are many other ways to fold samosas but the method below is the traditional one used in the region of Punjab.

Potato Samosa Recipe
makes 8 samosas

For the dough:

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds), optional
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup minus 2 tablespoon lukewarm water

Filling:

3 large boiled potatoes, peeled and chopped into very small cubes
1 small onion, chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 chopped green chilies (more if you like it spicy - I like to double the amount)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon amchur (mango powder), or the juice of one fresh lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup green peas (frozen)
10 sprigs of cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for sautéing

For paste to seal pastries:

2 tablespoons of water + 1 tablespoon white flour

Preparation: 

1. Use a medium bowl to prepare the dough. Begin by mixing the flour, salt and oil with your hands, rubbing together thoroughly so the oil gets incorporated into every bit of the flour (this will yield a flaky dough). Slowly add the water until you form a ball of dough, adding more water if needed. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes until smooth. Wrap it in plastic and set it aside for 20 min.

2. For the filling, heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan. When warm, add the cumin seeds and onions. Cook until translucent, then add the chilies, turmeric and peas. When the peas are cooked through add the potatoes, garam masala and mango powder (if using). Cook until warmed through and ingredients are mixed together. Turn off heat. Adjust the salt and add cilantro. If using fresh lemon juice, add it now and mix throughly.

To assemble samosas:

1. Divide the dough into four small balls. Roll each ball into a circle about 5 inches wide. Cut each circle in half. Each half moon will yield one samosa. You should end up with 8 half moons.

2. For each half moon: dip your finger in the flour/water paste and run along the edges. Roll into triangular shape as pictured above, making sure to seal the edges tightly. Set aside on a floured surface. Work quickly to prevent the samosas from drying out.

3. Dust off any excess flour and deep fry samosas until golden. Serve with chutney, yogurt sauce or ketchup.

Chef's tip:

 For the ultimate crispy flaky samosa, fry them twice: once at 350F and the second time around at 375F. If you plan on freezing samosas, fry them just once. Let cool and freeze.