Vegetable Samosas
- Level: Intermediate
- Total: 2 hr 10 min
- Prep: 45 min
- Inactive: 1 hr
- Cook: 25 min
- Yield: 20 samosas, 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup ghee or clarified butter or oil
Cold water as needed, usually about 10 tablespoons
3 medium baking potatoes, boiled until tender, drained and cooled
1/4 cup ghee or clarified butter or oil
1 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 hot green chile, such as Serrano, finely minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Chutney, for serving
Directions
- Make the pastry by combining the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and then rubbing 1/4 cup of the ghee into the flour until well combined and mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, until the pastry comes together to form a ball, about 10 tablespoons. Knead the dough lightly and then form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator to rest for at least 1 hour.
- While the dough is resting, make the filling. Peel the potatoes and cut into small dice. Heat 1/4 cup of ghee in a medium skillet and add the onion. Cook until the onion is lightly caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add the ginger, chile, coriander, garam masala, and cumin seeds and cook until the spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, 1 teaspoon of the remaining salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper and cook, stirring, until well combined, about 6 minutes. Add the peas and 3 tablespoons of the cilantro and set aside to cool completely.
- While the filling is cooking, make the yogurt dipping sauce by combining the yogurt, remaining tablespoon of cilantro, mint, green onion, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and stir to combine. Set aside, refrigerated, until ready to serve the samosas.
- Divide the samosa dough into 10 portions and roll each piece of dough into a circle about 5 inches in diameter. Cut each circle in half. Lightly moisten the straight edge of each half circle and press together to seal; you should now have a cone-shaped portion of dough. Carefully spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling into the dough cone and then moisten the remaining edges with a bit of water and press together to seal. Repeat with the remaining portions of dough and filling.
- When you are ready to fry the samosas, heat a large saucepan filled at least 2 inches with oil to about 340 degrees F. Fry the samosas, a few at a time and stirring to promote even cooking, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. (Note: these will float to the surface of the oil long before they are ready to be removed; make certain to cook them until the pastry is crispy and golden brown.) Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-lined plate to drain. Repeat until all samosas have been fried. Serve immediately, with the yogurt dipping sauce and your favorite chutney.
