3 Indian Samosa Recipes

Samosa is probably the only snack food that is found all over India in different shapes tastes and sizes. It can make for a perfect tea-time snack on a dull rainy day.
In case you didn’t know, Samosa is a stuffed pastry / dumpling usually filled with either vegetables or meat. Though it is also prepared by baking,  most Indian varieties are deep-fried. Previously I had posted a video on how to prepare Samosa

Photo Credit - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalyan/

North Indian Samosas usually have a filling of mashed potatoes and are served with Chutneys. The South Indian varieties are filled with a mixture of vegetables and Chutneys are usually not part of the standard menu when serving them.
Perhaps the most difficult part in making a Samosa is getting those perfect triangular shapes. But with a little practice and a little more food love, you should be able to make them without a problem (like my mom says  ).
Serve them as an appetizer with Mint Chutney or thoroughly enjoy them as an evening snack.
Three Samosa Recipes are featured here:

1. Mixed Vegetable Samosa
2. Aloo Samosa
3. Sweet Samosa

Also included (see at the end) is a Green Chutney recipe to serve your Samosas.
Samosa Tip: To get crispy samosa outer cover, add some rice flour to the dough. You can also add a pinch of soda to the cooking oil to add to the crispiness.

1. Crispy Vegetable Samosas

Ingredients:
For the pastry:

• All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 2 Cups
• Ghee or Hot Oil  3-4 Teaspoons
• Salt to taste
• Cooking Soda – ¼ teaspoon

For the stuffing:

• Potatoes (big) – 3 (about quarter Kilograms)
• Green Chillies, Chopped – 4
• Garlic – 4 flakes
• Ginger – 1 inch piece
• Onion (chopped finely) – 1
• Fresh Peas (shelled) – 1 cup
• Garam Masala – 1 teaspoon
• Cumin power – 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
• Mint leaves – a handful chopped fine
• Amchoor (Mango) Powder

For Frying:

• Vegetable Oil – half a liter

For the seasoning:

• Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
• Oil – 1 tablespoon

How to Make / Method:
Preparing the dough

1. Sieve the flour, salt and cooking soda together and put it in a bowl.
2. Add heated ghee or oil to this and mix well.
3. Add water and prepare it into a soft dough.

Preparing the Masala stuffing

1. Boil the potatoes, peel them and cut them into small pieces
2. Grind the garlic and ginger together into a paste
3. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a Kadai and season cumin seeds in it.
4. Add the ginger and garlic paste into the oil and stir for a while.
5. Add the chopped chillies, finely chopped onion and peas; fry till these are cooked and soft.
6. Next add the chopped mint leaves, cumin powder, coriander powder and salt into this and sauté it for about 2 minutes
7. Remove the pan from the fire
8. Finally add the mashed potatoes and mix well with the other masalas. This Masala should be dry and water content in it will not result in a proper stuffing.

Preparing the Samosa

1. From the dough that you first prepared, divide it into small and equal parts
2. Prepare small balls and roll them into thin chapathis.
3. Heat a Tawa and put the chapathi tossing both sides.
4. Make several chapathis from the dough balls
5. Cut each of these chapattis into half.
6. Take one half and fold it into a conical shape. Place the potato and masala stuffing inside this (the cone).
7. Seal the edges of the chapatti cone with maida dipped in little water.
8. Prepare Samosas from the all the chapattis that are prepared.
9. Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
10. Fry the Samosas until they turn golden brown.
11. When they are crisp and brown, remove from oil using a perforated spoon.
12. Use a tissue filled dish to absorb excess oil from the Samosas.
13. Serve hot with chutney or tomato ketchup.

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2. Sweet Samosa

For the sugar syrup

• Sugar – 2 cups

• Water – 2cups

For the filling

• Condensed milk – 1/2 tin

• Grated/scraped coconut – 2 cups

For frying

• Ghee & oil – equal amounts
  
  For the dough

• Maida (All purpose flour) – 2cups

• Soda – 1/8 teaspoon

• Warm water – as needed

For decoration

• Saffron strands
• Silver waraq

How to make / Method:

1. Make the pliable dough with given ingredients.
2. Make sugar syrup into one thread consistency (See sugar syrup consistency here).
3. Mix the condensed milk and coconut into a smooth mixture for filling.
4. Work with the dough for 1-2 minutes on a flat board, and divide into equal balls, roll out like Samosa pouches, fill with the sweet mixture.
5. Heat the oil & ghee, turn into medium heat.
6. Add Samosas batch-wise and deep fry both sides into golden brown.
7. Soak them in syrup for some time and decorate with silver waraq & saffron strands.

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Aloo (Potato) Samosa

Ingredients
For the dough:

• 225 grams flour (2 cups)
• 50 grams ghee or clarified butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds or ajwain
• 75 milliliters warm water

For the Filling:

• 2 cups boiled — peeled small potatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 1/2 cm ginger — grated fine
• 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon mango powder
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• Salt – to taste
• 1/2 cup green peas – Boiled in water with a little salt
• 2 green chillies – chopped
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves — chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Oil – for deep-frying

Preparing the dough

1. Sieve the flour, salt and cooking soda together and put it in a bowl.
2. Add heated ghee or oil to this and mix well.
3. Add water and prepare it into a soft dough.

Preparing the filling

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the cumin seeds.
3. When they sizzle, add the coriander, red chilli, cumin, and mango powder. Add the ginger and green chillies.
4. After a few seconds, add the potatoes and the peas. Add the Garam masala, lemon juice, salt and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Cover and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Add the chopped coriander and mix well.
7. Stir in the garam masala powder, green chillies.
8. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice.
9. Cool thoroughly and mix in the coriander leaves.

To prepare the Samosa:

1. Add the ghee, caraway (ajwain) seeds and salt to the flour. Rub in well. Add enough warm water to mix a soft dough. Knead until the dough feels soft to the touch. Fill these cones with the prepared filling, leaving about 1/2 cm. border on the top of the cone.
2. Now moisten the top edges and press them hard together.
3. Deep fry the Samosas in hot oil over medium heat until they are golden brown and drain on absorbent paper.

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Green Chutney

Ingredients:

• Fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves – ½ cup
• Mint leaves – a few sprigs
• Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
• Plain yoghurt (Curds) – 2 cups
• Salt

To make the chutney:

1. Grind the coriander and mint in a mixer with juice into a fine paste.
2. After this add to the Yoghurt (curds) and blend it well.
3. Add salt to taste.
4. Serve with hot samosas.

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