Vegetarian Samosas

August 14, 2012

Samosas are triangular, deep-fried small pies with a spiced filling. The vegetarian version is filled with potatoes and peas seasoned with mustard seeds, asafoetida, chilli and garam masala. The pastry is short and made with flour, butter and water so the crust turns crisp when it meets the hot oil.

Samosas are sold from street kitchens across the Indian subcontinent and eaten as a snack, starter or light lunch. They originally came from Central Asia and followed the trade routes into India, where the filling was gradually adapted to local spices and vegetables.

They are folded by cutting a rolled circle in half, forming a cone around a spoonful of filling and closing the top into a triangle. The technique takes a little practice but gets faster with each one. Serve them warm with a fresh coriander chutney or a sweet-sour tamarind chutney.

Ingredients

Makes 6 portions

2 tbsp milk
oil, for deep-frying
chutney, to serve

Pastry

150 g plain flour
1 tsp salt
175 g butter (or margarine)
1.5 dl water

Filling

1 tbsp ghee (or vegetable oil)
asafoetida powder, a pinch
2 tsp mustard seeds
250 g potatoes, cooked and diced
125 g peas, cooked
2 fresh green chillies, deseeded and chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pomegranate seeds (can be omitted)
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp coriander leaves, fresh and chopped

Directions

The pastry

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.

Cut the butter into small pieces and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture has the texture of breadcrumbs.

Add the water a little at a time, stirring until it is absorbed.

Knead the dough briefly until smooth and pliable. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest while you make the filling.

The filling

Heat the ghee or oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the asafoetida powder, mustard seeds, potatoes, peas, chilli, salt and pomegranate seeds. Stir well for 2 minutes so the spices open up.

Put the lid on, reduce to low heat and leave the filling to cook for a further 10 minutes. Stir once during this time.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the garam masala and chopped coriander. Leave the filling to cool completely before using.

Assembly and frying

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a thin circle about 18 cm in diameter. Cover the rolled circles with a damp cloth so they do not dry out.

Cut each circle in half to make two semicircles.

Take one semicircle at a time. Brush the two straight edges with milk. Fold the semicircle into a cone by overlapping one straight edge over the other and pressing the seam together.

Fill the cone with a couple of spoonfuls of filling. Brush the open top edge with milk and close the cone into a triangle. Press the edge firmly together.

Heat oil in a deep pot or wok to about 340°F (170°C). Fry the samosas in batches without overcrowding the pot, until crisp and golden on both sides.

Drain on kitchen paper. Serve warm with chutney.

Notes

Active time is about one hour including preparing the pastry. The deep-frying itself takes 10 minutes. The filling can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge.

Asafoetida (also sold as hing) is available in Asian grocery stores. It has a strong smell in the jar, but mellows in hot oil and adds an umami-like depth. Can be omitted if unavailable.

Samosas can be sealed and frozen raw. Fry directly from frozen at a slightly lower temperature so the filling has time to heat through.