I Heart Indian Food: Samosas

Really, this one should be titled "Sammmmmmmmmmmosas" because they are just so tasty, the first thing I did when I tried the filling was say "mmmmmmmmmm."

Ironically, neither the filling, nor the pastry dough came from Indian food blogs, although the filling's recipe is credited to Savoring India by Julie Sahni (printed in the Williams-Sonoma spring catalog).

The pastry comes from Meg, at Too Many Chefs.

I pretty much doubled the recipe for the filling and made three different versions of the pastry dough, and still had leftover filling, which I froze for emergency samosa sessions.

Filling:

Ingredients:

1 1/3 lb russet potatoes boiled and mashed (leave somewhat lumpy)
Canola oil for frying + 2 tablespoons for sauteing spices.
1 small onion diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I actually omitted this, it was delicious without it)

Dough:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour (I made it three different ways, using whole wheat, white and chickpea flour--I wouldn't use the chickpea flour again for this purpose, but whole wheat and white worked very well)
6 tablespoons of plain yogurt (I used low-fat)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water (you may end up using more or less, depending on the humidity of your house)

Directions:

Make filling first. Remember to leave time to make the potatoes. I didn't skin mine.



1. In a very large skillet, warm the 2 tablespoons of oil, then add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
3. Add the spices (not the cilantro) and potatoes, mixing well. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the peas, cilantro and lemon juice. Mix well, then cool completely.



Make the dough.
1. Mix the flour and salt, then add the butter.
2. Mix in the yogurt until it's well incorporated.
3. Add water until you get a nice, soft, elastic dough.
4. Knead for 5 minutes.

Here's where I deviated a tiny bit. I wrapped each version of my dough in plastic and let it rest for about 10 minutes while I cleaned up and let the samosa filling warm to room temperature. I'd made it the night before and chilled it in the fridge.



5. Pull a piece of dough off about the size of a golf ball. Roll it in your hands to get the round shape, then flatten it with your palm on a floured surface.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a circle about 7-8 in. in diameter (I made mine in a variety of sizes just for fun). Cut the circle in half.
7. Wet your finger (keep a small bowl of water nearby for this, you'll need it.) and run it along the cut edge of one half moon of dough. Fold it so that the edge is sealed against itself, pressing down to help seal it.
8. Pick up the dough, which is now a cone, placing it your hand the way you'd hold an ice cream cone.



9. Fill your cone with samosa filling.
10. Dampen the edges of the top and seal it together, making sure there are no holes. Try to squeeze (gently) out all the air. Repeat until all the stuffing is used.
11. Heat your oil in the fryer or pan to 350 degrees F.



12. Fry your samosas until they're golden brown. It won't take long at all.



13. Drain on a rack over paper towels on a jelly roll pan.



Enjoy!

By the way, the color on the end photos is a bit off. They're definitely browner than red, but oh so yummy! I had enough to freeze, give some to friends and enjoy by myself. Just make sure they're completely cool before you freeze them. To heat the frozen ones, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until sizzling hot.