Samosa

Samosas are India's most beloved snack: crispy, golden triangles with a spicy filling of potatoes and peas, seasoned with cumin, turmeric, ginger, and fresh green chili. They are deep-fried until crunchy and served hot with a fresh dip – typically tamarind or mint-coriander chutney. Here, you'll make the dough from scratch, but you can also save time with ready-made paratha or spring roll dough. This recipe yields about 12 samosas, enough for 4 people as a starter or snack.

• Cuisine: Indian
• Time: 1 hour 15 min.
• Servings: 4 people (approx. 12 pcs.)
• Difficulty: Medium

Instructions

1. Make the dough: Mix 300 g wheat flour with 1 tsp salt and 3 tbsp neutral oil until it resembles coarse sand. Add approx. 1 dl cold water gradually and knead to a firm, smooth dough. Cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, boil 4 medium potatoes (approx. 500 g) until tender, drain the water, and let them steam dry. Mash them coarsely, leaving small pieces.
3. Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a pan. Fry 1 tsp whole cumin seeds until they pop. Add 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger and 1 finely chopped green chili and sauté for 1 minute.
4. Stir in 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garam masala, and 1 tsp salt. Add the mashed potatoes and 150 g green peas, and mix everything well. Fry for 3-4 minutes, season with lemon juice, and let the filling cool completely.
5. Divide the dough into 6 balls. Roll out each ball into a thin oval and cut it in half, creating 12 semi-circles. Shape each semi-circle into a cone, fill with the filling, and seal the edge well with a little water so it's completely closed.
6. Heat plenty of neutral oil to 170 degrees in a pot. Deep-fry the samosas in batches for 4-6 minutes until golden and crispy all around. Turn them occasionally to ensure even cooking.
7. Drain them on absorbent paper. Serve hot with sweet chili, tamarind, or mint-coriander dip.

Tips

• The filling must be completely cooled before folding the samosas – warm filling makes the dough soft and difficult to seal.
• Maintain an oil temperature of around 170 degrees. Oil that is too hot will result in dark samosas with raw dough inside; oil that is too cold will result in greasy samosas.
• If you're in a hurry, you can use thawed paratha dough or spring roll pastry for quick samosas.
• The samosas can be shaped in advance and frozen raw – deep-fry them directly from frozen, just for one minute longer.