10 mins
Samosa
Recipe by Mamtha Sunil Kumar
Samosa is a stuffed, deep fried snack that originated in the Indian state of Gujarat and has become extremely popular right across Asia, the Mediterranean, North Africa and into Europe. In fact, it could be argued that it is one of the most famous exports from India to the world. Samosa makes a great evening snack with cup of hot Indian masala tea or, indeed, served with chutney as an appetizer to a full Indian meal.
Samosa generally consist of a fried triangular (or half-moon) pastry shell with a savoury filling, which may include spiced potatoes, onions, peas, coriander, and lentils, or ground lamb or chicken. The dish has many ingredients and takes a little time to prepare, but the result is well worth the effort.
Sausage and Bacon Flan 
Samphire Ingredients for Samosa
If you want to know more about Indian ingredients, check our Indian Spices and our Indian Pulses, Rice and Seeds pages.
Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements
How to Cook Samosa
- First of all, use the potatoes to make mashed potatoes. While the potatoes are cooking you can make the samosa casings...
- Place the flour, salt and oil into a mixing bowl, add just a little water and knead well until you have a soft, pliable dough. Don't add too much water at once... just a little at a time if it's needed. Cover the bowl with a moist muslin cloth (or clean, damp tea towel) and allow the dough to rest for 15 minutes.
When the potatoes are cooked and mashed, place them in a mixing bowl and add the peas, chopped green chilies, crushed ginger, garam masala, salt and red chili powder. (make sure the peas are fully defrosted first). Mix well by hand then add in the chopped coriander leaves. Set aside, when fully mixed.- Make small rolls of dough and roll them into circles about 4"-5" (10cm-12.5cm) diameter. Cut each circle into two parts like semi-circles. Take one semi circle and fold it like a cone.
Place a spoon of the filling in the cone (see the picture above), brush a drop of water on the open sides of the pastry to help it stick and press it between the fingers to close the open side of samosa (see the picture on the right).- When you have used up all the dough/filling, heat the oil in a deep pan and deep-fry the samosas over a medium-high heat until they are golden brown (about 5-6 minutes). Serve hot.
MAMTHA SUNIL KUMAR'S HOT TIP:
Use a little water to wet the palms of your hands creating the samosas. It helps to stop the dough from sticking to you.
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