Samosas (two ways)
Samosas are crisp Indian fried pastries filled with spiced potato and pea, or curried lamb and beef. Two filling options, one homemade dough, fried golden in 48-piece batches.
YIELD
48 servingsPREP
25 minCOOK
20 minREADY
45 minSamosas are the iconic Indian fried pastry, the kind sold from every corner stall and home kitchen across the subcontinent. This recipe gives you both classic fillings: a vegetarian potato and pea version with garam masala, turmeric, and ginger, and a meat version that combines ground lamb and beef with cinnamon and cayenne.
The homemade dough is simple but crucial. Flour, oil, and water form a soft dough that gets a one-hour fridge rest to relax the gluten. Without that rest, the dough fights you when you try to roll thin circles, and the samosas turn out tough.
The shaping technique is the part most cooks find tricky. Each rolled circle gets cut in half. Each half-circle gets formed into a cone by joining the straight edges. Filled and sealed into a triangle, the cone shape is what gives samosas their distinctive three-corner silhouette.
Pro Tips
- Cool the filling completely before stuffing. Hot filling steams the dough and creates soft, soggy samosas.
- Seal edges with water and pinch firmly. A loose seal means filling escapes into the frying oil.
- Fry at a steady 350F to 375F (175 to 190C). Cooler oil makes greasy samosas; hotter burns the dough before the filling heats.
- Drain on a wire rack to keep the bottoms crispy.
Variations
- Use phyllo dough or spring roll wrappers for a quicker shortcut version.
- Add chopped fresh mint to the potato filling for a brighter herbal note.
- Serve with tamarind chutney and mint-cilantro chutney for the full restaurant experience.
Ingredients
Directions
Ghee is butter that has been cooked to separate the clear butter fat from milk solids to be able to keep it for a long time.
To make it, cook 1 lb unsalted butter to a simmer and cook, partially covered, 10 to 15 minutes until most of the froth has subsided and the milk solids on the bottom of the pan are browned but not burned. Turn it off and allow it to cool a bit and separate. Strain it through several layers of cheesecloth. Seal in plastic containers. It will keep several weeks in the fridge.
Samosas: Use either vegetable OR meat filling.
Vegetable Filling: Heat a large frying pan and add the ghee, potatoes, garlic, onion, and ginger.
Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes, to sweat the potatoes down.
Stir a few times. Don’t brown.
Add the remaining ingredients and continue cooking, covered until the potatoes and peas are tender, 5 minutes.
Set aside to cool.
Meat Filling: Sauté all ingredients until they are crumbly and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Set aside to cool.
Dough: Using a fork, blend the flour, oil and salt.
Add the water and knead to form smooth dough.
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Knead the dough for 1 minute.
Cut in half.
Cut each half into 12 pieces.
Roll in 7 inch circles using additional flour.
Cut each circle in half.
Roll sides together to make a cone.
Hold the cone in your hands, with the fingers wrapped around it.
Fill and seal with water into triangle.
Fry in 2 inches of oil at 375℉ (190℃) F for 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Drain.
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