Punjabi-Style Potato Samosas

If you’re interested in spending the day making a delicious fried snack that tastes as good fresh from the pot as it does when you inevitable eat a handful from the refrigerator in your underwear as a late night snack then let me introduce you to the samosa!

I am by no means an expert on Indian cooking. I’m a white girl from a Florida beach town. If anything I should be an expert on what flavor Mountain Dew to pair with your belly button piercing. But I was lucky to be shown how to make Samosas from someone with much more credibility than I. This is not her recipe but it definitely has her spirit. India is an incredibly food diverse country with different geographical regions, climates, and over 22 official languages spoken. This means the food varies a lot by region. These samosas are in the Punjabi-style (Punjabi being a northern state of India that boarders Pakistan.) Samosas are definitely a bit of a labor intensive treat but they’re totally worth it. Samosas can be stuffed with all types of filling including meat, but my favorite are the vegetarian ones. These tasty little pockets of gold are filled with spiced potatoes and peas and fried until golden. Pair them with your favorite chutney or dip them in raita. This recipe has a few specialty ingredients including ajwain seeds and amchur powder. The ingredients give the samosas great flavor but if you can’t find them I’ve listed some modifications below.

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Yield: approximately 16 samosas

Ingredients:

Samosa dough:

• 1 1/4 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 Cup semolina flour
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ajwain seeds (carom seeds, if not available omit)
• 2 Tbsp ghee (or butter) softened
• 1/2 Cup cold water

Method:

1. In a small bowl whisk together both flours, salt, and seeds.
2. Using the tips of your fingers rub the ghee into the dough until it becomes sandy in texture.
3. Add water and mix until a shaggy dough forms.
4. Pour dough onto a clean work surface and begin to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. This process took me about 10 minutes by hand. The more you work the dough to develop gluten at this stage the easier the dough is to work with later.
5. Wrap dough and chill while preparing filling or up to 24 hours.

Samosa filling:

• 1 lb potatoes, peeled, boiled to fork tender and cooled
• 2 Tbsp ghee (or butter)
• 1/4 Cup onion, small dice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp jalapeno, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1/4 tsp yellow curry powder
• 1 tsp amchur powder (or 1 Tbsp additional lime juice)
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup peas

*4 cups high heat oil for frying

*corn starch for rolling

Method:

1. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch chunks and place in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Place a small saucepan over medium heat and melt ghee.
3. Add onions, garlic, jalapeno, and ginger to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
4. Add the spices to the pot and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until fragrant. Toasting the spices helps release their oils for a deeper flavor.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and scrape the onion spice mixture into the potato bowl. Stir and smash the mixture into the potatoes to make a chunky dough.
6. Add salt, lime juice, cilantro, and peas and stir everything together to fully coat the mixture.
7. Taste the filling and adjust seasoning to your own taste.
8. Prepare a plate or tray to place your finished samosas as well as a small bowl of water for assembling samosas.
9. Unwrap the dough and roll into 8 golf ball size rounds.
10. Working with 1 ball at a time keep the others covered to prevent them from drying out.
11. Dust your work surface lightly with cornstarch and roll dough into an approximately 5″ circle. Cut that circle in half.
12. Brush the cut side of one half circle lightly with water and fold the edges together to create a cone shape. Press the seams down to seal.
13. Holding the dough cone in your non-dominant hand scoop a spoonful of filing into the cone pressing lightly to fill. Leave a 1/2″ of dough at the top.
14. Brush the exposed dough at the top with water and fold the edges over to seal.
15. Place your completed samosa seam side down on a plate.
16. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
17. Samosas can be frozen uncooked and will keep for up to 1 month in the freezer.
18. In a high-walled pot or fryer place oil and heat to 350F.
19. Fry samosas until deep golden brown. Approximately 7 minutes.
20. Drain cooked samosas on a towel lined plate.
21. Eat them warm and enjoy!