The Blue Mango

Tangy Samosas

Samosa is a traditional north Indian snack. It’s best had piping hot. It’s one of those things that everyone just loves to eat. The crispy crust, the spicy filling! Is there anyone who doesn’t love it? Nah! A well made samosa is everyone’s best friend.

While there are plenty of recipes out there this one is a little different. It’s my mom’s personal recipe. It doesn’t contain onion, ginger or garlic and since it’s relatively light on chilli(compared to every samosa I’ve had out there) it is great for people who cannot tolerate the heat. It’s primarily spiced with ‘amchur’ or dried mango powder which gives the samosas their signature tang without being too overwhelming on the tongue.

This is an easy recipe and if you have all the ingredients it comes together in roughly, an hour. So, without further ado, onward to la recette!

Bonus: Scroll down to see the baking instructions included at the bottom.

Ingredients

For the crust/covering

For the filling

Method

  1. Prepare the dough by pouring the oil into the maida. Add ajwain and salt. Rub the oil into the maida with your fingers and between your palms in a back and forth motion so that the oil is properly incorporated and the maida looks like crumbly sand. Add water very gradually and start kneading with a light hand. Dough should be stiff. If it’s soft that means you have added way too much water. When the dough comes together, cover with a cheesecloth and let it rest for 30 minutes. This will allow to get hydrated and it will be more pliable.

  2. For the filling peel and boil the potatoes. Cool and mash them roughly within your fist. Simultaneously, heat mustard oil in a pan. Keep the flame low and add cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start sputtering, add the potatoes and ‘turn’ them over with a spatula so that they get coated with the tempered oil. Now add all the powdered masalas. Cook the potatoes on low flame for 4-5 minutes until the potatoes leave the sides. Add peas and cook for another minute. Keep stirring the potatoes so that they cook evenly and don’t get burnt. Take the filling off the flame and cool.

  3. Oil your surface moderately. Divide the dough into 50 gram balls and roll them out, one at a time, into a circle of at least 6 inches. Alternatively, you can also use a pastry ring to cut out the circles. Use a sharp knife to cut the rolled out dough circle into half.

  4. Use your index finger to rub water lengthwise along this cut. Now take one semi-circle into your hand by pinching the edges and make a cone by bringing the edges together, overlapping one above the other, and sealing the entire seam. Press lightly along the seam to make sure they are sealed.

  5. Holding this steadily, gently, like an ice cream cone, in your left hand, take a little filling in your right hand and stuff it into the ‘samosa cone’ pushing it into the very tip. The samosa shouldn’t be stuffed recklessly or under-stuffed because you will not be able to seal it or it will be flat and misshapen respectively. Take care not to stretch the dough when you are filling it. Leave 1 cm space at the top, use your right index finger to rub water along the periphery and seal the seams with a pinching motion of your fingers. Make sure that you seal the vertical seam to the middle of the samosa, otherwise your samosas run the risk of being ‘flat’.

  6. Cover the samosas and heat your oil. The ideal temperature at which these goodies should be fried is 160°C Any hotter and your samosas will blister on the surface. When you put the samosas in the hot oil you should see only tiny bubbles with no violent activity on the surface. If the oil smokes and spits excessively then the oil is too hot. Turn the heat down and wait for the correct temperature before you start frying.

Baked samosas: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the samosas with space in between them. Brush them with oil and bake at 180°C for 20-25 minutes. They should be golden when they are ready.

Serving suggestion: Samosas are ideally served with a dhania chutney/mint chutney and a sweet imli chutney. In a pinch, it can also be served with tomato ketchup. Pairs well with a cup of hot adrak chai and with a little yogurt you can even turn it into samosa chaat.

xx

Shweta K.

by Lucid Illusions.