Recipe: Make Perfect Samosas At Home

Samosas are deep-fried or baked pastries with a savoury filling, such as spiced potatoes or peas and potatoes. They are popular across the Indian subcontinent, and indeed across South Asia and Southeast Asia and a good samosa recipe is key to making samosas.

The word samosa was first attested in the year 1872, though it was then applied only to the fried version which has now come to be called pakora in India. In North America, Russia, Australia and New Zealand this variant is known as a spring roll.

Samosa Ingredients

● Puff pastry sheets

● Onion (1)

● Tomatoes (2 medium)

● Seedless tamarind pulp (2 Tablespoons)

● Turmeric powder (1/4 teaspoon)

● Curry leaves (few)

● Chilli powder to taste

● Salt to taste

● Rice flour (around 1 tbsp) with water to make a thick paste

● For the stuffing: Potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed, 2 cups chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped green chillies, 2 or 3 chopped coriander leaves, 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes, salt to taste, a pinch of turmeric powder, a few curry leaves, oil for frying.

How to make samosa at home

● Proceed with the preparation of the samosa dough.

● Once the dough is prepared, run a knife along its length and then turn it over to divide it in half. Roll out each half into a disc about 7-8 inches in diameter and up to 1/3 inch thick.

● Using a cookie cutter or a glass (which I used) cut circles out of the dough depending on your requirements, e.g. smaller circles for use as pastry sheets and bigger ones for use as sticks. (You can also make circular discs using pastry sheets instead of round ones.)

● Make sure that you cut out two sets of concentric rings, i.e. four large circles on one disc, and three small ones on the other disc.

● Place these discs on a buttered cookie sheet and sprinkle some beaten egg or oil to make a nonstick layer so that when you push them together they will stick together. At this point, it will be a good idea to have two sheets of dough ready as they need to be pressed together while they are still a little greasy so that they stick well and don't tear apart.

● Now proceed with the stuffing. Mash the potatoes well adding the onion, green chillies, coriander leaves and salt. Add two tablespoons of tamarind pulp and mix well so that no lumps remain in it. Chutney or any type of tomato sauce would also make a good stuffing as well.

● Heat some oil in an earthen pot which will be used for frying and fry the pieces of dough on both sides till golden brown. Remove from oil and drain them completely on a clean tissue paper to remove any excess oil before serving them hot with chutney or any other flavouring agents you want to add to your liking.

● To make the samosa, place a disc of dough on a plate, add some stuffing to it and then fold the disc into a neat triangle as shown in the picture weighed down with some more filling. Place another triangle over the first one (also weighed down with some more stuffing) and seal the edges well so that the two triangles stick well. Pinch them slightly to make them round.

● Heat oil in the cooker and deep fry the samosas till light golden brown or bake them for 20-30 minutes. Serve hot accompanied with chutney or any other type of sauce you like that is available at your home.

Tips on making crispy and tasty samosa

● Make sure when you are making samosas not to add too much stuff in them which will make them tear apart while frying and they will not be crispy.

● If you want to bake them, place them on a greased baking tray, brush with egg/oil and bake till golden brown.

● Add some chilli powder if you are feeling adventurous but make sure that the spices do not overpower the real taste of the filling.

● Do not add too much water to the dough or you will end up with soggy samosas.

Key points to note when making samosa

● The taste of the samosa varies based on the kind of filling used.

● One can roll out the dough and cut it into squares or make small circles with a cookie cutter.

● Tradition has it that samosas should always be finger-food, so people usually pick them up and eat only one or two at a time, but nobody eats the whole plateful at one time; rather, they return to have more once their appetites have been satisfied by eating a few at a time.

Conclusion

Samosas are a very popular snack food in India and people of all age groups love to eat them at any time of day. One can find samosa in almost every Indian restaurant or takeaway joints.

Samosa is just so popular that the popularity extends even to tiffin boxes. It is considered to be the perfect snack for any situation.

This samosa recipe is a very easy one and with this recipe you can make delicious samosas at your home hassle-free. To get the perfect crispy texture while frying, it's important to follow these steps carefully.

FAQs

What sort of stuffing can be added to a samosa when using a samosa recipe?

The stuffing that goes into samosa can be made of various ingredients like potatoes, wheat bread, bread, beef, chicken or paneer.

Can I fry samosa in a nonstick pan?

Yes, you can use a nonstick pan as it will not stick to your pan while frying.

How many samosas can I make at a time?

As many as you want. You can make hundreds of samosas if you have the necessary items.

What is the serving size of the samosa?

It depends on the number of people that you are serving, but generally, three samosas will be enough for one person. You can take it as a finger-food item and not eat more than three at a time.

Are samosas healthy?

Samosas are delicious and not unhealthy in moderate quantities.

How to make samosa?

It’s very easy to make samosa with the samosa ingredients and recipe listed above in the article