Homemade Pea Potato Samosas
Samosas are arguably the quintessential Indian street food. Samosa is originally from the Middle East where it is called Sambusak. The northern Indian version varies from the southern Indian one. The samosa dough, filling and method of folding varies from the north to the south. Some regions in India serve the samosas piping hot, right out of the fryer, but in other regions the samosas are served with a mint, cilantro and coconut green chutney and a tamarind chutney (Indian condiments).
Traditionally, the samosa dough is quickly kneaded by hand. But this time I whizzed it in the KitchenAid® 7-Cup Food Processor, giving it only few pulses, and finished kneading it by hand. The process of kneading this dough is super quick. Then you let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
This crunchy, somewhat flaky dough, when fried, is what my mother calls Punjabi samosa. The filling here is my mom’s. At times to change things around, I add garam masala and cumin seeds to my mom’s base filling. Garam masala, an Indian spice mix often made with ground cardamon, cloves, turmeric, peppercorns and cinnamon, is available at Indian grocers, main stream supermarkets and online shops.
Here you’ll find a hybrid, the easier to make Punjabi dough with my mom’s Mumbai filling.
Add the flour, salt and oil into a KitchenAid® 7-Cup Food Processor and pulse 4 times or until the oil is incorporated into the flour (consistency should look just like working fat into pie flour). Add the 1/4 cup of warm water gradually and pulse a few times until a crumbly, moist but not sticky dough is formed.
The surface of the dough won’t be smooth due to the warm water that was added and short kneading time. Cover the ball of dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. If you forget it for a tad longer it’s ok.
For the filling:
Add only the onion, garlic, and jalapeño or hot green pepper into the Food Processor for a small but rough chop.
Add a heaping tablespoon of filling in the middle of the halved 6-inch rolled out dough and wet the edges with little water.
Fold one side of the dough over the filling.
Fold the other side of the dough, overlapping the first fold. Press gently along the seam to make sure it’s sealed properly.
Tuck the filling in and press the opening of the pocket with your fingers so the filling is snug.
Press with the fork tines to seal. Fry with the seam facing up.
Homemade Pea Potato Samosas
INGREDIENTS
For samosa dough
Makes 16 servings
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons semolina flour
1/4 teaspoon salt or less
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 plus cup warm water
For pea & potato filling
Makes 32 servings
4 small- medium Yukon Gold potatoes (1.5-1.7 pounds)
1 medium-large onion (0.7 pounds)
3 small-medium garlic cloves
1 jalapeño or hot green pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 inch ginger, finely grated (get rid of stringy leftover or use it to infuse a cup of tea)
2 cups small frozen peas
14 cilantro sprigs, finely chopped (cut tip ends of cilantro sprigs and toss away)
1/2 teaspoon salt or according to taste
1/4-1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or red pepper
1/4-1/2 teaspoon garam masala (optional)
1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds (optional)
Vegetable oil for frying
DIRECTIONS
For samosa dough
Add the flour, semolina, salt and oil into a KitchenAid® 7-Cup Food Processor and pulse 4 times or until the oil is incorporated into the flour. Add the 1/4 cup of warm water gradually and pulse a few times until a crumbly, moist but not sticky dough is formed.
Scoop the dough out of the food processor onto a working surface. Sprinkle additional warm water, if needed, and continue kneading for a minute or two.
The surface of the dough won’t be smooth due to the warm water that was added and the short kneading time. Cover the ball of dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. If you forget it for a tad longer it’s ok.
For pea & potato filling
Note: The filling can be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated before use.
Add the potatoes, skin-on into a deep pot of water. Cook them on a high heat for 20-25 minutes or until when you fork the potatoes they feel soft but do not fall apart. Peel the potatoes under cold water and dice. Set aside.
Add the onion, jalapeño or green pepper, and garlic cloves into the KitchenAid® Food Processor and pulse until a small, rough chop is achieved.
In a large skillet or a frying pan, add 3 tablespoons oil over low/medium heat and add the onion, jalapeño and garlic mixture. Grate the ginger and add to the skillet. Fry for a few minutes until the mixture is soft.
While the skillet is still on a low/medium heat, add the potatoes, peas, chopped cilantro, salt, turmeric and cayenne. Mix and then cook for a few minutes while occasionally stirring, until the mixture is completely dry. Taste and adjust for salt. Remove from the heat to cool down.
For assembly
Add vegetable oil into a wok or a deep frying pan at least two inches deep and heat the oil over low/medium heat.
Divide the dough into eight equal parts. Roll out one of the parts into six 6-inch round circles, without dusting it with flour, while the rest of the dough is covered with a kitchen towel.
Divide the circle into half into two equal semi-circles. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the pea & potato mixture into the middle of the semi-circle. Wet the edges with a little bit of water. Fold one side over the filling (as shown in the photo). Fold the other side (as shown in the photo) while overlapping over the first fold. Tap along the seam to make sure it’s properly sealed so the filling doesn’t fall out when frying. Make sure the filling is snug inside the pocket and press with your fingers to seal the top. Press with a fork around the edges (as shown in the photo).
Make sure the oil is hot but not too hot. Fry the samosas with the seam up on low/medium heat for a couple of minutes. Turn up to medium/high heat and fry until they’re a deep golden color. Flip carefully with a heat resistant slotted spatula and fry for another minute or two until they achieve this deep golden color. Adjust the heat as necessary. Scoop with a slotted spatula onto a paper towel lined plate.
The low/medium to medium/high heat switch makes sure the pastry comes out crispy and stays crispy, not soft, as it cools down. Even on low/medium heat the oil should be hot, otherwise the pastry will soak up the oil and will get soggy.
While the first samosas are cooking, you can roll, fill and fold the next batch. You can also prepare four or six at the time, then fry them, depending on the size of the wok or frying pan you are using.
I recommend serving them with a coconut, cilantro and mint chutney.
You can save the extra filling up to five days for another batch of samosas or serve it as a side dish.
