Samosas

My wife made some delicious samosas tonight. It is probably my favorite Indian Appetizer.

Samosas

Pastry:

4 oz plain flour
¼ tsp. salt
2T vegetable oil, plus a bit more
2 T water

Stuffing:

¾ 1b. potatoes, boiled in their skins and allowed to cool
2 T vegetable oil
½ onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 oz. frozen peas, defrosted
1 ½ T fresh ginger, grated
½ hot green chili, finely chopped
1 ½ T cilantro, finely chopped
1 ½ T water
¾ tsp. salt or to taste
½ tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. garam masala
½ tsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 T lemon juice
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the vegetable oil and rub it in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Slowly add about 2 T water, or a tiny bit more, and form the dough into a stiff ball. Knead for about 10 minutes on a clean work surface or in a mixer. Make a ball. Rub the ball with about ¼ tsp. oil and place in a plastic bag. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the stuffing. Peel the potatoes and cut them into ¼ inch dice. Place 2 T oil in a frying pan and fry the potatoes until they begin to brown around the edges. Add the peas, ginger, chili, cilantro and water. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the peas are cooked. Stir occasionally and add water as needed. Add the potatoes, ground coriander, garam masala, salt, roasted cumin seeds, cayenne pepper and lemon juice. Stir to mix. Cook on low heat 3-4 minutes stirring gently. Check the salt and lemon juice for balance and adjust as necessary depending on the amount of broth you want and the taste you like. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Knead the pastry again and divide it into 4 balls. Work one at a time, keeping the rest covered. Roll each ball into a 7 inch round. Cut the dough in half and form a cone with one half, making a ¼ inch overlapping seam. Glue seam together with a little water. Fill the cone with about 2 ½ T of the stuffing. Seal the top of the cone with water and flute both edges with a fork or your fingers. Repeat for the rest of the dough.

Heat 1 ½-2 inches oil to 350 degrees. Fry the samosas in the oil until nice and brown.