Spiced Potato Stuffed Pastries Samosas Recipes

Steps:

• For the dough: Whisk together the flour, ajawain, if using, and the salt. Add the oil and, using your hands, rub it into the flour mixture until fully incorporated. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add the water, until a shaggy dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead until soft and pliable, about 3 minutes. Rub a little oil, about 1 teaspoon, over the dough, place on a plate and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight.
• For the filling: Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold tap water by about 2 inches, and season with salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Using a fork, slightly smash the potatoes.
• Meanwhile, in a small food processor (mini-chopper), combine the onion, ginger, garlic, chiles, and 1 tablespoon water and puree to a paste.
• Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onion paste, salt, garam masala and turmeric and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring and mashing lightly with a wooden spoon, until hot, about 2 minutes. Stir in the peas. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, chopped cilantro and remaining 2 tablespoons water.
• To form the samosas: Divide the dough into 10 portions. Using your hands, roll each portion into a small ball. On a floured work surface, using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 7-inch wide disc. Cut each disc in half.
• Set a small bowl of water beside you. Working with one dough semi-circle at a time, fold half of the straight edge up to the rounded side and wet its outside edge with a little water. Fold the other half up to form a cone, overlapping it with the other side by 1/4 inch. Press the edges together to form a seal. Hold the cone in one hand and fill it with about 1/4 cup of the potato filling. Slightly wet the inside of the rounded edge and fold it over the filling to enclose it. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to make 20 samosas.
• In a large, wide heavy-bottomed pot, pour in the oil to a depth of about 2 inches. Place over medium heat, and heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 365 degrees F.
• Working in small batches, fry the samosas until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Serve immediately with tamarind sauce or your favorite chutney.
• For the ghee: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Skim off any of the white foam that comes to the surface with a spoon (being careful not to scoop up any yellow fat from the butter) and discard. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until all of the water has evaporated and the white milk solids have browned in the bottom of the saucepan, about 8 minutes.
• Line a sieve with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and pour the butter through into a container. Discard the browned milk solids in the sieve or reserve for another use. Use now or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Yield: about 2 cups

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by a few inches. Salt the water, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until a knife slides in with little to no resistance, about 20 minutes. Drain, then set aside. When cool enough to handle, peel and use a fork to smush them into a coarse mash.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium for a minute. Add the cumin and coriander seeds, and stir until the seeds are fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the ground chile and turmeric, and the coriander and cumin powders, if using. Continue cooking, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the potatoes, peas, garam masala and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring to evenly mix the ingredients, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh chiles and cilantro. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, prepare to assemble the samosas: Line a sheet pan with wax paper or plastic wrap. Stack the spring roll wrappers and cut evenly in thirds to create 42 rectangles, 8 inches long by 2 2/3-inches wide. If your wrappers are not 8 inches square, aim to cut 42 rectangular shapes in a 3-to-1 ratio. Place a damp clean cloth over your pastry sheets to prevent them from drying out. Place the flour in a small bowl and add enough water (about 3 tablespoons) to make a smooth paste the consistency of craft glue.
• Take a pastry rectangle and place it with the long side facing you on a flat work surface. Replace the damp cloth over the remaining pastry sheets to keep them from drying out. Take the bottom-right corner of the rectangle and fold it over the top, with the short side extending 1 to 2 inches past the top. The overlapping pastry at the bottom right of the sheet will form an equilateral triangle with sides that are about 3 inches long. This triangle will be the final shape and size of the samosa. Fold the triangle so its right outer edge is aligned with the horizontal bottom edge of the sheet. There should now be a triangular pocket with two flaps sticking out to the left. Pick up the pocket so it is open and upright like a cone. Fill the cone with 2 teaspoons of the filling. Using the back of a small spoon, spread the flour paste in a thin layer over the remaining strip of pastry. Fold it over the stuffed triangle to seal the samosa. If the corners of the samosa have any gaps, fill them with the flour paste and pinch them to seal. Repeat with the remaining filling and rectangles (you may have leftover wrappers) and lay on the lined sheet pan, spacing apart. They can be fried or baked right away, or frozen on the pan until firm, then sealed in an airtight container or freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 2 months before frying and go straight into the hot oil from the freezer.
• To fry the samosas, fill a frying pan with oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil over medium-high until it ripples. Add enough samosas to fit without overlapping and shallow-fry until golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes per side (longer, if frying directly from the freezer). Transfer to a cooling rack or plate lined with a paper towel to prevent them from getting soggy. Repeat with the remaining samosas, replenishing and reheating the oil between batches.
• To bake the samosas, heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 1-inch-deep sheet pan with foil and add a thin layer of oil to the pan (about 1/4 inch). Coat the samosas with the oil in the sheet pan and arrange them on the pan in a single layer in rows. Bake, turning once halfway through, until evenly golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to a cooling rack or plate lined with a paper towel to prevent them from getting soggy.
• Serve hot or warm with the mint chutney for dipping.

Steps:

• In medium bowl, whisk together flour, nigella seeds, and salt. Add 2 tablespoons oil and, using fingertips, blend until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add 3/4 cup warm water and mix with fork until dough just comes together. Transfer to lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Lightly oil medium bowl, form dough into ball, and place in bowl. Cover with towel and set aside to rest for 30 to 40 minutes.
• In large pot, cover potatoes with cold water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, finely dice.
• In large bowl, combine diced potatoes, green onions, chiles (if using), cilantro, cumin seeds, ground cumin, chile powder, and salt. Mix with fork, mashing potatoes slightly to incorporate all ingredients.
• Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Roll portions into balls. On floured surface using floured rolling pin, roll out 1 ball into 6-inch circle. Cut circle in half. Fold 1 corner of semicircle up and over middle. Fold second corner over to make triangle, and pinch corners of triangle to seal (leave rounded side open). Hold triangle in your hand with open rounded side facing up and let dough fall open to make cone. Fill cone with approximately 2 tablespoons potato mixture, then pinch along rounded side to seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
• In heavy, deep skillet over moderate heat, heat 2 inches oil until thermometer registers 360°F. Working in batches (return oil to 360°F between batches), fry samosas until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm with yogurt.

Steps:

• To make the filling, put the potatoes in a pot and add water to cover by 1 1/4 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Test by piercing each with a knife. Drain and briefly set aside to cool, then slip off their skins. Cut out any unsightly eyes. Allow the potatoes to cool completely and firm up (refrigerate them overnight, if you want) before cutting them into 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes. You should have a generous 1 1/2 cups. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the coriander and cumin seeds and fry for about 30 seconds, until very fragrant and slightly darkened. Add the onion and ginger, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes, or until soft , compacted, and frothy. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until a number of the pieces are tinged golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the peas and cilantro. Sprinkle on the salt, cayenne, and garam masala. Stir and finish with the lemon juice. Cool for a few minutes, taste, and make any flavor adjustments. Aim for a slightly intense flavor because it will mellow a tad Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool completely before using. You should have about 1 2/3 cups. (The filling can be prepared up to 2 days in advance, covered in plastic wrap, and refrigerated. Return it to room temperature before using.)
• If the dough was refrigerated, return it to room temperature before using. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On an unfloured or very lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 6-inch log. Use a knife to cut the log into 6 pieces. (Halve the log first to easily cut even-size pieces. The tapered end pieces should be cut a little longer than the rest.) Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to prevent drying. Working with half of the dough pieces at a time, flatten each piece of dough with the palm of your hand. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 6-inch-diameter circle; roll from the center to the edge to create a nice circle. There is no need to make it thicker in the middle. Use a knife to cut it in half. Set aside. A little overlapping is fine; the wrappers should not stick together. Repeat with the other 2 dough pieces to create 6 half-circle wrappers. Keep covered to prevent drying. Because the wrappers tend to shrink after rolling, I like to reroll each one to ensure it is fully 3 inches wide; the length is not as important. For each samosa, drape a wrapper over your fingers with the curved edge toward your thumb and the midpoint of the straight edge over your index finger. Use your finger to moisten half of the straight edge facing you with water. To create the cone, bring the dry half of the straight edge to the front and overlap the moistened edge by about 1/4 inch. Use your fingers to press the tip closed and apply pressure along the seam both inside and outside the cone to yield a solid seal. Support the cone as you fill it by holding it in one hand about halfway up from the tip. Use a spoon to put 2 generous tablespoons of the potato mixture inside the cone, tapping it down lightly. Moisten half of the rim of the cone with water and then press the edge together to seal well. (The pastries will still be tasty if the seal breaks during frying; they'll just be a little greasy.) Put the finished pastry, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Fill the remaining 5 wrappers before rolling and filling the other 6 dough pieces. You do not need to cover the assembled pastries as they wait to be fried. In fact, the crust fries up nice and flaky if left out to dry for about 20 minutes (about the amount of time it takes to shape all the samosas); turn them once so all sides dry out a bit. Cover them with a kitchen towel if they have to wait longer, lest they overdry and lose their seal.
• Put a paper towel-lined platter next to the stove. Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches into a wok, deep saucepan, or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat to about 310°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Frying for a long time at a moderately low temperature between 300° and 330°F ensures delicate, flaky results. (If you don't have a deep-fry thermometer, stick a dry bamboo chopstick into the oil; if it takes 2 to 4 seconds for bubbles to rise to the surface and encircle the chopstick, the oil is ready.) Working in batches of 4 to 6 to avoid crowding, gently drop the pastries into the hot oil and immediately lower the heat slightly. The samosas will float to the top after about 15 seconds. Spoon hot oil over the puffy tops 2 or 3 times; this facilitates even cooking. The temperature will drop initially and then slowly rise. Expect to gradually lower the heat to keep the oil around 330°F. (If you don't have a thermometer, do the chopstick test a couple of times as the dumplings cook; if bubbles rise immediately to the surface and encircle the chopstick, the oil is too hot.) Fry, turning them often and pressing them down below the oil level, for about 10 minutes total, or until golden brown. Use a skimmer to scoop up and transfer them to the platter to drain and cool. Adjust the heat before frying more.
• Allow the pastries to cool for about 5 minutes before serving with the chutneys. Refrigerate left over pastries. They are best reheated by frying for about 2 minutes in 2 inches of 350°F oil. For less hassle-and less crisp results-reheat the samosas in a 350°F oven or toaster oven, turning midway, for about 12 minutes, or until gently sizzling and hot.
• Drape a wrapper over your fingers, moisten half of the straight edge facing you, and overlap the dry and moistened halves of the edge by about 1/4 inch.
• Press the tip closed and seal by pressing the seam both inside and out. Support the cone as you fill it by holding it in your hand.