1 green chili + ½ inch ginger + 3 cloves garlic crushed to a coarse paste in a mortar and pestle
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tablespoon oil
salt as required
method:
1. Make the samosa pastry by taking the flour and salt in a bowl. Mix well and add ghee or oil.
2. With your fingertips rub the ghee or oil in the flour to get a breadcrumb like consistency. The whole mixture should clamp together when joined.
3. Add 1 or 2 tbsp water. begin to knead adding water as required.
4. Knead to a firm dough. Cover the dough with a moistened napkin and keep aside for 30-40 mins.
5. Make the samosa stuffing by steaming or boiling the potatoes and peas until they are cooked completely.
6. Peel the boiled potatoes and chop them into small cubes
7. Heat oil in a pan. add the cumin seeds and crackle them.
8. Add the ginger-garlic-green chili paste. saute till the raw aroma of ginger goes away.
9. Add the peas, red chili powder, other spices and lemon juice.
10. Stir and saute on a low flame for 1-2 minutes
11. Add the potato cubes and saute for 2-3 minutes with frequent stirring. Keep the filling aside to cool.
12. Once the dough has been left for 20-40 minutes, you can now shape the samosas. Knead the dough lightly again.
13. Divided the dough into 6 equal pieces. Take each piece and roll in your palms first to make a smooth ball.
14. Then roll it with a rolling pin keeping the thickness neither thin nor thick.
15. Cut with a knife or a pastry cutter through the centre of the samosa pastry.
16. With a brush or with your finger tips, on the straight edge of the sliced pastry, apply some water.
17. Join the two ends bringing the watered edge on top of the plain edge. Press the edges so that they get sealed well.
18. Stuff the prepared samosa cone with the prepared potato-peas stuffing. Apply some water with your fingertips or brush on the round samosa cone circumference.
19. Pinch a part on the edge. This helps the samosa to stand. Press both the edges. Be sure there are no cracks. Prepare all the samosa this way and keep covered with a moist kitchen napkin.
20. Heat oil for deep frying in a deep pan. Once the oil becomes hot (test by adding a small piece of dough – it should come up quickly once added to the hot oil) gently slide the prepared stuffed samosa & quickly reduce the flame to low.
21. Turn over in between and fry till golden. Drain the fried samosa on paper towels to remove excess oil.
22. Fry them in batches. For frying the second batch, again increase the temperature of the oil. Add the samosa and then lower the flame, thereby decreasing the temperature of oil.
23. Serve samosas hot or warm with coriander chutney, saunth (tamarind chutney), tamarind-dates chutney or tomato sauce. They can also be served with a yogurt dip or plain raita. Another way is to serve it with punjabi chole (a spiced chickpea curry).
