Samosaसमोसा
⏱ Prep 30m🍳 Cook 30m🍽 Serves 4🌿 Vegan
Video: THE CHEF GIRLFRIEND (YouTube)
The samosa needs no introduction across the subcontinent — a perfectly crispy, triangular pastry stuffed with spiced potato and peas, sold on every corner from Lahore to Lucknow. The secret to genuine crunch is slow frying on a low flame, not a rushed deep-fry.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
Finding Desi spots near Plano…
Ingredients
- For the pastry
- ▪All-purpose flour (maida)2 cups
- ▪Carom seeds (ajwain)1/2 tsp
- ▪Salt1 tsp
- ▪Oil or ghee (for dough)4 tbsp
- ▪Cold water4-5 tbsp
- For the filling
- ▪Potatoes (aloo), boiled and cubed4 medium
- ▪Fresh or frozen peas (matar)1/2 cup
- ▪Ginger (adrak), grated1 tsp
- ▪Green chili (hari mirch), minced2
- ▪Cumin seeds (jeera)1 tsp
- ▪Coriander powder (dhaniya)1 tsp
- ▪Dry mango powder (amchur)1/2 tsp
- ▪Garam masala1/2 tsp
- ▪Oil, for deep fryingas needed
🌍 Cooking abroad? Substitutions
- Ajwain (carom seeds) is available at Indian and Middle Eastern grocery stores everywhere and is worth finding — it gives the crust its distinctive savory bite. Cumin seeds are the best substitute if unavailable.
- For a baked version abroad: brush samosas generously with oil and bake at 200°C/400°F for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through. They will be crispier if you place them on a wire rack over a baking tray.
- Amchur (dry mango powder) is available at virtually any South Asian grocery globally. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice added to the cooked filling just before stuffing is a good substitute.
Method
- 1Make the dough: Combine flour, ajwain, and salt in a bowl. Add oil and rub it in until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add cold water, one tablespoon at a time, kneading into a firm, smooth dough that is NOT soft or sticky. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 20 minutes.
- 2Make the filling: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds; when they sizzle, add ginger and green chili, sauté 1 minute. Add peas and cook 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes, coriander powder, amchur, garam masala, and salt; toss and mash lightly so some chunks remain. Cool completely before filling.
- 3Divide dough into 8-10 equal balls. Roll each into an oval roughly 6 inches long. Cut in half across the middle. Take one semi-circle: fold into a cone shape by bringing the two corners of the cut edge together and sealing with a little water.
- 4Hold the cone in one hand and fill with about 2 tbsp of potato filling, pressing it down. Pinch the open top edge firmly together, pleating it slightly for a good seal — a leaking samosa is a sad samosa.
- 5Heat oil in a deep pan to 150-160°C (300-320°F). Add samosas in batches — do not crowd the pan. Fry on medium-LOW heat for 12-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden-brown and thoroughly crispy. The slow fry is the crunch secret; rushing with high heat produces pale, soft samosas.
- 6Drain on paper towels. Serve piping hot with green mint-coriander chutney and tamarind-date chutney.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.