Ingredients
Units
Scale
- For the dough:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ajwain seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup minus 2 tbsp. lukewarm water
- ***
- Filling:
- 1 cup peeled potatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 3 sprigs curry leaves
- 1/8 cup minced jalapeno
- 2 tsp. fresh mint, minced
- 4 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. turmeric powder
- 2 1/2 tsp. chicken powder
- 4 tsp. sugar
- 3 tsp. garam masala
- 1 tsp. ajwain seeds, ground in a spice blender
- 12 pieces samosa skin
- equal parts cornstarch/water slurry, stirred before use
- 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
- ***
- Tamarind Sauce:
- 3 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp. tamarind paste
- 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp. jaggery (Indian brown sugar) or honey
- 1 tbsp. mushroom dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp. fish sauce
- 4 Thai bird’s eye chili (seeded if you like and minced)
Instructions
- Use a medium bowl to prepare the dough. Begin by mixing the flour, ajwain, salt and oil with your hands, rubbing together thoroughly so the oil gets incorporated into every bit of the flour (this will yield a flaky dough).
- Slowly add the water until you form a ball of dough, adding more water if needed. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes until smooth. Wrap it in plastic and set it aside for 20 min.
- To make the samosa filling, dice the potatoes and boil in a pan of water until they are soft. Add vegetable oil to a pan and sauté the chopped onion until it is golden. Add the rest of the ingredients (including drained potato but not the samosa skins) and stir until the mixture gets fairy dry. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Remove curry leaves and discard.
- Divide the dough into four small balls. Roll each ball into a circle about 5 inches wide. Cut each circle in half. Each half moon will yield one samosa. You should end up with 8 half moons.
- For each half moon: dip your finger in the cornstarch/water paste and run along the edges and place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center. Roll into a triangular shape, making sure to seal the edges tightly. Set aside on a floured surface. Work quickly to prevent the samosas from drying out.
- For the ultimate crispy flaky samosa, fry them twice: once at 350°F and the second time around at 375°F.
- If you plan on freezing samosas, fry them just once. Let cool and freeze. Remove from the hot oil and drain them on absorbent paper.
- Place the tamarind paste in a bowl and add about 2 ½ tbsp of lukewarm water. Mash with fork to extract the tamarind and then strain off to get the tamarind juice. Place the extracted tamarind juice and everything else in a bowl and mix well. Given it a taste, it should be sour, sweet, spicy and salty all at the same time.
