Recipe: Samosas

These pastry pockets are made with a variety of stuffings, both vegetarian and with meat. But a simple spiced potato and pea filling is the most popular. Make samosas for yourself with this recipe:

Wrapper Dough

• Flour -- 1 1/2 cups
• Salt -- 1 teaspoon
• Shortening or oil -- 1/4 cup
• Water -- 6 to 7 tablespoons

Filling

• Oil -- 1/4 cup
• Onion, minced -- 1/2 cup
• Ginger root, minced -- 1 tablespoon
• Ground coriander -- 1 tablespoon
• Russet potatoes, peeled, cooked and cooled -- 5
• Peas -- 1 cup
• Salt and pepper -- to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Rub the shortening into the flour with your hands until it forms crumbly mixture. If using oil, simply stir in. Pour 5-6 tablespoons of the cold water into the bowl and mix it in with a spoon until it forms a kneadable mass. Drip in rest of cold water if needed. Remove the dough to a lighty floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, or until silky smooth. Return to the bowl, cover and let rest the dough rest for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the 1/4 cup oil in a saute pan over medium flame. Add the onions, ginger and coriander and sauté until the onions just start to brown, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the cooked potatoes to a large bowl and lightly mash with a large fork or potato masher. The potatoes should be mashed but still chunky. Stir in the sauteed onion mixture, peas and salt and pepper to taste. Return the wrapper dough to a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a long rope. Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll each piece into a 6-inch circle. Cut each circle in half. Bring the cut sides of each 1/2-circle together to form a cone. Moisten the edges with a little water and seal well with your fingers. Put about 2 tablespoons of filling into each cone. Fold down the of the wrapper dough and seal again with a little water. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling and set the samosas on a baking sheet to dry, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a deep fryer or about 1 1/2 inches in a deep pot to 360°. Deep fry the samosas in small batches until browned on all sides and heated through.

For some variety, try the following:

• Large, pre-made wonton wrappers or filo dough can substitute for the homemade dough for samosas.
  
• Many people prefer to bake the samosas (in a 350°F oven for 30-40 minutes) instead of frying them.
• Other versions of samosas contain vegetables or meat. You can cut down on the amount of potatoes and add cooked and spiced ground lamb or beef. Diced, cooked carrots or sautéed cabbage are also nice. Use your imagination and whatever you have in the fridge.
• Saute some minced green chile with the onion if you would like a little heat in your samosas. Other possible filling additions include garam masala, cuminseed and amchoor (dried mango powder).