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Vegetarian · Punjab

Vegetable Samosa

Vegetable samosas with a rested, ghee-rich pastry and a dry, spiced potato and pea filling, shaped into cones and fried over low heat so the shell crisps without blistering.

By Ayesha Iftikhar

Street food — Punjab and Sindh
45 min prep2 hr total6 servingsIntermediate
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Two samosas on a leaf
Photo: Kaushalspeed, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A crisp, flaky fried pastry

A firm, flaky pastry made with plenty of fat, wrapped around a spiced potato and pea filling and fried slowly until crisp.

A good samosa shell is flaky and crisp rather than bready, and that comes from two things: plenty of fat rubbed into a stiff dough, and frying slowly in oil that is not too hot.

What is a samosa?

A samosa is a fried pastry, usually triangular or cone-shaped, filled with a spiced potato and pea mixture or with minced meat. In Pakistan it is a fixture of iftar tables, tea time and street stalls. The style here is the large, thick-crusted Punjabi samosa shaped from a half-circle of dough. Many Pakistani stalls also sell patti samosas, folded into neat triangles from thin strips of pastry, which are smaller and crisper still.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

The dough should hold together when squeezed in your fist before you add any water. Rubbing the fat in thoroughly is what makes the pastry short and flaky. Cool the filling completely before shaping, or the steam will soften the pastry from inside.

Common mistakes

Frying in very hot oil is the main mistake: the shell browns and blisters before the pastry cooks through, and it softens again within minutes. Start at around 150°C and be patient. A wet or warm filling and poorly sealed seams are the other common causes of samosas that burst in the oil.

What to serve with it

Serve warm with imli chutney, green chutney or ketchup, with a cup of chai, or as part of an iftar spread with pakoras and fruit chaat.

Storage and reheating

Shaped, uncooked samosas freeze well on a tray; fry from frozen at the same low temperature for a few minutes longer. Fried samosas keep for two days in the fridge and re-crisp in an oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my samosa pastry blister?

The oil is too hot. Start frying at about 150°C so the pastry cooks through slowly and stays smooth, and only raise the heat for the final minute of colour.

Can I bake samosas instead of frying them?

You can brush them with oil and bake at 200°C for 25–30 minutes, turning halfway. The pastry will be crisp but drier and less flaky than fried.

COOK THIS RECIPE

Vegetable Samosa

Prep 45 minCook 45 minResting the dough 30 minTotal 2 hr
Servings6

Ingredients

Pastry

Filling

To fry

Method

  1. Make the pastry and rest it. Mix the flour, ajwain and salt, then rub in the ghee with your fingertips until the mixture holds together when pressed in your fist. Add the cold water a little at a time to make a firm, stiff dough; it should not be soft like roti dough. Knead for 2 minutes, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
  2. Cook the filling dry. Heat the 2 tbsp oil and fry the cumin and crushed coriander seeds until fragrant. Add the ginger and green chillies, then the peas, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the crushed potatoes, chilli powder, garam masala, amchur and salt and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until dry. Stir in the fresh coriander and let the filling cool completely.
  3. Shape the cones. Divide the pastry into 6 balls. Roll each into an oval about 18 cm long and cut it in half across the middle. Take one half, wet the straight edge with water, and fold it into a cone, overlapping the straight edge by about 1 cm and pressing to seal. Fill with 2 tablespoons of filling, wet the open rim, pinch it shut and press with a fork or pleat it. You will have 12 samosas.
  4. Fry low, then a little hotter. Heat the oil to about 150°C, when a pinch of dough rises slowly with gentle bubbles. Fry in batches of four for 10–12 minutes, turning occasionally, then raise the heat slightly for the last minute until deep golden. Low oil at the start gives a crisp, bubble-free shell; hot oil at the start makes it blister and stay soft inside. Drain on a rack and serve with chutney.
tarkatales.com/recipes/vegetable-samosa

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