Pakistani Potato Samosas
- Total Time
- About 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2cups all-purpose flour
- ½teaspoon salt
- 1teaspoon ajwain or cumin seeds
- ¼cup vegetable oil
- ½cup cold water
- 1½pounds russet potatoes, peeled, in 1-inch cubes
- 3medium carrots, chopped, optional
- 3tablespoons vegetable oil, plus about 3 cups more for frying
- 1chopped onion, about 1 cup
- Salt and pepper
- 1teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1teaspoon grated garlic
- 1teaspoon grated ginger
- 2Serrano chiles, finely chopped
- 1teaspoon turmeric
- ½teaspoon garam masala
- 3tablespoons lemon juice
- 1cup chopped cilantro, tender stems and leaves
For the Dough
For the Filling
Nutritional analysis per serving (20 servings)
197 calories; 13 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 2 grams protein; 199 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the dough: Put flour, salt and ajwain seeds in a medium bowl. Drizzle in oil and work into flour with fingers until mixture looks mealy. Add water gradually, stirring until a soft dough has formed. If dough seems too dry, add a tablespoon of water; if it seems wet, add a tablespoon of flour. Knead for 1 minute and form into a ball. Wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Make the filling: Simmer the potatoes and carrots in well-salted water until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Put 2 tablespoons oil in a deep, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Step 3
Put 1 tablespoon oil in a very small skillet over medium heat. When hot, add cumin and mustard seeds. When seeds are fragrant and beginning to pop, stir in garlic, ginger, chiles, turmeric and garam masala. Let sizzle for a minute, then add skillet contents to onions.
- Step 4
Add reserved potatoes and carrots and stir well to coat. Check seasoning and adjust salt. Remove mixture to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. When cool, add lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Mix well, smashing the potatoes a bit in the process.
- Step 5
Make the samosas. Portion the dough into 20 pieces, each weighing 1½ ounces. Form each piece into a ball and place on a large plate. Cover with a damp napkin.
- Step 6
Roll each dough ball into a thin disk about 6 inches in diameter, as if rolling out pie dough. Cut each disk exactly in half, leaving 2 pieces with a straight side and a round side.
- Step 7
Form each half-disk into a cone by folding it over and pinching the straight sides together. Put 3 tablespoons filling in the opening on the round side, then pinch closed to make a stuffed triangle. Form the rest of dough balls into samosas.
- Step 8
Heat about 2 inches of oil in the bottom of wok over medium-high heat. Adjust heat to maintain the oil at 350 degrees. Slip samosas 4 at a time into the hot oil and let fry on one side until golden, a minute or so, then flip and cook other side. Lift from oil and drain on paper towels. Serve samosas hot or at room temperature, accompanied by your favorite chutney.
Private Notes
Comments
Two key missing ingredients are fennel seeds and sweet peas. Add 1 tsp of fennel, preferrably pulsed lighly in a coffee grinder to the potato mixture. Additionally since the potatoes are 1.5 lbs, I would up the amount of garam masala to 1 tbsp (which can be substitued with all spice). The mustard seeds seem a bit strange for these recipe. For authentic flavor, add. 1 tbsp mustard oil to the 1 tbsp of vegetable oil prior to tempering.
There is no need for two separate steps and pans to cook the onions, and then the spices. Heat some oil in a pan, add the mustard and cumin seeds; after they sizzle and pop, add in the ginger, garlic, etc; after about 30 seconds add the onions into the same pan and let them fry along with everything else in there.
Ajwain (Carom) seeds would be a nice addition, to either or both the stuffing and the dough. If adding to the stuffing, add it with the cumin seeds.
Ajwain == Carrom Seeds. If you don't find these closeby, substitute with celery seeds
I had doubled the recipe for the filling, and then had a good bit left over. I simmered it in some chicken broth and it made a fabulous soup.
Recipe makes 10 (not 20) 1.5 oz balls which, when rolled out and cut in half, make 20 small samosas.
With the first half of the dough, I cut 10 pieces and cut each one in half (ending up with 20 itty bitty samosas which were a bit hard to fill). For the second half of the dough, I cut 4 pieces and cut each one in half for 8 "normal" sized samosas. I think the recipe would be improved with using a bit of water or corn starch slurry to seal the samosas. I appreciated that the oil in the dough helped them not stick to the table or the rolling pin!
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