Punjabi Aloo Samosa

Samosa is a delectable, deep fried tea time snack, not only popular in India but, in a lot of other South East Asian, African and Mediterranean countries. And though the stuffing and the shape of Samosa may vary from country to country, what remains common is the outer crust that comprises of a crisp, flaky pastry made out of plain flour and a delicious stuffing inside, be it of any veggie or meat. In India, Samosas come in a triangular shape and are most often stuffed with a spicy and a bit tangy boiled potato filling. Nevertheless, the samosas with minced chicken/lamb/beef filling are also quite famous and make for a finger-licking party appetizer. Having said that, the potato or aloo samosa though, is a regular item and counts among the most popular street foods of India.

Punjabi Aloo Samosa

Owing to so much popularity that Samosa enjoys in the Indian sub-continent (literally you would get it at every nook-side sweet shop in the country), it is obvious to think that its origin lies here; however, it would really come as a surprise for you to know that Samosa actually is a Middle-Eastern Delicacy and was brought to India by the merchants during the Delhi Sultanate rule somewhere between 13th and 14th centuries. As per the historic records, Samosa was originally known as "Sanbosaj", a word from the Persian language translating to crescent shaped pastry. Many historic documents such as "Ain-i-Akbari" and culinary books like "Nimmatnama-i-Nassiruddin-Shahi" mention the art of making Sanbosaj, thus reflecting on its immense popularity during the olden times as well.

Anyway, whatever the history of Samosa may be, it is simply delectable and finger-licking delish, especially the Aloo Samosa. No wonder, its there in almost every chai-party, evening get-togethers, kitty parties, birthdays or even picnics. Also, its a go-to snack option whenever there are unexpected guests at home! Just pick up these pockets of deliciousness from your nearby sweetshop, dish up and serve them with a piping hot cup of chai - and the guests are surely to leave delighted!! Isn't it? Well, this reminds me, In India, everyone has his/her favorite samosa shop close to their home and we too also have one just nearby. Trust me, the samosas from that shop are so tasty and full of flavours that you cant stop eating just one. The Aloo filling is lip-smacking and the crispy crust is just to die for. I remember, whenever there were rains, especially during the monsoon time, there would be long queues of people waiting outside to take home the piping hot samosas and jalebis right from the kadai. Well, gone are those days because ever since, there has been this pandemic, most of the people have stopped buying and eating the outside food. And its the same case with me; I have completely stopped going for the outside food and prepare everything myself at home, be it chaats, kachoris, pooris or any such street food item. Recently only, I tried my hands on RAJ KACHORI, CHANA DAL STUFFED ALOO TIKKIS and GOLGAPPA. And as it was a pleasant weather yesterday with some rain showers, I also ended up making up these Aloo Samosas too, which were long due on my to-do list. They tasted so much similar to the ones we used to get from our favorite Samosa shop that they were vanished from the table in no time. Not to mention, if you too are a samosa lover, then this recipe is a keeper and a must-try!!


INGREDIENTS

Outer Crust

• Maida/All Purpose Flour - 2 cups
• Vegetable oil - 5 tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Ajwain/Carom Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Water - as needed (about 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp)

Potato Filling

• Boiled and peeled potatoes, roughly mashed - 3 to 4
• Finely chopped ginger - 1 tsp
• Finely chopped green chilies - 1 tsp
• Chopped cashews, optional - 8 to 10
• Kishmish/raisins, optional - 8 to 10
• Green peas (frozen and refreshed, optional) - 1/4 cup
• Crushed whole dhaniya/coriander seeds - 1 tsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Crushed saunf/fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as per taste
• Red chili powder - 1 tsp, or as per your spice preference
• Kala Namak/Black salt - 1/4 tsp
• Amchoor/Raw Mango Powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Crushed kasoori methi/dry fenugreek leaves - 1 to 2 tsp 
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Punjabi Aloo Samosa

Few Tips for the Perfect Samosa

• Dough - 
• While working on the dough, it is vital to first nicely rub the oil in the flour until it is evenly incorporated. This is also called shortening, and makes the crust nice crispy and flaky.
• It is very important that you knead a stiff dough. Use water little at a time. And you don't have to knead it like a chapati dough. Just mix in the water and start bringing the flour together. Once it comes together, cover with a damp cloth and let it rest. Note that a loose dough will result in very soggy samosas.
• Roll the dough portions not too thick and not too thin. About 2-3 mm thickness is what we are looking at.
• Filling -
• Filling of the samosa doesn't have to be completely smooth and mushy. Few bits/chunks of potatoes give a nice texture to the samosa when we bite in.
• Use of green peas, cashews and raisins is completely optional. But, since our favorite samose wala adds it, I have too added it my filling.
• It is also very important that you do not over stuff the samosa with the filling. Doing so can result in tearing up the samosa while frying. So, just take care.
• Frying -
• It is imperative that you fry the samosa on low heat. The samosas will not be crisp and flaky, and will also have bubbles when fried on high heat. Also, they may remain under-cooked when fried on high temperature.

Punjabi Aloo Samosa

METHOD

• Start by making the samosa dough. To a large mixing bowl, add flour, ajwain, salt and mix well.
• Next, add the oil and start mixing it with your fingers. Rub the flour well with your fingers until the oil is well incorporated and it resembles a bread crumb texture.
• Take a portion of the flour and press it in your fist - it should hold the shape and not crumble – means oil is enough and well incorporated.
• Next, start adding water, little by little, may be 2 tbsp at a time and mix to form a stiff dough.
• Make sure you don’t overwork or knead the dough. It should just come together and form a stiff dough. It took me about 6 tablespoons of water to get a nice stiff dough.
• Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• While the dough is resting, let's prepare the potato stuffing.
• In a pan, heat some oil on medium heat.
• Add in chopped ginger and let it fry for few seconds.
• Next, add cumin seeds, crushed coriander and fennel seeds.
• As they sizzle add chopped cashews and raisins. Fry for few seconds or until cashews turn just slightly golden.
• Next, add green chilies along with green peas.
• Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then add salt along with all other spice powders.
• Give a nice mix.
• Now add the roughly crushed boiled potatoes. Give them a nice stir and while you do so, keep mashing the bigger lumps with the back of the spatula. Make sure you do not make the mixture completely smooth. The potato filling has to have some chunks of potatoes for a nice texture.
• Once everything is well combined, take it off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
• Let's work on the samosa crust in the meantime.
• Uncover the samosa dough and just give it a quick knead.
• Divide it into 8 equal size portions.
• Without using any dry flour, roll out each portion into an oblong circle almost 6 to 7 inch in diameter. (While you work on one portion of the dough, keep the rest covered with damp cloth.)
• Cut the rolled sheet into two halves horizontally.
• Take one part and apply water on the straight edge/side.
• Now bring the two ends of the straight edge together and pinch them to form a cone. Pinch the pointed ends nicely so that they are perfectly sealed.
• Fill the cone with about 2 tbsp of potato filling.
• Apply the water all along the circumference of the cone. Pinch the opposite side (side opposite to where you pinched to form the cone) to form a pleat.
• Now pinch the edges and seal the samosa.
• Your samosa is ready. Continue with the remaining dough. Always remember to keep the filled samosas covered with a damp cloth to avoid them drying.
• Now heat oil in a kadai on low heat. To check if oil is ready, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. It should take few seconds to come up to the surface. That means the oil is ready.
• Now, drop the shaped samosas into the oil.
• Let them fry on low heat. After around 10-12 minutes, the samosas will become firm and light brown in color.
• At this point, increase the heat to medium and fry until they get nicely browned.
• Don’t overcrowd the kadai; fry 5 to 6 samosas at a time. And each batch will take around 20 minutes since we fry on low heat so be patient.
• Drain out and serve hot with coriander-mint chutney and sweet tamarind chutney on the side.

Note: Once you finish frying  one batch, switch the heat again to low and wait until the temperature of the oil drops and then add the second batch.

If you fry samosa on high heat, it will not get crispy and the dough will remain uncooked from inside. The samosa will also have bubbles on the crust if the temperature of the oil is high while frying.

Punjabi Aloo Samosa

Some Questions Answered

Why does my samosa not turn crispy?

- Samosa always has to be fried on low heat. Not doing so, or frying on high temperature yields a not-so-crispy-samosa.
- Also, a not-so-stiff dough results in a bit soft textured samosas.

Can I freeze the samosa?

- Yes, just when you have finished filling up the samosas with the potato mixture, line them on a baking sheet and freeze for about 2 hours. When firm, transfer in an air-tight container and keep them frozen for up to a month.

How do I use the frozen samosas?

- To use the frozen samosas, just thaw them to room temperature and fry in batches on low heat.

Can I bake the samosas?

- Yes, samosas can be baked as well as air fried at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 to 30 minutes or until nicely crisp and browned.

Punjabi Aloo Samosa

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