Monsoon at the coastal cities in India is extensive and relentless. Once it begins to rain, it pours! The last day of July saw 1469mm of rainfall in a single day which broke 63 year old record of sorts. But the lovely cool wet weather brings along with it an array of ailments and infections. We have had our share of flu and throat infections that kept us somewhat out of action. I have been unable to visit your lovely blogs. And what all posts that you have been seeing here were those that were pulled out from my draft folder.
Recuperating and having lived off a light diet for over a week, I was craving for some spiced up comfort food. There is something very comforting about fried foods. Most of them are scrumptious and sadly, most of them are unhealthy. The worst ones are those that are fried and sugary! (Urggh…why do they have to be so sinfully delicious?!) Yet, we find ourselves addicted to them to the point of being enslaved by their taste. However, that said, a little indulgence once in a while doesn’t harm I guess, especially if you burn those extra undesired calories by working out. This not only ensures the calories getting worn off but also wards away the feeling of guilt 😛
I am actually reposting the samosa post which I had uploaded during the very initial days of blogging. I had not yet discovered the concept of uploading pictures along with posts then. And I believe just as I had reposted the Dahi Vada with the pics around Holi, monsoon has provided me with reasonable excuse to repost the samosa along with a few pics. All the reasons to indulge in a comforting samosa accompanied by a cuppa of your choice with the winds howling and the rain bashing against the windows in the background 😉
Samosa is one of the most popular savoury Indian street foods especially in the Northern India. It is on the menu of most parties and is loved by people across ages. The filling can be anything that fancies you – savoury or sweet. In the eastern state of Bengal the preferred form of filing is mixed vegetables whereas the North Indians prefer potatoes & peas or minced lamb & peas. The filling is absolutely a matter of personal preference. The sweet nutty chocolaty version posted earlier at EFS was a baked one unlike this one, which I have made the traditional way, i.e. deep fried.
For Samosa:
1 cup (120 grams) plain flour
2 tbsp melted Ghee
1 generous pinch Carrom Seeds
1/3 tsp Salt
¼ C + 2 tsp lukewarm Water, to knead the dough
Oil for deep frying
1 tbsp flour (to make a paste with some water)
For filling:
6 medium sized Potatoes (mashed or chopped, but not in large chunks)
1/3 C Peas (boiled)
1 large Onion (finely chopped)
1 tsp Garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp Ginger (finely chopped)
1½ tbsp Oil or Ghee
¾ tsp chilli powder (+/-)
½ tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Chaat Masala (adjust)
Salt to taste
For the filling, take oil in a pan and add the onion, ginger and garlic. Fry till the onions become translucent. Add the dry masala and then the potato and the peas. Stir them together till they are well assimilated. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.
While the potatoes are cooling, start making the dough. Add carrom seeds and salt to the flour. Rub in the ghee to the flour. The flour should come together when you hold it in your fist. Now add the water and knead them together to make dough that is neither too hard nor too soft. (You may need to knead the dough for 2 minutes) Keep it aside for ½ an hour.
Divide the dough in 4 equal parts and start rolling each (in batches) like a chapatti to approximately 2 mm thickness. Cut the rolled dough into two equal halves. Lift one half and bring together the round ends to make a broad cone. Hold the cone & using the flour paste seal the edges of the folded sides of cone. Now gently add the filling inside the cone, leaving half an inch on the top. Seal the top as well using the paste. Prepare the rest of the dough in a similar way and keep the prepped samosas on a greased plate.
Pour the oil in a wok or a deep pan and let it heat gently on low flame. The oil should be warm and not hot when you add the samosas to it. Start adding samosas to it (fry them in batches) and continue to fry them on low flame till they turn golden brown all over. Patience is the key here; for crisp & flaky samosas that are thoroughly cooked, you need to fry them on low heat. It will seem to take a long time but the result is certainly rewarding. Drain on a kitchen towel or absorbent sheet.
Serve hot with Green Chutney or Sweet Tamarind Chutney accompanied by tea or coffee. We love to devour them with tomato ketchup 😀
Note: You may add raisins and broken cashew nuts to the filling.
Yields: 8
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