I don’t know how many of you have ever tried making samosas? But they are much easier than you might think and definitely worth trying!
The pastry is really very easy to knock together and you can play around with the fillings - there are so many different variations. I love the lightly spiced potato mix in these - I’m a bit obsessed with mustard seeds and they just make the potato taste so incredibly delicious.
For the pastry:
200g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
40ml vegetable oil
75ml water
For the filling
600g potatoes
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli power
1 tsp salt (Maldon)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Vegetable oil to fry
For the dipping sauce:
1 bunch mint, stems removed
1 bunch coriander
2 cloves garlic, peeled
juice of 2 limes
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp olive oil
First peel your potatoes, dice them and then boil until soft. Drain and set aside.
To make the pastry simply mix the flour with the salt and add the oil. Work it as though you are making scones and rub the clumps between the tips of your fingers until you have fine sand. Then add the water a little at a time - it’s hard to take it away if you add too much - and bring it together until it forms a dough. Knead for a few minutes until soft and then pop it back in the bowl and cover with a clean tea towel while you get on with the filling.
For the filling add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop, add the rest of the spices and stir in the potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are well coated in the spice mixture and then set aside to cool. I like to tip the potatoes out on a. chopping board to encourage them to cool more quickly.
Roll the dough into a long sausage and then divide into 8 equal parts. Roll each round into a circle - about 20 cm across. Then cut the circle in half. Take some water and run it along the straight edge of the semi circle. Using both hands roll it up into a cone shape by sticking one edge of the straight side onto the other edge of the straight side. It sounds complicated but just give it a go and you will get the knack.
Fill the cone with about a tablespoon of the potato mixture and then dampen the edges with water and fresh firmly to stick it together. Repeat until you’ve used all the dough.
Heat a deep sided saucpean with oil and once very hot, fry the samosa in small batches being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until gorgeous and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and blot on some kitchen paper before serving with the coriander and mint dipping sauce.
For the dipping sauce, simply blend it all together into a blender and serve in a bowl for the samosas to be dipped in.