The Best Samosas Food

SAMOSAS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt and butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Pour in water, using more (up to approximately 1/4 cup) if necessary to make a smooth dough. Pat into a ball. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, cover and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large, deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in onion, garlic, green chile peppers and ginger. Cook 5 minutes, or until onions are golden brown. Stir in turmeric, chili powder, ground lamb and salt. Cook until the lamb meat is evenly brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in garam masala and lemon juice. Continue cooking 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
• Divide dough into 15 equal portions. Roll portions into balls, then flatten into 4 inch circles. Cut each circle in half. Dampen edges and form semicircles into cones. Fill cones with equal portions of the lamb meat mixture. Dampen top and bottom edges of cones, and pinch to seal.
• Carefully lower cones into preheated oil a few at a time. Fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

THE BEST SAMOSAS

Steps:

• For the dough: Whisk together the flour, ajawain, if using, and the salt. Add the oil and, using your hands, rub it into the flour mixture until fully incorporated. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add the water, until a shaggy dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead until soft and pliable, about 3 minutes. Rub a little oil, about 1 teaspoon, over the dough, place on a plate and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight.
• For the filling: Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with cold tap water by about 2 inches, and season with salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Using a fork, slightly smash the potatoes.
• Meanwhile, in a small food processor (mini-chopper), combine the onion, ginger, garlic, chiles, and 1 tablespoon water and puree to a paste.
• Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onion paste, salt, garam masala and turmeric and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring and mashing lightly with a wooden spoon, until hot, about 2 minutes. Stir in the peas. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, chopped cilantro and remaining 2 tablespoons water.
• To form the samosas: Divide the dough into 10 portions. Using your hands, roll each portion into a small ball. On a floured work surface, using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 7-inch wide disc. Cut each disc in half.
• Set a small bowl of water beside you. Working with one dough semi-circle at a time, fold half of the straight edge up to the rounded side and wet its outside edge with a little water. Fold the other half up to form a cone, overlapping it with the other side by 1/4 inch. Press the edges together to form a seal. Hold the cone in one hand and fill it with about 1/4 cup of the potato filling. Slightly wet the inside of the rounded edge and fold it over the filling to enclose it. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling to make 20 samosas.
• In a large, wide heavy-bottomed pot, pour in the oil to a depth of about 2 inches. Place over medium heat, and heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 365 degrees F.
• Working in small batches, fry the samosas until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Serve immediately with tamarind sauce or your favorite chutney.
• For the ghee: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Skim off any of the white foam that comes to the surface with a spoon (being careful not to scoop up any yellow fat from the butter) and discard. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until all of the water has evaporated and the white milk solids have browned in the bottom of the saucepan, about 8 minutes.
• Line a sieve with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and pour the butter through into a container. Discard the browned milk solids in the sieve or reserve for another use. Use now or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Yield: about 2 cups

VEGETABLE SAMOSAS

Steps:

• To make the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic, mix in the spices and fry for 10 mins until soft. Add the vegetables, seasoning and stir well until coated. Add the stock, cover and simmer for 30 mins until cooked. Leave to cool.
• To make the pastry, mix flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre, add the oil and 100ml water to make a firm dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 5-10 mins until smooth and roll into a ball. Cover in cling film and set aside at room temperature for 30 mins.
• Divide the pastry into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll out into a circle of 15cm. Divide this circle into two equal pieces with a knife.
• Brush each edge with a little water and form a cone shape around your fingers, sealing the dampened edge. Fill with 1 tbsp mixture and press the two dampened edges together to seal the top of the cone. Repeat with the remaining pastry.
• Heat the oil in a large deep saucepan to 180C. The oil should come 1/3rd of the way up the pan. Deep fry the samosas in batches for 8-10 mins until crisp and brown. Take out and drain on kitchen paper.

SAMOSAS

Steps:

• For the dough: Place the all-purpose flour, rice flour, ajwain seeds and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the ghee and use your fingertips to rub the ghee into the flour until the dough resembles breadcrumbs. (This step is key to making flaky samosa pastry.) Mix in the water, mixing until you can form a pliable, soft ball of dough. Cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
• For the potato filling: Grate the boiled potatoes on the large holes of a box grater. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds. Stir the spices until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ginger, serrano chile and peas and continue to stir and cook another minute. Add the garam masala, amchur, asafetida, fenugreek and cumin and cook a further 30 seconds. Add the grated potato and gently stir to coat in the spices, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Cool the mixture, then fold in the cilantro.
• To make the samosas, cut the dough into 6 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Keep the balls on a plate covered with a damp kitchen towel or paper towel so they don't dry out.
• One at a time, place a ball on a sheet of parchment paper. Press down to flatten, then cover with another sheet of parchment. (Do not flour the dough or paper as this will dry the pastry out; a tortilla press can also be used to form the discs.) Roll the dough into a disc. Cut in half, creating 2 semicircles.
• Brush the straight side of one semicircle with water, then fold the straight edge over to form a cone. Fill with potato filling. Brush the open pastry edge with water, then press the edges together to seal. Place sealed-edge down on a work surface and press down to keep the cone shape. Repeat with the remaining dough, making 12 samosas.
• Pour about 6 inches of oil into a medium pot. Place over medium-high heat until the oil registers 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Line a plate with paper towels.
• Working in small batches, fry the samosas, turning once or twice, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to the prepared plate to drain.
• Serve hot with tamarind or mint chutney or ketchup.