Homemade Samosas

Impromptu trips to pretty places are one of favourite things ever and although I don't get to jet of to far-flung locations every other weekend, we still do alright. For instance, the other day I went to a beautiful estate nestled just outside of the Peak District, not too far from where I live.

It was gloriously sunny and there were gardens, moorland, mansion and deer park, oh and we had a picnic by the lakeside with samosas still warm from being cooked in the morning, it was really nice (for lack of better adjectives).

Now if upon hearing the word 'samosa' your response is to say bless you and offer a tissue (true story) then boy are you missing out, because I would assume you've never tried them and these crispy little pastry parcels packed with the most delicious filling are sent straight from culinary heaven. I exaggerate not.
I have a memory from years ago when we went on holiday, we had them from the bazaar and the stall vendors would give them wrapped in newspaper and they were warm and spicy. Nowadays when my mum can get us all in the same place at one time we all help out and form a sort-of production line; I make the dough balls, mum rolls and cooks the 'roti', my sister (and me) make the samosas and my dad fries them. Bit tiring but the end result is worth it and its a rare treat, so worth the little bit of extra effort. 
The batch that we make is pretty big, not enough to feed a small army kinda big (only because you can't stop at one!) but it still means that you're dealing with large quantities of ingredients. Now my mum is a pro at this and she knows how to easily upscale quantities for her recipes, in fact it is almost instinctual.. meaning no accurate measuring involved (!) this makes it difficult for me to apply my meticulous baking methodologies but here's the good thing. Its pretty easy to not go overboard with the spices, taste test and alter as you see fit. 

So without further ado, to make the samosa filling you will need:

1.   Potatoes

2.   Peas

3.   Onions

4.   Chicken mince (optional)

5.   Spices and flavouring: tandoori masala, chilli powder, chilli flakes, garam masala, salt, dried fenugreek, lemon juice, corriander

To start with heat 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan, once its sizzling throw in two chopped onions and cook this on medium heat until the onions have softened slightly. To this add 1+1/2 tablespoons salt and 2 tsp red chilli powder and stir to incorporate.

 Meanwhile peel and chop up some potatoes, these form the majority of the filling so you need quite a lot (10 large potatoes). 
Then once the onions have softened add in the potatoes and about 400g of frozen peas, keep on medium heat and stir to combine.

To this mixture add in 1+1/2 tblsp coarse garam masala, 1 tbsp chilli flakes and cook until the water released from the potatoes has evaporated and they are soft.

If you are wanting to add some meat to your samosas, you can do this by combining 1 kilo chicken mince with one cup of water in a separate pan and cooking this on low heat, stirring continuously so that no lumps form. In terms of flavouring just add 2 tbsp tandoori masala and 1/2 tsp salt, as the majority of the spices are already in the potato mixture. Cook this until all water released has evaporated and the meat is well cooked and coloured. 

Meanwhile stir in a handful of both dried fenugreek (methi) and chopped coriander to the potato and pea mixture.

All thats left to do is combine the chicken to the potato and peas mixture; add in a dash of lemon juice and taste test. You can then adjust as you see fit i.e. add more salt and chilli flakes if required.
Side note: this filling can be used in not only samosas, but toasties, sandwiches, spring rolls or pitta bread!

If you're feeling brave (or not so lazy) you can make a quick dough by combining plain flour with a pinch of salt, then pour in enough water to combine it all together - knead until it is soft and stretchy.
If you're not so good at dough making aka me, you can use store bought dough, samosa strips or pastry.

In the case of dough, make small balls and knead them in the palm of your hand until they are smooth. Place onto a floured surface and roll it out into a circular shape (or attempt to at least).

Then place this onto a hot tawa or a flat ungreased pan, flip once the middle region begins to look cooked. Do not overcook the roti (unleavened flatbread) at this stage because we want them to have some structure but the majority of the cooking will occur at the frying stage later on. Create a stack of roti before you progress onto the next stage or if you have helpers and you're adopting the production line method you need not worry about that. 

Making the actual samosa is ridiculously easy (as depicted); just cut a roti in half, place some filing in the centre, brush some water on all edges, fold and seal one half then wrap across the other half, then crimp together the edges and voila.

The samosas can be frozen at this stage or if you actually want to eat your handiwork then heat up some oil and fry they samosas until golden brown and crispy. Serve with a spicy chickpea salad and some mint sauce.

I hope you give this recipe a go and wish you a relaxing Sunday and week ahead.
 😋

Enjoy!

 Q x