Samosas are one of those dishes that can be accommodated any way you like. They are often found on the appetizers list of Indian restaurants and they are also found in Kenyan cuisine, which has a lot of Indian influence and in Senegalese cuisine. The main distinction to all those different variants of that tasty snacks is the filling and the spices that go into it. For example, fish samosas are common in Senegal.
I prepared both vegetarian and beef samosas, but like I said, the filling is up to you and your imagination! For instance, I initially intended to put some curry spice in the vegetable filling, but my curry powder was nowhere to be found. I improvised, and the filling tasted great nonetheless!
Samosas make great appetizers or afternoon snacks.
Samosas
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| Serves | 2-4 |
| Prep time | 45 minutes |
| Cook time | 2 hours |
| Total time | 2 hours, 45 minutes |
| Meal type | Appetizer, Snack |
Ingredients
- 225g of flour
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 80ml of water or more if necessary
- 1 potato diced in 1/2 in. cubes
- 1 carrot diced in 1/2 in. cubes, or baby carrots cut in 1/2 in.
- 2 cloves of crushed garlic
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons of cumin, 2 tspn of coriander or your own spices according to your taste
- Salt, Pepper to taste.
- 100ml of vegetable stock
- 1/2lb lb of ground beef
- 1 small onion finely diced
- garlic to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
| 1. | Vegetable filling 1. Heat the oil in a frying pan 2. Add the onion and garlic, mix in the spices. Turn until the onions are soft 3. Add the vegetables, seasoning and stir well until coated 4. Add the stock, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until cooked 5.Set aside |
| 2. | Beef filling 1. Cover the bottom of a frying pan with some vegetable oil and heat up on medium heat 2, Add the onions and garlic and stir until the onions are soft 3. Add the ground meat and salt and pepper and stir until cooked |
| 3. | Pastry dough 1. Mix flour and salt into a bowl 2. Make a well into the centre and add the oil and enough water to make a firm dough 3. Knead the dough for ten minutes or so 4. Add the egg and keep kneading until the dough is smooth. Roll into a ball and cover it with plastic wrap 5. Set aside at room temperature for 30min to 1 hour You can fill the dough one of two ways. When I prepared them I prepared the vegetable samosas in the shape of triangles and the beef samosas in the shape of half moons to differentiate them. |
| 4. | For triangular-shaped samosas 1.Divide the pastry into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll out into a circle 2. Divide this circle into two equal pieces with a knife 3.Brush each edge with a little water and form a cone shape around your fingers, sealing the dampened edge. 4. Fill the cases with a tablespoon of your chosen mixture and press the two dampened edges together to seal the top of the cone. |
| 5. | For half moon shaped samosas 1.Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces 2.Roll each piece into a ball and roll into a circle 3.Put a tablespoon of of your chosen mixture in the center of the circle 4.Fold over one half of the circle into the other 5. Put the teeths of a fork into some water and press lightly onto the overlapping ends of the circle to seal the samosa Deep fry the samosas in hot oil until crisp and brown take out and drain on a paper towel |
Fellow foodie, kudos on your baby steps towards the vast and magical realm of Indian food, and that too in the right direction.Now a few words of wisdom on the humble samosa. Samosa, although popular all over India, the common variety is the one prepared mainly in northern India. We, on the east, call it Shingara (meaning “horn-shaped”) and add a delicious twist of fried cauliflower and peas to it which makes it devilishly yummy! Will share he recipe with you if you are sufficiently nice and grovelling 🙂
Thanks for the kudos and the input! always appreciate it ! 🙂 Also, looking forward to hear more about the cauliflower peas twist on the recipe, as you know how nice I always am 😉
One of my favorites indian food!!! I like it!!!
Nice! it is a staple in Kenya too!