Samosa by Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery
Team: Flood Brook Tigers
Host School: Flood Brook School
Age Group: Middle School
Ingredients
Pastry ingredients:
4 oz. white whole wheat flour
8 oz. white flour
¾ tsp. Salt
6 Tbs. Vegetable Oil, plus a bit more
6 Tbs. Water
Stuffing ingredients:
13 oz. sweet potatoes
26 oz. potatoes, peeled and chopped into ¼ in. cubes
6 Tbs. Vegetable oil
2 oz. Onion, peeled and chopped finely
9 oz. Frozen peas, defrosted
1½ Tbs. Peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 large carrot
5 Tbs. Finely chopped fresh cilantro
5 Tbs. Water
3 tsp. Salt
1½ tsp. Ground coriander powder
1½ tsp. Garam Masala spice powder
1½ tsp. Ground roasted cumin seeds
½ tsp. Cayenne pepper
3 Tbs. Lemon juice
Vegetable oil for frying
Fresh cilantro-mint chutney:
8 oz. Fresh cilantro leaves & some stems, coarsely chopped
4 oz. fresh mint leaves, de-stemmed, coarsely chopped
6 Tbs. Lemon juice
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Roasted ground cumin seeds
Freshly ground pepper
1 Tbs. Sugar/agave
Preparation Instructions
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the 6 Tbs of vegetable oil and rub it in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Slowly add about 6 oz. water - or a tiny bit more - and gather the dough into a stiff ball.
Empty the ball out onto a clean work surface. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it is smooth. Make a ball. Rub the ball with oil and slip it into a plastic bag. Set it aside for 30 minutes or longer in the fridge.
Make the stuffing: Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the onions. Stir and fry them until they begin to turn brown at the edges. Add the peas, ginger, carrots, cilantro and 4.5 Tbs. of water. Cover, lower heat and simmer until peas are cooked. Stir every now and then and add a little more water if the frying pan seems to dry out. Add the diced potatoes, salt, coriander, garam masala, roasted cumin, cayenne, and lemon juice. Stir to mix. Cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently as you do so. Check remaining salt and lemon juice. You may want more of both. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
Knead the pastry dough again and divide into 8 balls. Keep 7 covered while you work with the eight. Roll this ball out into a 7 inch round. Cut it into half with a sharp knife. Pick up one half and form a cone, making a ¼ inch wide overlapping seam. Glue this seam together with a little water. Fill the cone with about 2 ½Tbs of the potato mixture. Close the top of the cone by sticking the open edges together with a little water. Again, your seam should be about ¼ in wide. Press the top seam down with the prongs of a fork or flute it with your fingers. Make 7 more samosas. Heat about 1½ - 2 in of oil for deep frying over a medium-low flame. You may use a small, deep frying pan for this or an indian “karhai”. When the oil is medium hot, put in as many samosas as the pan will hold in a single layer. Fry slowly, turning the samosas frequently until they are golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot warm with a dipping sauce.
Combine all ingredients for Fresh cilantro-mint chutney.