Vegetable Samosa

I love samosas. They're my favourite lunch time snack. These parcels of gorgeousness reminded me of samosas we had in a roadside cafe on the outskirts of Pushkar mostly because of the homemade shortcrust pastry. 


Ingredients
for the pastry
300g plain flour
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
1/2 tsp. salt
100ml water, just enough to make dough

for the filling
600g potatoes, (about 4 large) par-boiled in their skin
1 cup frozen pea
1 red onion,  
500g spinach
4 tomatoes, peeled and deseeded
4 cardamoms, seeds ground
3 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. asafoetida powder
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
4 garlic, cloves, crushed
4 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. chilli powder
2 tsp. amchoor (dry mango powder). (Alternatively use 1 tbsp. lemon juice)
2 tsp. Garam Masala
2 tsp. ground cumin
salt (to taste)
30g fresh coriander

Oil for deep frying


Method

Bring a large pan filled with water to the boil then add the whole potatoes.  Boil for 10 minutes to partly cook to the point where you can push a knife through them but there is still some resistance. 

Drain them (retain the water) and set aside to cool.  

Bring the pan of water back up to boiling and cook the spinach for a few minutes. Drain (again keep the water) and then squeeze the excess water from the spinach. The easiest way I've discovered to do that is to press the spinach between two small chopping boards.

Bring the pan of water back up to boiling and cook this time drop in the tomatoes having made a cross incision on the skin.  Cook for a few minutes until the skin begins to peel off. Drain and now you can discard the water. 

Once cooled peel and finely chop the tomatoes into a pulp.  Coarsely chop the spinach. Then peel and chop the potatoes into small cubes (more or less 5mm)

Heat the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan on a high temperature.  When the oil is hot add cumin seeds and the asafoetida powder. 

Once the seeds begin to sizzle add the red onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry for a minute before adding the dry spices, coriander powder, roasted cumin, garam masala, chilli powder, amchoor (dry mango powder). Reduce the temperature to a medium heat. Add the potatoes, spinach  and peas.  Season well with salt then stir thoroughly to coat potatoes.  

Continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring gently. Be careful not to overcook the potatoes and produce spicy mash. 

Taste and adjust the seasoning adding some spices or salt as needed.

Remove the coriander leaves from the stalk and chop. Add them to the potato mix and stir through.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Next to make the pastry. Place the flour, salt and rapeseed oil in a mixing bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon then and rub the clumps into a breadcrumb like texture. 

Slowly add a little water, mixing as you go to form a dough. Stop as soon as the dough comes together.  It needs to be quite firm.  Knead well.  Keep aside for 15 minutes and then knead again, until smooth.

In a small bowl mix 3 tbsp of water with 1 tbsp of flour to use later in forming the parcels.

Divide the dough into eight. Roll into balls and keep moist beneath a damp tea towel. 

Grease a work surface and your hands with some oil. Working with your hands,  flatten a ball of dough out into a disc, then roll out into a large circle, about 18-20 cm and around 3mm thick.

Cut the circle in half. Lift one half and either in the palm of your hand or on the worksurface (which I found easier) using your finger brush a little of the flour/water mix to act as a glue along half of the straight edge.  Bring the other straight edge up, fold inwards and press onto and overlapping the "glued" edge, creating a cone.  

Fill the cone with a heaped tablespoon (or more)  of the potato mix leaving enough edge at the top.  Brush a little water/flour and fold over to seal.  Press gently to make sure it's sealed properly.  I used the back of a knife to help with the seal.

Set the finished samosa under another damp tea towel to stop it from drying out.

There should be enough to make 16 small samosas.

Heat enough oil to deep fry in a large non-stick wok or pan on a medium heat. Test if it has reached the right temperature by dropping in a small piece of dough. It should sizzle and rise to the top. 

Carefully drop one or two in at a time and fry until they become golden brown, turning them gently a few times during the frying to colour evenly. 

Remove from the oil and place on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

Serve warm or cold.