IMBB #18- Let's get frying

Indians love frying, the bad deep frying, of course. I love this month's IMBB topic hosted by Linda of At our table. It gives me an excuse to make some things I crave for but always seem to resist making them because they are out-of-fashion 'coz they are DEEP-FRIED. Samosas were my all-time favorite snack with tea but the ones available here are those with a leathery sorry-looking skin and a mashed potato filling that lacks the flavor that true Indian samosas have. So before I leave for a short vacation to the Oregon coast, I felt I had to make it and participate in this month's IMBB event with this great theme. So here is my spicy samosa with a crispy shell that stays that way for quite a while. The secret is frying for as much as 5 minutes on medium-low flame.

Sanjeev Kapoor is a famous chef in India and this is from his book. It is the crust that makes or breaks a samosa recipe and his crust comes up to the mark.

Punjabi Samosa (makes about 24 medium samosas)

1 cup all-purpose Flour
3 T oil/ghee
salt

Mix the above ingredients and add water tbsp at a time to make a stiff dough. Knead it until smooth. Keep covered for 10-15 minutes.

Filling:
4 large waxy potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup cooked peas, drained well
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coarsely crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1-2 tsp garam masala
salt
4-5 broken cashewnuts (optional)
1 Tbsp chopped mint (optional)
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp dried mango powder or 1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt (filling should be well-salted)

Oil for deep frying

Heat a tsp of oil. Add cumin seeds and crushed coriander and fry them for 30 sec or so. Add cashewnuts, ginger, mint and green chilies and saute for 1 min. Add mashed potatoes, peas, turmeric, salt, red chili powder and garam masala. Saute for another minute. Finally mix in cilantro and lemon juice or mango powder. Taste for salt before using. Let the filling cool completely.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into an oval, the dough being quite thin and pliable. Cut each oval in its diameter. Here is a link with some nice pictures of this complicated procedure. Form triangular pockets with each half, sealing edges well using a little water. Place the traingles in your hand, and open up the pockets and stuff with a tbsp of filling. Seal them up once again with water.

All the samosas can be made before starting the frying process and kept covered under a paper towel. Deep fry in medium hot oil for 5 min or so until a nice golden brown. Serve with green chutney or ketchup.