Samosa-Deep Fried Pastry Stuffed with Spicy Potatoes

Samosas are traditional Pakistani/Indian appetizers, commonly served with tea in the afternoons. A cilantro, yogurt or mint sauce is served with the samosas. My friends here in America call me the ‘Samosa Queen’, I have a feeling that they like my samosas.

Samosa-Deep Fried Pastry Stuffed with Spicy Potatoes:

2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon kalonji (nigella seeds)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup warm water
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon whole cumin
3 medium potatoes
½ teaspoon salt
1 bunch green onions, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
3 cups cooking oil for frying
2 green chili peppers (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt, kalonji and oil until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Pour water a little bit at a time to make a smooth dough. Pat into a ball. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, cover and set aside.

Boil potatoes until soft, take them out of the boiling water and allow them to cool. Peel the skin and dice the potatoes into small pieces. Add all spices, green chilies, cilantro and green onions. Mix thouroughly.

Divide dough into 15 equal portions. Roll portions into balls, roll the balls into six inch circles. Cut each circle in half. Form semicircles into cones. Fill cones with equal portions of the potato mixture. Seal the cones. (Please visit our website www.whitejasmine.com for a 45 second video, which shows how to make the cones, if you run into problems).

Heat oil in a large deep skillet. Carefully lower cones into preheated oil a few at a time. Fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, drain on paper towels. Serve warm with yogurt or cilantro sauce.

They are easy to freeze in ziploc bags once fried and can be heated up in an oven as a batch or a few at a time in the microwave. Making the dough is the key for good samosas, the nigella seeds add a wonderful aroma and a distinct flavor to the dough. Sometimes, if I have leftover dough, I like to use ½ a teaspoon of sugar as a filling. When the sugar samosas are fried, the sugar melts, the combination of melted sugar and flavored pastry is delicious, top it with some whipped cream, with a hot cup of tea it feels heavenly.