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These fried dumplings are made in various forms all over southern Asia with most of North America associating them strongly with India. It seems their history may go back almost a thousand years to a baked, pastry-wrapped dumpling from Persia or perhaps the Arabian peninsula. Fillings differ from region to region and indeed from family to family as is nearly always the case with foods like this. We present a simple-yet-delicious recipe for potato-and-peas filling to make what are often referred to as aloo samosas, “potato samosas”, a name which while accurate either overlooks the importance of the pea, or else leaves it as a sweet surprise.
It is best to make the dough for the wrappers the day before attempting to assemble the samosas. It is also fine to prepare the filling in advance and use it the next day as well. This seems like a good idea for various reasons, including the fact that giving the filling a day for the flavors to marry likely yields more delicious samosas.
Let the dough come close to room temperature before trying to handle it. It may help to use a few sheets of wax paper to make a stack of partially-rolled samosa dough circles, allowing them to rest briefly before rolling them all the way out.
Makes enough for 18 samosas.
Equipment:
large mixing bowl
saucepan for boiling potatoes
possibly a second (small) saucepan for heating spices
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb potato Russet or other starchy potatoes work best
1/2 cup green peas if frozen, add water and heat in the microwave to thaw, then drain
2 Tbsp oil neutral; or ghee
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garam masala “curry powder” of any sort will work
1 ea dried bird’s eye chili or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp green chile relish or 1-3 hot green chilis, minced
2 inches ginger fresh, peeled and minced (or grated)
1/4 cup cilantro chopped; add right before using if that’s practical
Procedure:
1. Parboil the potatoes. Most recipes say to peel them beforehand; I prefer not to because the skin is a source of valuable dietary fiber and other nutrients.
2. Sort out the frozen peas if need be, and toast the cumin and coriander, then grind them with the whole dried chili. Combine all the powdered spices back in the saucepan (or a small mixing bowl) with the oil and stir it all to combine. Set aside until it’s time to season the filling.
3. Peel and mince (or grate) the ginger. The two methods may result in slightly different flavor impressions, with grated ginger being more generally present and minced ginger coming more in occasional bursts.
4. If using fresh chilis, mince them also and combine with the ginger. Whether to leave in the seeds is left to your discretion; typically the seeds increase the spicy-heat level of the pepper.
5. Once the potatoes are fork-tender, turn off the heat and drain them. Allow them to cool until they are cool enough to handle. They will not get very much cooking from the frying process, so it is important to make sure they are done enough not to come across as raw.
6. Pierce it all over with a fork before beginning to flake the potatoes. Then start by flaking off the skin into the smallest practical pieces so that there are not large chunks of skin in the finished product. If there’s no skin, this job is a little less complicated - without creating mush, we want to flake the potato apart into small fragments.
7. Add the peas, the seasoning oil, the ginger and chilis (fresh or relish) and the cilantro, and combine well. (If storing the filling overnight, wait to add the cilantro right before filling the samosas.)
8. Allow the filling to cool completely - this is another good reason to make it ahead. Warm filling will make wrapping the samosas much more challenging.
9. To wrap samosas, roll out golf-ball sized balls of dough to 6 or 7 inches across, then cut in half to form two semicircles.
10. Wet the entire margin of a semicircle of dough.
11. In the center of the semicircle, put down about 2 Tbsp of filling, then fold the samosa closed over the filling so that the cut edge doubles over itself.
12. Starting at the folded corner, fold over and seal the cut edge of the samosa, and then continue on along the round outer edge until the entire pouch is closed and sealed around the filling.
13. Fry these 2-4 at a time depending on the size of your frying setup, in at least enough oil to come half way up them. If using a deep-fryer they will probably still require turning halfway through, allowing 2-3 minutes per side.
14. Rest on a rack so the oil drains properly, then serve while warm with whatever chutneys or other sauces are appealing, such as tamarind chutney, avocado/cilantro chutney, toum, raita, etc.
Music: www.bensound.co...
10 янв 2024
