Samosas with chutney and green chilies from West Bengal, India

Ingredients:

We use pre-made samosa pastry, but if you wanted to make from scratch:

For Dough:

• – 1 cup of plain flour or 130 g
• – ½ tsp. of ajwain seed/cumin seeds
• – ¼ tsp. of salt
• – 3 tbsp. of oil
• – water to knead the dough, around ½ cup

Method:

1. Mix together flour, cumin/ajwain seeds and the salt.
2.  
3. Add the oil and then start mixing with your fingers. Rub the flour with the oil until the oil is well incorporated in all of the flour.
4.  
5. Start adding water, little by little and mix to form a stiff dough. Don’t overwork the dough, it should be firm.
6.  
7. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and let it rest for about an hour. I usually soak a sheet of kitchen roll in water and then squeeze out all the water and then cover my dough with that. While the dough is resting, start working on the filling, before making your samosa wrappers.
8.  
9. Divide the dough into golf size balls, roll into a thin round circle.
10.  
11. Heat a frying pan/tawa. Once heated place the rolled-out shape on the pan for a few seconds on one side only. Lift it out and set aside.
12.  
13. Cook each of the remaining rolled circles and place in a pile.
14.  
15. Cut through the pile to make each one into halves.
16.  

Ingredients for the filling:

serves 4

• – 250 g of potatoes (boiled)
• – 150 g of peas (boiled) other vegetables can be added e.g., carrots, peppers
• – 1 onion (chopped)
• – coriander leaves ¼ bunch
• – green chillies 1 – 2 (chopped)
• – ½ tsp. of turmeric
• – salt to taste
• – ¼- ½ tsp. of chilli powder
• – 1 tsp. of coriander powder
• – 1 tsp. of cumin seeds
• – oil for frying
• – 2 of oil
• – ½ of finely chopped ginger
• – ½ of garam masala