Recipe for Samosa

Samosa is one of the most popular Indian snacks. Like Chaat and Bhajji, it is one of the most loved street foods.

In the 1980s, when I was a child, samosa was a popular birthday party food. Along with namkeen, biscuits and fruit juice/cold drink, samosa was served after the ceremonial ‘cake cutting’. Back then, many kids like me found samosa too heavy and would eat only the crust and leave away the filling. But now, after growing up, I love eating samosa as a whole and find it absolutely delicious.

There are many more childhood memories associated with this snack. It used to be the go-to snack for many households when guests arrived. Back then, it was common for guests to arrive without notice. And, when they would, many a time, it would so happen that there wouldn’t be much to serve them other than a humble cup of tea. So parents would rush their children to the nearby market to fetch some samosas, which they could serve with tea.

I have cycled to the nearest market several times, impatiently waited for my order, and relished the gifts of patience. The shopkeeper or his assistant would put a batch of about 30-40 samosas into a big kadhai and slowly fry them to perfect crispiness.

Oh, how we waited, along with many other equally impatient customers! It would be like an undeclared competition, with everyone watching the samosas getting fried and finding a place in a close circle surrounding the assistant and his kadhai of hot oil, with money in their hands so that as soon as the batch would be ready, they could be the first ones to hand over the money and get their order. No one wanted to miss getting their share of samosas, or else it would be a wait for the next, which would mean waiting for another 15-20 minutes! Now, as I recall those days, I smile at our everyday ‘struggles’ 😉

…and there are so many more memories.

They say that distance makes the heart go fonder. And, now, living in Germany, I miss the taste and the street food vibes every time I think of the vibrant streets of India, busy with life and activity. Though it is not very difficult to find samosas in Germany, they are not as common, and hence, like many other dishes I would eat outside (if I were in India), I make them at home.

Recently, as my younger son celebrated ‘Kulturtag’, i.e. Cultural Day in his school, and was asked to represent his country and bring a popular food, I couldn’t think of anything else but samosa. I made around 48 samosas, which took me quite some time, but it was worth the effort. Everyone loved my samosas at school; apparently, they got over even before the event started!

The recipe that I am sharing today is a 100% tried and tested recipe. It is a no-fail recipe I have used several times to make crispy samosas at home. I urge my readers to follow the pastry recipe accurately and feel free to adjust the spices in the filling according to their taste.

Also, in the pictures, you may see larger quantities of everything. That’s because I clicked these pictures when I made a big batch of 48 samosas. But I have shared the ingredient quantities in my recipe, considering 12 samosas.

So, let us start:

Ingredients needed to make Samosa:

Ingredients for making the pastry:

• 250 gm Refined Flour
• 4 tbsp Ghee/Oil
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Carom Seeds (Ajwain)
• Water, for kneading

Ingredients for the Stuffing:

• 7-8 Medium-Sized Potatoes
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
• 1 tbsp Finely chopped Green Chillies
• 1 tbsp Grated Ginger
• 1 tbsp Coursely ground Coriander Seeds
• Salt, to taste
• ¾ tsp Turmeric Powder
• ⅓ cup Peas
• ½ tsp Dry Mango Powder (Amchur Powder)
• 1 tbsp Finely chopped fresh Coriander Leaves

In addition

• Oil for frying

Method to make Samosas: 

Boil the potatoes. When done, peel them and keep them aside.

Combine flour, salt, carom seeds, and ghee in a mixing bowl.

Rub the mixture between your hands till the mixture looks like bread crumbs.

Press a portion in your hand. If it comes together, the consistency is right.

Now, add water, a little at a time and knead a stiff dough.

Cover and rest the dough for 30 minutes.

In a pan, heat oil. On medium heat, fry green chillies and ginger. Fry well for about 1-2 minutes.

Add cumin seeds and roughly ground coriander.

Mash the boiled potatoes roughly and add them to this fried mixture.

Add peas. If you use fresh peas, boil them and then add them. If you are frozen peas, wash them and add them.

Add salt, turmeric powder and dry mango powder. Mix well.

Add chopped coriander leaves. Switch off the heat and let the mixture cool.

Move to the following steps after the dough has rested for 30 minutes, and the stuffing mixture has cooled completely. Knead the dough and divide the dough into six portions.

Divide the stuffing into 12 equal portions.

Take one portion of the dough at a time and cover the rest. Round it and roll it into an oval shape.

Cut it from the centre. On the straight edge, apply some water with your finger.

Now overlap one side on the other and stick them.

Now, you have a cone ready. Put the stuffing into the cone. Now apply some oil on the inner portion of the done. Give it a fold on the opposite side.

Bring the two sides together and stick them.

This way, make all the samosas.

Heat oil in a deep-bottomed pan.

The oil should be just about medium hot. Put the samosas. The samosas will settle at the bottom because the oil is not very hot.

Slowly they will come up. Keep the heat low-medium and let the samosas fry slowly till their crust turns brown.

Take them out and let them cool a bit before serving. Serve with tomato ketchup or tamarind chutney, or mint coriander chutney.

Some additional notes:

1. The flour to ghee/oil ratio in the pastry dough is very important. So, it should be accurate. If you use ghee, melt it before measuring the quantity.
   
2. Temperature plays a crucial role in frying the samosas. The oil should be low to medium hot when you put the samosas. The samosas should settle at the bottom when you put them and rise slowly as they get heated. It took me close to 20 minutes to fry a batch of samosas.
   
3. If you wish to make a batch of samosas and fry them the other day, you can keep them in the fridge covered by a wet ( water squeezed out ) cotton cloth. Ensure that the samosas don’t stick to each other when you keep them in the refrigerator, or else, the next day, when you pull them apart, the skin will come out, exposing the stuffing.
   
4. If you wish to make a batch and keep them in a freezer for later use, first keep them in the fridge ( the same way as mentioned above) for a few hours. Then, cling wrap each samosa separately and keep them all together in an airtight box in the freezer.

About Ingredient sourcing in Germany:

You can get most of the ingredients needed for this recipe from a German Supermarket. However, you can get Indian ingredients such as carom seeds, coriander seeds etc. from any Indian shop near you or from Spicelands. They are a big store in Frankfurt, delivering all across Germany. I frequently order from them and find their quality good and prices reasonable.

Alternatively, you can even buy these ingredients from amazon.de. Links are given below:

Flour: https://amzn.to/41wdWV8
Ghee: https://amzn.to/42CymwO. Please read my article about making ghee at home in Germany.
Carom Seeds: https://amzn.to/41qjiRR
Salt: https://amzn.to/3BhAb6M
Potatoes: https://amzn.to/3NWzjfn
Peas: https://amzn.to/42oWRhp
Ginger: https://amzn.to/3BlHp9y
Cumin Seeds: https://amzn.to/44KbGg1
Coriander Seeds: https://amzn.to/3M2nPEC
Turmeric Powder: https://amzn.to/3VVNzXE
Dry Mango Powder: https://amzn.to/3O0PqIJ
Coriander: https://amzn.to/3AZWU76
Salt: https://amzn.to/3ACstDM

Equipment needed for the recipe:
Please note that I use all these in my kitchen. I am happy and satisfied with these products, and hence, I recommend these to my readers.

Pressure cooker: https://amzn.to/3I2PAM1
Mixing Bowl: https://amzn.to/3V8ZPU
Pan/Kadhai: https://amzn.to/3NS4nNd
Cutting Board: https://amzn.to/3n9IXjM
Knife Set (includes a bread knife): https://amzn.to/3Lg64Bj
Rolling Pin: https://amzn.to/3LXXIhZ

Here is the recipe in printable format:

Please note that this article contains affiliate links. If you buy using these links, I receive a small commission. This has no effect on the price for you.

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