Punjabi Samosa – Just For You, Mom!

It is like this,when I stay at mom’s place I get a sudden craving for vegetable puffs from the Bangalore Iyengar Bakery.No,we don’t live in B’lore but there is a bakery in that name near mom’s place.This bakery has so many goodies that are hard to resist and their eggless cakes are so delicious!So,when I get this craving[maybe once a week ;)] dad and me go there to buy some snacks and Lil angel will tag along for sure.We buy my favorite vegetable puffs and Lil angel gets her Chocolate Swiss  rolls.As for mom she does not prefer Puffs so its always samosas.Dad would either have puffs or samosas.Just one each,but the memories associated with it are aplenty!

The minute we arrive,mom is ready with piping hot cups of coffee/tea.We set out the goodies and munch along with our coffee and chit-chat.Mom and me would be sitting there on the sofa with the lil one by our side intensely watching her favorite cartoon savoring her chocolate swiss roll and we would be happily chatting away. The topics could be anything-food,relations,philosophies of life,jokes,anything.The best times in my life I would say!

Today  morning I missed mom more than ever and thought I would send her [virtually, of course] some samosas.After preparing lunch I set out to make these samosa for mom.

This may not be the authentic version due to the lack of some ingredients but are tasty nevertheless.Ajwain is used in the dough but since it is not available, I used sesame seeds.I once learnt from a cookery show on TV about the tips to make samosas more crispy.A paste of oil and maida smeared on the rolled out dough gives it extra crispiness. I used a filling of potato and peas for the samosa.If you have Amchur/dry mango powder use a little  in the filling.

The best thing about these samosas are that it can be made ahead and frozen.When the guests arrive take them out of the freezer,wait for a couple of minutes and deep fry them.That’s not all,if you fry it ahead of time ,say in the afternoon,it may get soft by the time you serve it with tea.But fret not!You can again deep fry it and serve hot and crispy samosas!!!

I used:

For the covering

Maida/All purpose flour -1 cup
Hot oil-1 tablespoon
Sesame seeds-1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

1. In a bowl put in maida,sesame seeds and salt.Mix well
2. Make a well in the center and put in the oil
3. Carefully fold in the flour to cover the oil.
4. After a few seconds mix well[use a spatula if needed]
5. Add water little by little to make a smooth dough.
6. Knead for a couple of minutes and let it rest covered for 15 minutes.

For the filling

Potato -2
Peas -1 cup
Onion-1,chopped
Ginger garlic paste-1 teaspoon
Chilli powder-1/2 a teaspoon
Garam masala-1/2 a teaspoon
Turmeric powder-a pinch
Saunf-1/2 a teaspoon
Mustard-1/2 a teaspoon
Oil-2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

1. Peel and cube the potatoes and microwave it along with peas and enough water for 6 minutes or till fully cooked. Alternatively you can pressure cook the vegetables.
2. Mash roughly and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard and saunf
4. When the mustard crackles add the ginger garlic paste and onion and sauté till the onion is translucent.
5. Put in the mashed potato-peas,chilli powder,salt,turmeric powder and mix well. It the mixture is too dry add a few teaspoons of water and not more. Excess water makes the samosas soggy.
6. Cook for a few minutes till the flavors blend and add garam masala
7. Remove from heat and mix once again.
8. Let it cool completely before proceeding further.

Paste 1

Maida/All Purpose Flour-2 tablespoon
Oil as required

Paste 2

Maida/ All Purpose Flour-1 teaspoon
Water as required

How to proceed

1. Pinch out small balls of the dough and roll out. Dust with a little flour if required
2.Apply paste 1.Its ok if it does not coat uniformly.
3.Proceed as follows

4.Put in the filling and close the cone.Apply paste 2 on the edges to seal.

At this stage,you can set them on a tray , cover with a cling wrap and freeze till u are ready to use.

 Else,heat oil for deep frying and fry in batches till golden brown.The oil should not be too hot and smoky,the samosa will turn dark quickly.Keep the heat in medium and deep fry.

Drain on absorbent paper.Samosa can be served with Tomato ketchup / Mint Chutney or tangy Tamarind chutney.

I am sure mom will be more than happy if I share a few of these samosas with Taste of Punjab event going on in Pari’s blog,an event started by Naina of Simply food.

Bon Appetit..