Samosas 2 Ways: Fast Beef and the Real Indian One
If you've never had a samosa, you do not want to miss this in your life: flaky and crunchy on the outside, and when you bite in, you're immediately transported to India by all the fragrant spices. This homemade samosa recipe gives you two versions, a fast beef one that's a great party snack, and my end-all vegetarian Indian samosa. Don't click away because you eat meat and think the vegetarian one won't satisfy you. Trust me, it will. I make these at least once a month.
Ingredients
- 1 pack spring roll wrappers (filo works too, but spring roll wrappers are easier thanks to the harder texture)
- some onion, diced
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste (equal parts ginger and garlic, grated, or a ready-made brand if you're in a hurry)
- 1 chili, chopped (if you like heat; if not, leave it out, your loss)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 300 g lean minced meat (or vegan mince, for example Beyond, not sponsored, unfortunately)
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- a splash oil, plus more for deep-frying
- a few cracks salt
- to taste salt and black pepper
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp MSG
- 2 tsp chaat masala (store-bought, or homemade: coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, dried red chilies, dried mango powder, Indian black salt and fennel seeds, dry-roast 1 minute, then blend)
- 50/50 water and flour, mixed to a cement-like texture
- 240 g all-purpose flour (I used maida, Indian all-purpose flour)
- 2 tbsp semolina
- 1 tsp carom seeds (the traditional way, a bit more bitter than cumin seeds, which work as a substitute)
- 50 ml oil
- 120 ml water
- 1 tsp salt
- 350 g potatoes, cut into chunks
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/4 tsp fennel seeds
- 180 g green peas
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- juice of 1/2 lemon (more or less, to taste)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- a handful cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 tsp chaat masala (or Indian black salt; or leave it out completely)
- 1 tsp salt
- 75 g dates
- 2 tsp tamarind puree
- 1/4 tsp red chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 120 ml water (or until it gets a saucy consistency)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- a handful mint leaves
- a handful cilantro leaves
- 1–2 green chilies, chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 30 ml lemon juice (half a lemon)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 60 ml water (you may need more so it blends well)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Method
The fast beef samosa
- 1
Dice the onion and make your ginger garlic paste (equal parts, grated). Chop the chili if you're using it.
- 2
Pan on medium-high with some oil. Add the onions, the cumin seeds and a few cracks of salt, and let the onions sweat until translucent.
- 3
Add the 300 g minced meat (or vegan mince), the chili, and 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste. Mix.
- 4
Add the mandatory spices: coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, salt and black pepper to taste, and the lemon juice. Then go the extra mile with the garam masala, garlic powder, MSG and chaat masala, add as many as you can; the party may have already started, but try.
- 5
Cut the spring roll sheets into wide, long strips. Keep them damp under a towel, or they get brittle, and that's not nice.
- 6
Make the slurry: half water, half flour, cement-like texture. It seals the wrappers beautifully.
- 7
Wrap: fold a triangle from the top, moving it a bit over the edge, then fold another triangle point to point so you have a pocket. Add filling, brush the edge with slurry and close. Wrapping looks easy when somebody else does it; it takes some practice, so do a little prayer first.
- 8
Heat the oil to 180°C and fry in batches, don't overcrowd the pan or the temperature drops and you get soggy samosas. About 3 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with a slice of lemon and a sauce of choice.
The Indian vegetarian samosa
- 9
Boil the potato chunks in salted water for 10 to 15 minutes, until cooked through. Drain, mash, set aside.
- 10
Make the dough: mix the flour, semolina, carom seeds and salt. Slowly add the oil while mixing, clump up the flour as much as you can; that's what makes the final crust flaky and crunchy. Add the water and bring it together into a somewhat dry ball.
- 11
Rest the dough in a bowl under a damp towel for 30 minutes. Don't make this version in a hurry before work, the rest is non-negotiable.
- 12
For the filling: oil in a pan on medium, lightly roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and fennel seeds for 30 seconds.
- 13
Add the green peas and 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste, 2 minutes.
- 14
Add the cumin powder, chili powder, garam masala, turmeric and chaat masala. Mix, then add the mashed potatoes and 1 tsp salt. Don't overmix, it needs to stay a little brittle, not turn into a paste. Cook 5 minutes or so.
- 15
Taste the mixture, always taste your food in between. Add the juice of half a lemon (more or less to taste), the garlic powder and the chopped cilantro. Let it cool until you can touch it.
- 16
Give the rested dough a slap of love and divide it into six balls. Roll each into a thin oval, cut it in half horizontally, and fold each half-oval into a cone, like folding paper airplanes in high school.
- 17
Hold the cone in your hand, fill it, wet the edge with water and close tightly. Sealed on all edges, very important.
- 18
Double-fry: first at 150°C for about 5 minutes, drain and rest on a rack while the oil comes up to 180°C, then fry another 2 minutes.
The sauces
- 19
Tamarind sauce: blend the dates, tamarind puree, salt, chili powder, cumin, coriander and water until saucy. Nicely sweet and sour.
- 20
Mint chutney: blend the mint, cilantro, green chilies, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, salt, sugar and water. Play around with the ratios.
- 21
Garlic chili: you can make a whole Indian chili garlic sauce, but I just mix sambal with a bit of garlic powder.
10 tools I used.
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