2002 and 2006 were very difficult years for me.  During this time I found that nothing would relax my mind like going to the kitchen and preparing something.  From a simple PB&J sandwich to a 22 ingredient delight – it was all the same to me, and most times by the end I would have a lighter heart and a yummy dish! This was one of my favorite offerings.

A Samosa is a South East Asian snack made of fried dough stuffed with either meat or vegetables.  This wasn’t a family recipe , I learned from watching Vah Chef and I practiced until it all came out right and became a family recipe.  It takes time and patience to make samosas from scratch, that’s why I only made them once in a while on very special occasions -but I used to enjoy doing it.  It would take too much of my energy these days, but perhaps some careful planning,  a good kitchen chair and canola can help bring these delicious snacks back.  When it comes to the filling,  certainly you could add or subtract as your family would prefer.

The old fashioned way

3 cups of flour
5 Tbls of Oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Water just enough to make a pliable dough (start at 1/2 cup)

1. Add salt and sugar to the flour. Add a little semolina if youd like. Mix well

2. Add oil to flour and combine until the flour resembles sand. There should be coarse grains. Take your time to mix this well. It is important to the recipe.

3. Add the water – I think a colder water would give you more of a shortbread, warmer will give an easier dough to work with. Knead the dough into a ball and let it rest for 15 – 30 mins.

Potato and Pea filling

1 or 2 potatoes
half of an onion
2 cloves garlic
1 small knob of ginger
Tiny piece of green chile pepper (optional)
1tbls garam masala
2 tbls curry powder
1tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp of salt (maybe less)
2 tbls green peas

Boil, cool and dice potatoes.
Finely chop garlic, onion and ginger and grind all together.
add to potatoes with about 2 tbls of oil let them meld for about 5 mins
Add remaining spices.

Roll, cut, fold and stuff dough

fry until golden!

Here is a video by another wonderful cook Manjula – she shows how to roll, cut, fold and fill the samosa dough.  she is making cocktail samosas, but the assembly steps are still the same.

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