Indian Samosas

“In India, after a meal, we eat fennel seeds to help digestion. They have put some sugar crystals with these to make them more pleasing to the taste.” Andy explained this while scooping some seeds and sugar crystals with a spoon and placing them on the palm of my hand as we left the fancy Indian restaurant. He scooped some for himself and took his hand to his lips, captured the seeds in his mouth all at once and started chewing them. I wasn’t so sure of what I wanted to do with the seeds, so I adamantly placed the tip of my tongue over them and took to my mouth only the few that stuck to it. I started to chew. I recognized the strong fennel licorice taste and something a bit sour; the sugar definitely made it more pleasing, or should I say less displeasing. “I don’t think I can eat them all.” Like a patient father to a daughter in distress, he took my hand and placed the seeds in his. My seeds joined those in his mouth and he continued to chew absentmindedly. Watching him eat those fennel seeds was simply the perfect ending to what had been our first Indian dinner together.

When I first met Andy, he made fun of me when I told him of the ordeals I went through to find fresh curry leaves while I was a chef in South Florida. He was passionate about his native cuisine from northern India. To my amazement, he remembered vivid details of his childhood and the cooking that took place at home. Our first dinner experience was the best lecture in Indian cooking any chef could attend. “True samosas are done with potatoes; that is the Indian way, any other filling is used to impress foreign guests.” I told him many countries had their original versions of samosas, but folded some other way and with different names. Of course, he insisted that samosas were the best and proceeded to meticulously show me how to fold a samosa using his huge napkin as example. It was endearing to watch such a handsome and well known international business executive painstakingly explain and demonstrate how his mother cooked the many different dishes we were sampling that evening. His passion for his native food and culture were so obvious in his recollection, that it was impossible not to feel the need to know more about Indian cuisine. Dinners with Andy were the springboard for many hours researching online and more than a few trips to the library and local Indian markets.

I had been shy about experimenting with Indian cuisine before meeting Andy, but after Andy, Indian cuisine has joined my realm of favorites. In this chapter I have gathered recipes for some of my favorite dishes from India. Some are faithful to their origins, some I have taken the liberty to play around with. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and that you are able to share them with the people you love. Namaste.

Samosas are savory turnover or emapanada style fried or baked pastries stuffed with vegetable or meat mix. The traditional samosa is stuffed with potatoes, green peas, and seasoned with bold spices. Today there are enough good quality, ready-made dough products in the market that will produce a good samosa. My favorite product is the emapanada pastry shells made by La Salteña, an Argentine brand that is distributed in the United States by General Mills. They have different types of ready made rolled and cut out pastry shells for frying or for baking. You can find more information at www.lasalteña.com.

If you are making the pastry, this basic recipe for frying your samosas, which I believe is the best way to cook them, will produce a good dough:

2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4 tablespoons vegetable lard or chilled vegetable oil, 6 tablespoons cold water

Mix the dry ingredients and add the lard/oil. Rub between your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cold water one tablespoon at a time while you continue to knead for about 10 to 15 minutes until you have a smooth textured dough. Lightly oil the bottom of a bowl and place the ball of dough in it, turn over once, and cover with a kitchen towel. Set the bowl aside in a warm spot in the kitchen for at least an hour.

Following is the recipe for the mix I use when I make traditional potato stuffed samosas:

5 medium red or Yukon potatoes, 4 tablespoon oil, 1 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, 1 cup frozen green peas, 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons curry powder

Boil the potatoes with the skin on in salted water. When tender, peel and small dice. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat. Saute the onion until light golden, add the ginger and continue to saute for another minute. Add the cilantro, the diced potatoes, the salt, and the curry powder. Cook on low heat for 4 or 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and let cool.

To assemble the samosa, knead the dough one last time and divide in 12 balls. Roll each out into 6 inch rounds. Cut each round in half and holding them in your hands, fold one side of the semi circle side over the other to make a cone. Seal the overlap with a little water. With a small spoon, fill the cone with the potato mix without reaching the top completely. Wet the inside of the dough with your fingertips on the open side of the dough and pinch to seal the mixture inside. Cool the samosas in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before frying in 2 inches of 350° F oil. Fry them until they are golden brown and crispy; drain on paper towels. You can eat them hot just out of the fryer or serve at room temperature.

There are many dipping sauces you can serve with your samosas; the traditional one seems to be a tamarind chutney. I like mine with sweet chili sauce that you can find at most Asian food markets. My favorite brand is, without a doubt, Mae Ploy. I usually mix a cup of Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce with a cup of plain yogurt.

I hope you enjoy your samosas.