Samosa Recipe (Punjabi Potato Samosa)

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1. 1Step 1: Peel, halve and boil potatoes in a pot of water until fork tender, not mushy. Alternatively, pressure cook unpeeled potatoes for 5 whistles on medium flame or in the instant pot for 8 mins, placed over a trivet. When pressure drops, cool and peel them.
2. 2Step 2: Crumble the potatoes, do not mash them. Set aside.
3. 3Step 3: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, carom seeds, salt, and oil.
4. 4Step 4: Rub the flour well with fingers or between palms for 3 to 4 minutes to incorporate the oil. It should look like breadcrumbs; this is essential for flaky samosas.
5. 5Step 5: Take a handful of flour and press down with fingers. It must hold shape and not crumble, indicating the oil is well incorporated.
6. 6Step 6: Add water little by little and mix to form a slightly stiff yet pliable dough. It should not be very soft like roti/naan dough. Cover and rest for 25 to 30 minutes.
7. 7Step 7: Heat a pan with oil. Add cumin seeds.
8. 8Step 8: When they begin to sizzle, add ginger and green chilies. Fry until ginger smells aromatic, about 30 to 60 seconds.
9. 9Step 9: Stir in green peas and saute for 2 minutes.
10. 10Step 10: Add red chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder, chaat masala (optional) and fennel powder. Saute for 30 seconds.
11. 11Step 11: Stir in potatoes and sprinkle salt. Mix and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in coriander leaves and set aside to cool.
12. 12Step 12: Taste and add more salt if needed. If using lemon juice, add it now. Divide the mixture roughly into 10 portions.
13. 13Step 13: Knead the dough gently to smoothen a bit. Divide into 5 portions and roll into balls. Cover the dough balls until the end to prevent drying out.
14. 14Step 14: Grease the rolling area and flatten a ball. Drizzle a few drops of oil.
15. 15Step 15: Roll to a circle or oval shaped disc, around 8.5 inches long by 6.5 inches wide. It should be neither too thick nor too thin.
16. 16Step 16: Using a knife, cut into two semicircles. The two parts make two samosas. If edges are too thick, gently roll to thin down.
17. 17Step 17: Work on one part: apply water over the straight edge (cut side). Join the edges to make a cone. Press down gently to seal the cone from inside as well. If sticking is difficult, make a paste of flour and water, smear lightly, then stick.
18. 18Step 18: Fill the cone with one portion of potato masala and press down with finger to push it inside. Smear water generously on both other edges.
19. 19Step 19: Bring the edges together and seal them by pinching off the edges together. To make a standing samosa, make a pleat on one side, bring back the pleat and seal by pinching edges together.
20. 20Step 20: Ensure the samosa is sealed well. Cover them with a cloth to prevent drying.
21. 21Step 21: After making 5 samosas, heat oil until medium hot.
22. 22Step 22: Oil must be medium hot, not very hot or cold. A piece of dough dropped in oil should not sizzle or rise immediately; instead tiny bubbles should appear and the dough should take a while to surface. This is the right temperature.
23. 23Step 23: Gently add as many samosas as fit in the oil and fry on a low flame, undisturbed for about 10 to 12 minutes.
24. 24Step 24: When the crust becomes firm, increase flame to medium. Turn them to the other side and fry until crispy and golden.
25. 25Step 25: While the first batch fries, make the rest. Remove golden fried samosas to a wire rack or steel colander. Let the oil temperature drop slightly before frying the next batch.
26. 26Step 26: Serve samosa with mint chutney, sweet tamarind chutney, or tomato ketchup.
27. 27Step 27: For oven baking: Preheat oven at 180 C or 360 F for about 20 mins. Brush each samosa generously with oil all over and place on a prepared tray. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
28. 28Step 28: For air frying: Spray samosas with oil or brush with ghee. Preheat air fryer for 7 mins at 360 F or 180 C if required.
29. 29Step 29: Place samosas in the air fryer basket or tray, spacing them at least an inch apart.
30. 30Step 30: Air fry for 12 mins, turn them over and air fry for another 5 to 6 mins, or a little longer until golden and crisp. In a non-preheated air fryer, air fry at 370 F or 190 C for the same time.
31. 31Step 31: Brush them with ghee or oil as required.