Punjabi Tadka Samosa

Who does’nt love Samosas? We all do have a soft corner for these beauties in our hearts, right? I believe it is easily one of the most crunchy, flavourful and wholesome Indian comfort food… and with the winters still around, it surely is a great excuse to indulge in some of these flavourful bites. So, lets gear up, get the taste buds working and bring a little Indian spiciness to the table with these “Punjabi Tadka Samosas”

Samosas define the term “comfort food” in the Northern parts of India. This one particular dish is so popular that you can find it at almost all street food shacks in Delhi. I have grown up enjoying them piping hot, coming straight from the hot oil for many years now and i still get as excited to eat them as i probably did the first time 🙂

I have had this love for samosas which goes way back to my childhood. One of the most distinctive memory is that of my father bringing samosas from this particular “snack shack” during the rainy days while heading home from his office. He would always give us a surprise call, standing in front of this snack shack, telling us that he would be getting samosas home that night and i used to get ecstatic. This shop had a rather small outlet but their samosas were always packed with big flavours which made it pretty famous amongst its neighborhood. The samosa maker always kept the filling simple – Mashed potatoes loaded with generous amount of fresh peas and basic spices but it tasted phenomenal. Of course,as all professionals do, this guy also used a secret ingredient which made these samosas amazing. The samosas were so amazing that they sold like “hot cakes” and the shop would always have a long queue standing outside, waiting to grab these before they all got sold. I simply loved the taste of those samosas as it was unique in its own way. Today, 15 years later, whenever i think of samosas, those flavours and memories come back to me and i become that small girl again who used to eagerly wait at the doorstep for her father to bring home those delicious samosas 🙂

This recipe is like bringing those memories back in reminiscence and re-creating that experience under the comforts of my home here, thousands of miles far from India. Keeping this recipe simple and traditional but betting on some great flavours here ! Check it out 🙂

Punjabi Tadka Samosa

Servings: 4
Time: 45 mins
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Recipe

This recipe is divided into 3 components : Dough, Filling and the tadka

For the Dough

1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp ghee/oil
large pinch ajwain (optional)
enough water to knead the maida
salt to taste
2 tablespoons oil for brushing the surface of samosas

For the Filling

3 boiled potatoes, crumbled
1/2 cup boiled peas
1 tsp grated ginger
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder/ cayenne/ paprika
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp dry mango powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp chopped coriander leaves

For the Tadka

2 tsp Oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tsp Coriander seeds
2 tsp dry pomegranate seeds

Method

Preparing Dough – Mix the flour with salt, ghee and combine to form a crumbly mixture. Now slowly add enough water to make dough, not too soft. Divide the dough and shape into balls. Keep aside covered with moist cloth for 15-20 minutes.
Preparing filling – Take a pan. Add oil and bring to heat. Now, add the cumin seeds and
let it splutter. Next, add in the coriander seeds, pomegranate seeds, onions and cook on medium high till the onions turn translucent. Next, add in the grated ginger, chopped green chillies and peas. Mix and let it cook for a minute. Now add the crumbled potatoes, salt, red chilli powder, dry mango powder and garam masala. Mix well and cook on low flame for half minute. Shut the flame and add chopped green coriander to the filling. Mix and keep aside.
Forming the samosas – Roll each ball with the rolling pin into a slightly thin circle, slightly oval. Take a knife and divide the rolled circle into two by cutting through the center.
Take one semicircle. Form a cone by folding the semicircle edge and joining the edges with a little water.
Take a tablespoon of filling and fill inside the cone. Press the filling and seal the open edges to form a triangle using wet fingers. Keep aside. Form all the samosas this way.
Take enough oil and heat it. Add a couple of samosas at a time and deep fry them till golden brown, turning them carefully to the other side so that it cooks on all sides. Deep fry on low to medium heat and not piping hot oil. Remove once done. If the oil is too hot when you put in the samosas, it won’t be cooked completely… the cover of the samosa will cook fast on the surface but not throughout.

The RESULT ?? Check it out ! Serve with tamarind chutney, onion rings and lemon wedges 🙂

These samosas are crunchy and even though they are deep fried, they have no layer of oil on top or greasiness of any sort to get you going on any calorie ridden guilt trip. Just the good old filling with the tangy pomegranate seeds to give that kick and make these samosas truly DELICIOUS !

So, try this recipe soon and bring some Indian merriment home. If you feel more adventurous, try another of my favorite samosa recipes which is a good spin on this traditional recipe above 🙂

ORIENTAL GARDEN SAMOSA