No need to fry because this crispy beauty goes right into the oven. The result is crispy, golden and so crust-shatteringly flaky.

Why make a Giant Sharing Samosa?!

Samosas are truly one of India’s most globally-loved snacks. Almost every celebration in my life has called for a platter of victory samosas; my graduation, birthdays, weddings. Samosas are always there.

I often fantasise about the illogical and fantastical when it comes to food. I’ll ask myself, “what food feels impossible but isn’t?”.

Well, this 1lb Giant Sharing Samosa is a result of one of those food fantasy brainstorms on the topic of Valentine’s Day. You can make them any time of year, btw. Super huge samosas are evergreen!

What’s my ideal Valentine’s Day feast? Forget chocolate desserts, there’s no better way to show a samosa lover your undying affection than with this Giant Sharing Samosa.

Next on my list is a Christmas tree made entirely out of mozzarella sticks. Kidding… or am I?

But do I really have to share it?

I call it a sharing samosa but you do you, friend. This samosa is the equivalent of around 5-6 Punjabi-style samosas (which are usually pretty large btw).

I’d never dream of telling someone how many samosas to eat.

Is this Giant Sharing Samosa vegan?

Yes, this Giant Sharing Samosa recipe is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. I use oil in place of ghee in the pastry. There’s no dairy and it’s still delicious!

Is this Giant Samosa gluten free?

No. If you have Coeliac disease or follow a gluten-free diet, feel free to replace the plain flour in this recipe with your favourite gluten-free flour blend. I like this one.

Is this samosa baked or fried?

This samosa weighs approximately 1lb. To fry it wouldn’t be impossible but probably isn’t the wisest choice for home cooks like you and I.

Try my pastry recipe below for an oven-baked Punjabi-style samosa that still has a delicious crunchy finish without getting litres of oil and deep frying equipment out.

Can I air fry this samosa?

If your air fryer is large enough, then I don’t see why you can’t air fry this samosa.

What other samosa fillings can I make?

Although there are countless fillings to choose from, potatoes, onions and peas will always be the poster child for samosas.

The potatoes are usually boiled whole, with the skin on so the inside remains tender and fluffy. Once cooled, the skin-on spuds are peeled and roughly mashed before being united with a mixture of onions, spices and green peas.

Other common vegetarian fillings include: soy mince (kheema), cauliflower and peas, Tandoori Paneer, sprouted lentils, Maggi Noodles or Hakka Noodles (seriously). Some of the more modern takes on samosas are wild, but nevertheless, delicious.

Can I make regular-sized samosa using this recipe?

You can indeed but you might find this recipe for The Best Vegetarian Samosas more useful.

How to make Samosa Pastry

This pastry recipe begins with rubbing together flour and oil to create a rough, breadcrumb-like texture.

It’s similar to making shortcrust pastry, but uses oil in place of butter. Ghee can also be used, if that’s a flavour you like.

The technique is called “moarn” in Hindi and it facilitates the creation of a crispy pastry for deep-fried snacks like Samosa and Kachori.

Why is this pastry a great option?

• It requires no pre-cooking prior to folding and filling the samosas.
• This method ensures a perfectly-crispy and robust samosa every time.
• The pastry is stiff enough to make light work of the stuffing and folding process. This means you don’t need to spend ages fixing tears and snags in the pastry.
• This is a very forgiving way of making samosas. If the pastry does in fact tear at any point, just pinch the dough together to seal again.
• Unlike filo pastry samosas, it’s okay if this type to look rough and ready. In my opinion, the craggier the samosa the better! The rough, pitted surface of samosas made with homemade pastry is the perfect carrier for chutney.

How to make samosa filling with potatoes and peas

Gather your ingredients. It might look like lots but this samosa needs flavour! Find a list of everything you need in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

To make the filling

Be sure you pre-cook your potato and allow it to cool slightly beforehand. You can bake, steam or microwave it. I prefer to microwave because it’s so quick and convenient.

Wash it, prick the skin all over with a fork and microwave on high power for around 6-7 minutes depending on how powerful your microwave is. Don’t remove the skin before cooking or it will become really hard and dry on the outside.

You can also boil the potato but I don’t love that method as it invites a lot of water into the mixture. This isn’t ideal for samosas.

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How to fold this Giant Sharing Samosa

• Roll the dough on a floured surface. It should be wider than it is long. This is to avoid a giant wizard-hat shaped samosa!
• Be sure to wet the dough with water to ensure it sticks enough to hold its’ shape.
• Be generous with your filling and take care when you stuff to avoid tearing and splitting the dough.

• Create a pleat along the base of the samosa so it seals well and can stand up once finished. This is the sign of a great Punjabi-style samosa.
• Pinch to seal shut all along the bottom. Try to squeeze any excess air out as you do this.

Carefully lift this giant samosa onto a baking tray and brush liberally with oil before you bake it, and during to guarantee a crispy, golden finish.

Other recipes you might like:

• The Best Vegetable Samosas
• Easy Vegan Curry Puffs
• Indian Cheese Twists
• Gyoza Bhajia

Giant Sharing Samosa recipe

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Giant Sharing Samosa

Make light work of preparing Indian samosas with this simple but show-stopping giant version. It's stuffed with a classic combination of potatoes, peas and spices, then oven baked to golden perfection.

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Keyword potatoes, samosas, snacks, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1 large baking potato, baked, steamed or microwaved until soft about 200g
• 40 g peas I use frozen
• 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1/2 small onion finely diced (about 50g)
• 1/2-1 hot green chilli finely chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp amchur dried mango powder
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander seeds
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped

For the pastry:

• 125 g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp ajwain
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp any flavourless oil
• 40-50 ml warm water to bind a medium-firm dough
• 1 tbsp oil for brushing on top

Instructions

For the samosa pastry:

• Take plain flour in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add oil, salt and ajwain. Rub everything together between your fingertips to create a breadcrumb-like texture. This process will ensure the samosa pastry is crispy.
• Add water and bind the mixture to a soft dough. Knead for 4-5 minutes. It should be soft but still spring back when you press it with your finger. Cover with cling film or a damp tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

For the samosa filling:

• Once your cooked potato has cooled, peel off the skin. Place it in a bowl and roughly break it up using a spoon. Add the peas, onions, chillies, ginger, fresh coriander, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, amchur, turmeric, garam masala and salt. Mix well and mash it a bit as you go along to ensure everything binds well.

To form the samosa (watch the video for a visual guide on folding):

• On a lightly-floured surface, roll your rested dough out to around 35cm wide and 15cm long. It should be about 2-3mm thick. Slice 1cm off the bottom (long edge) for a neater finish.
• Take the upper right corner and diagonally, bring it to the centre of the rolled dough. Place some water on the surface of the part you just folded and bring the upper left-hand corner of the dough to the centre to overlap onto the wet part. This will form a triangle pocket. Press both sides together very gently.
• Lift the samosa pastry up and open the pocket you just created. You should have a little pouch ready for filling. Stuff the samosa with the potato and pea filling. Start with a small amount and use your fingers to tease it down into the pointed base so you have a good shape. Try not to stretch the pastry or it can break.
• To create the little crease in the back of the samosa so it can stand up by itself: Along the open seam of the filled samosa, place your finger in the centre of the round edge of the pastry. Create a tiny fold, about 2cm wide and pinch to seal (this will create a small dimple for the back base of the samosa. Press the open edge of the pastry together and seal to close. You should now have a giant samosa that can stand up loud and proud. If it feels a little out of shape, you can always use your hands to adjust it a bit.

To bake the giant samosa:

• Place the samosa on a large, flat baking tray. Brush with oil and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C/350°F for 55-60 minutes or until golden brown and crispy all over. I recommend brushing with more oil at the 25 minute and 45 minute mark for a very golden and crispy pastry.

Video

Notes

• Serve this giant samosa as it is with chai, or with your favourite chutneys.
• It’s normal for the pastry to crack a little during the cooking process. This is a sign of a good, flaky and crispy samosa.
• To store: Keep the samosas in an airtight container lined with absorbent kitchen paper. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• To freeze: I recommend par-baking the samosa for a while before cooling and freezing. This will ensure the samosa isn’t soggy or soft. Keep the samosas in an airtight container lined with baking parchment. Freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 175°C/350°F for 45-50 minutes to ensure samosa is piping hot all the way through. If you find that it browns too quickly, turn the oven down to 160°C/320°F.

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No two samosas are ever identical in shape and colour — you could say they’re as unique as we are.

Love triangle: the significance of samosas in Indian culture

The palm-sized dumplings are iconic of street stalls and restaurant menus alike. Indian festival banquets wouldn’t be complete without them, either.

In fact, I’ve overheard murmurs of outrage at the lack of samosas at a dozen Indian weddings.

They’re expected to show up and perform like it’s their first day working a demanding job. An occasion simply isn’t an occasion without samosas. Casual events also require a samosa platter or five, too.

We snaffle them over chai with friends, and stash a few away to devour once all our guests have left after a gathering at home. Keeping a stash in the freezer is common for when last-minute guests show up.

Homemade Samosas: The filling

Although there are countless fillings to choose from, potatoes, onions and peas will always be the poster child for samosas.

The potatoes are usually boiled whole, with the skin on so the inside remains tender and fluffy. Once cooled, the skin-on spuds are peeled and roughly mashed before being united with a mixture of softened onions, spices and green peas.

Other common vegetarian fillings include: soy mince (kheema), cauliflower and peas, Tandoori Paneer, sprouted lentils, Maggi Noodles or Hakka Noodles (seriously). Some of the more modern takes on samosas are wild, but nevertheless, delicious.

Homemade Samosas: The spices

Amchur, or dried mango powder gives potato samosas a welcome tang alongside fragrant, lemony coriander seeds. These two ingredients cut through the richness of the craggy, crunchy fried exterior.

Cumin, onion, chilli and salt add the earthy flavours you crave when only a deeply savoury snack will do.

Homemade Samosas: The pastry

First impressions matter! The pastry is one of the primary indicators of a good samosa. In my opinion you can instantly tell a good samosa from a bad one by the appearance of the pastry.

My preferred method of making homemade samosas (for texture, flavour and ease) is to use the homemade “shortcrust” pastry.

Why is this pastry a great option?

• It requires no pre-cooking prior to folding and filling the samosas.
  
• This method ensures a perfectly-crispy and robust samosa every time.
  
• The pastry is stiff enough to make light work of the stuffing and folding process. This means you don’t need to spend ages fixing tears and snags in the pastry.
  
• This is a very forgiving way of making samosas. If the pastry does in fact tear at any point, just pinch the dough together to seal again.
  
• Unlike filo pastry samosas, it’s okay if this type to look rough and ready. In my opinion, the craggier the samosa the better! The rough, pitted surface of samosas made with homemade pastry is the perfect carrier for chutney.
  
  The only question that remains is whether you’re a dipper or a full-blown dunker?

What is “moarn?”

This pastry recipe begins with rubbing together flour and oil to create a rough, breadcrumb-like texture.

It’s similar to making shortcrust pastry, but uses oil in place of butter. Ghee can also be used, if that’s a flavour you like.

The technique is called “moarn” in Hindi and it facilitates the creation of a crispy pastry for deep-fried snacks like samosas and kachoris.

How does it work?

This method works by creating a protective barrier between the flour and water which hinders the development of gluten in the pastry as it is kneaded.

The dough must be kneaded until smooth and overworking the dough could lead to a soggy texture in the absence of rubbing the flour in oil.

Note that the pastry in this recipe requires no pre-cooking prior to folding and filling.

Other ways of making samosas

Another method for making samosas using homemade “samosa patti” (or samosa pastry) requires homemade dough to be rolled thinly and partially cooked on a tawa before folding. You can see this technique in my recipe for Mung Daal Samosas.

Samosas can also be made using shop-bought filo pastry, spring roll pastry or puff pastry, depending on the style you prefer.

Some newer methods involve using shop-bought wholewheat wraps to wrap the samosa filling.

How to fold The Best Vegetable Samosas

Stuck on how to fold The Best Vegetable Samosas like a well-seasoned Indian aunty? I’ve got your back.

How to fry homemade samosas

Controversially, these samosas are not fried in hot oil; they are cooked in warm oil… for 35 minutes per batch.

You should be able to comfortably touch the oil with your finger prior to adding samosas to the pan. Be careful not to heat it too much as this will result in uneven cooking.

Simply allow it to cool down before adding the samosas. Very few small bubbles that slowly reach the top of the oil will indicate that the oil is the perfect temperature.

Starting the cooking process in warm oil probably goes against all the laws of deep frying but when it comes to this type of samosa, this is the way to do it. This technique will not result in greasy samosas, I assure you.

Ingredients you’ll need for The Best Vegetable Samosas

• Potatoes
• Peas
• Onions
• Cumin seeds
• Fresh ginger
• Chillies
• Turmeric
• Amchur (dried mango powder)
• Ground coriander seeds
• Salt
• Water
• Flour
• Ajwain
• Oil

Recipe for Homemade Vegetable Samosas

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The Best Vegetable Samosas

Learn how to make amazing Indian vegetarian samosas stuffed with the classic combination of potatoes and peas. Includes a detailed step-by-step recipe for folding samosas with homemade pastry.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Keyword peas, potatoes, samosas, snacks, vegan

Prep Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings 18 samosas

Author Sanjana

Equipment

• Rolling pin
• Large pan with high sides or a wok for deep frying

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 250 g potatoes
• 100 g peas I use frozen
• 1 tbsp any flavourless oil
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 3 hot green chillies finely chopped
• 2 1/2 cm piece fresh ginger peeled and grated
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp amchur dried mango powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped

For the pastry:

• 500 g plain flour
• 2 tsp ajwain
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 100 ml any flavourless oil
• 280 ml warm water

For deep frying:

• 1.5 L flavourless oil such as vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil

Instructions

For the filling:

• Boil the potatoes in plenty of water until tender. Drain and allow to cool completely. Once cool, peel the potatoes and roughly mash using a potato masher or the back of a fork. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large, non-stick pan. Add the cumin seeds and allow to sizzle briefly. Add the ginger, chillies and onions. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until translucent but not browned.
• Add the mashed potatoes, peas, turmeric, amchur, ground coriander seeds and salt. Give the mixture a good stir to combine all the ingredients thoroughly. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time and then remove from the heat. Spread the mixture onto a plate and add mix in the coriander leaves. Allow to cool completely.

For the pastry:

• Place the flour in a large bowl and mix in the ajwain and salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add the oil. Using your fingertips, begin to rub the flour and the oil together to create a fine, breadcrumb-like texture, as if you were making shortcrust pastry. Add the water and combine using your hands to create a rough, shaggy-looking dough.
• Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth. Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• Once rested, divide the dough into 9 tennis ball-sized rounds. Smooth into rounds between your palms and cover again with a damp tea towel to stop the pastry from drying out. Each round will make 2 samosas, for a total of 18 samosas. You can choose to make them larger or smaller by making fewer or more dough balls.

How to fold the samosas:

• Take one dough ball and dip each side in a small amount of flour. On a clean surface, roll it into an oblong, about 12cm wide (approx. 5-inches) and 18cm in length (approx. 7-inches). It doesn't have to be perfect.
• Cut each oblong in half, width ways. You should be left with two semicircles.
• Take one of the semicircles and place it flat on the surface in front of you, straight side facing north. Roll it with your rolling pin a few times to make it a little thinner and taller. Take the upper left corner and bring it to the centre of the semicircle. Place some cool water down the middle and bring the upper right-hand corner of the semicircle to the centre to meet the waterline. Press both sides together very gently.
• Lift the samosa pastry up and open the pocket you just created. At the same time, press the seam together a little more to ensure it is well sealed. You should have a little pouch ready for filling.
• Stuff the samosa with the cooled potato and pea filling. I used about 2 tbsp of filling per samosa.
• To create the little crease in the back of the samosa so it can stand up by itself: Along the open seam of the filled samosa, place your finger in the centre of the round edge of the pastry. Create a tiny fold, about 1cm wide and pinch to seal (this will create a small dimple for the back base of the samosa. Now dab some cold water on the inner seams of the open edge of the pastry and press together and seal to close, pushing out any air as you go.
• Repeat these steps for the remaining samosas. Ensure the dough portions are always covered to ensure it doesn't dry out.
• Once all the samosas have been folded, allow them to air dry for 45 minutes, until the surface of the pastry feels rough and sandy to the touch. This is an important step to eliminate air bubbles in the pastry and to stop your samosas from getting a "gremlin" skin.

To fry the samosas:

• Heat the oil in a large pan with deep sides or a wok until warm, not hot. You should be able to comfortably touch it with your finger. If you have a cooking thermometer, it will be around 40°C/100°F. Be careful not to heat it too hot as this will result in uneven cooking. You should be able to comfortably touch the oil with your finger prior to adding samosas to the pan. Be careful not to heat it too much as this will result in uneven cooking. Simply allow it to cool down before adding the samosas.
• Cook the samosas in batches. I managed to get 7 in my large wok without it feeling overcrowded. Allow the samosas to cook over a medium-low heat for 35 minutes until golden and crispy. If you feel they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down. Allow the oil to cool down in between frying the samosas in batches.
• Drain the samosas on a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper.

Video

Notes

Just-fried samosas are HOT! Allow to cool slightly before serving.

To store: Keep the samosas in an airtight container lined with absorbent kitchen paper. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To freeze: Keep the samosas in an airtight container lined with baking parchment. Freeze for up to 3 months. Re-fry from frozen on a medium heat to ensure samosas are piping hot.

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Instead, it’s packed with a spicy vegetable samosa stuffing. If you’re craving those ever-popular Indian snacks, but want something a little out of the box for your next party, this is the recipe for you.

Pull-Apart Samosa Bread: Made to share!

Rustle up two trays, put them into the middle of the table and watch them disappear in the blink of an eye.

You can serve them hot, as they are or with individual pots of garlic butter for each guest. Either way, I promise everyone will be smiling with a belly full of samosa goodness by the end of the evening.

Easy samosa filling recipe

I’ve kept the filling really simple because hey, you’re making your own bread here.

The filling is packed with flavour, yet doesn’t take away from the fact that the real big deal here is the soft, fluffy bread that’s more of a dinner roll than it is any other kind of bread.

The addition of milk and butter ensure it’s cotton-soft and the perfect, pillowy pocket for the spicy vegetable filling.

What kind of vegetables can I add to this Pull-Apart Samosa Bread?

You can add any vegetables you like here – just make sure you chop them up really finely and cook them until they’re just right beforehand. This is because the filling literally takes seven minutes to cook so they won’t be in the pan too long.

How to make Pull-Apart Samosa Bread

I’ve written a step-by-step method below but it’s much easier to understand the way the bread is formed from the video.

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Pull-Apart Samosa Bread

My Pull-Apart Samosa Bread is packed with spicy vegetable samosa filling. If you’re craving those ever-popular Indian snacks, but want something a little out of the box for your next party, this is the recipe for you.

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword bread, party food, potatoes, samosas

Prep Time 50 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 600 g floury potatoes peeled, diced and boiled
• 350 g finely-chopped mixed vegetables I used peas, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 medium onion chopped finely
• 2 large green chillies chopped finely
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ginger minced (optional)
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped finely

For the dough:

• 600 g strong white bread flour
• 14 g fast-action dried yeast 2 sachets
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 100 g butter melted
• 180 ml warm milk
• 130 ml warm water
• Extra butter to brush the rolls

Instructions

• To make the filling, heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan and add the cumin seeds. Allow to sizzle a little before adding in the onions. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the chillies, turmeric, ginger (if using) and salt. Stir briefly before adding the potatoes and vegetables. Mix thoroughly.
• Next, add in the lemon juice, garam masala and coriander. Stir and cook for a few moments before turning off the heat.
• To make the dough, take a large bowl and mix together the butter, milk, water, salt and sugar. Stir to combine. Little by little, add the flour until you’ve used up half of it. At this stage the mixture will be cool enough to add the yeast. Adding the yeast any earlier might kill the yeast. You want it to be warm and cosy for the yeast to do its thing.
• Finish adding all the flour and when it begins to come together, turn the dough out onto a clean surface.
• Knead the dough for 10 minutes to work that gluten. It might be a bit sticky at first but keep going. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you can do it in there – it’ll take half the time.
• Take a large, greased bowl and place the dough inside. Cover with a damp towel or cling film and allow to rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Luckily for me it was a really hot day so I didn’t need to take a trip to the airing cupboard where my dough usually hangs out – I just left it on the counter top.
• When the bread has doubled in size, knock it back and give it a knead. You’ll feel all the little air bubbles popping and that’s good and will ensure your bread rises evenly in the oven.
• Butter two 25cm baking dishes and set it aside.
• Take half the dough and roll it out on a floured work surface until it’s around 2mm in thickness. Using a round cookie cutter approx. 6cm in diameter, cut rounds of the dough.
• Take the cooled filling and place around a teaspoon of it into the middle of one of the dough rounds. Using your thumb, fold the middle up and bring the sides to meet in the middle, almost like you’re making an open wonton or tortellini.
• Place into the buttered baking dish – start with the outside edge and repeat for the rest of the discs. The amount you will need depends on the size of your dish. My recipe made two 25cm pull-apart loaves. Repeat for the remaining dough and filling.
• Brush the bread with melted butter and bake in a pre-heated oven at 160C for 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and brush with more butter before serving.

Video

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Attention all paneer lovers! There’s nothing more satisfying than taking a big bite out of a crispy, spicy samosa with a fabulous filling. Whether it’s soft potato and pea, hearty mung daal or juicy tandoori paneer, these little triangles of heaven are an iconic element of Indian cuisine.

Let’s be honest, making samosas from scratch is a labour of love and well worth the effort once you’re finally able to take a spicy bite. My advice? Enlist the help of a slave to help with the rolling and folding.

I love nothing more than fresh samosa pastry made with chapatti dough. The hearty texture of homemade dough surpasses unsatisfying filo pastry samosas by a mile. Reminiscent of the samosas made by street vendors in the heart of Mumbai, and the kind Indian mothers make for their families, the roti dough pastry gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

A good tandoori paste is deeply aromatic, hot and sour. The combination of Kashmiri chillies, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and peppercorns makes this paste intensely flavourful and perfect for adding rich flavour to paneer. I make my own at home using my recipe below, however, you can buy it if you’re short of time. I won’t lie, shop-bought won’t be as good.

I use concentrated tomato puree to give my tandoori paste a rich red colour and also to add some of that traditional sourness which characterises good tandoori masala. Not a drop of food colour in sight.

You can also make these using fresh, homemade paneer but to be honest, I didn’t have the patience to press it long enough for it to be sliceable. Another thing worth mentioning is that traditionally, tandoori paste has yogurt in it to tenderise the paneer. Instead of doing that for this recipe, I add some cottage cheese to give it that yoghurt flavour and help bind the filling together (because of the little nuggets of cheese).

A handful of chopped spring onions and coriander gives the filling a hint of green colour and a burst of fresh flavour.

I serve these with sweet and sour tamarind chutney to cut through the richness of the paneer filling. My recipe for the chutney takes just 10 minutes and is delicious will lots of Indian starters. I’ll post a recipe for the chutney later this week. For now, here’s my recipe for the samosas.

Tandoori Paneer Samosas
(Makes 16)

Ingredients

For the tandoori paste:
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
8 black peppercorns
2 dried Kashmiri chillies
2 inches cinnamon
1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
1 star anise
4 cloves
Seeds of 4 green cardamom pods
1 black cardamom
1 tsp fennel seeds

3 tbsp concentrated tomato puree
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tbsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced

To cook the filling:
1 tbsp oil
2 small onions, minced very finely
475g firm paneer, cut into 1/2cm pieces (I did it in rough pieces of various shapes for a more interesting texture than just cubed)
3 tbsp low-fat cottage cheese
150ml water

5 spring onions, chopped finely
Handful fresh coriander, chopped finely

For the pastry:
320g flour
160ml cold water
5 tbsp oil
½ tsp salt

Method

1. Toast the dry spices in a dry pan until lightly aromatic. Tip into a pestle and mortar and grind to a very fine powder. Mix in the tomato puree, lemon juice, sugar, salt, ginger and garlic.

2. To make the filling: heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add the onions. Cook on a medium heat for five minutes. Add the tandoori paste and 150ml hot water. Cook through for 15 minutes, stirring all the time. If the mixture becomes dry, add a splash more water and continue to cook.

3. Add the cubed paneer and cottage cheese. Continue to cook for 5 minutes. Allow to cool and then stir through chopped spring onions and coriander. Set aside.

4. To make the pastry: in a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dough. Knead until firm and non-sticky.

5. Get to work rolling out and lightly cooking your fresh pastry sheets (I rolled mine to around 4 inches- step 2). Use my step by step below as a guide. I cook my pastry sheets on a dry frying pan (step 7) making sure they do not brown. You just want them sealed enough so that you can work with them.

6. Sandwiching two circles of dough together with oil and flour and lightly rolling over the top of them (steps 3, 4, 5 and 6) makes the pastry thinner and the whole process a little quicker. When they are cooked, carefully peel them away from each other (step 8), then half the circles into semi-circles (step 9). Wrap these in a tea towel until you need to use them to prevent them drying out.

7. Next, in a small bowl, make a sticky paste from flour and cold water. You will need this to seal the edges of the samosas when you fold them.

8. See my tutorial for folding samosas from homemade pastry below. Ensure the filling is cool before filling the samosas.

9. Heat enough oil in a deep pan to deep fry the samosas on a medium heat until they are golden brown all over. Place on kitchen paper to drain away any excess oil.

Serve with Tamarind Chutney and lemon wedges.

Love Sanjana

The post Tandoori Paneer Samosas appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.

Isn’t miniature food always better than supersized food? Take cupcakes for instance; tiny morsels of individually iced, fluffy cake is so much more alluring than a massive, calorie-laden, brick-ish cake.

Well, for me anyway.

In the same way, I would always pick a box of tiny chocolate truffles over a chunky chocolate bar. If you had given me the choice when I was a child I would have definitely supersized every time. Hence the regrettable existence of the unsightly pot-belly that tormented me in my early years.

I consume far too much salt, sugar and fat, which I am told will affect my twentysomething body in a number of gruesome ways before I hit my thirties and forties. This is one of those recipes which will carry most of the blame.

Luckily for you, I miniaturised these delicious mung daal and paneer samosas so that you can enjoy them without all of the guilt and fear of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. Just don’t eat all of them at once. Having said this, I’m not a doctor and cannot advise against and diagnose illnesses using a computer. That’s how they all do it these days, right? I’m kidding with ya. Lots of prem to all of my doctor readers out there…

Whipping up samosas from scratch will play havoc with your new manicure, but it’s a labour of love and well worth the effort when you finally take a spicy bite. Lazy girls and boys may want to think twice about embarking upon this wonderful, time-consuming task.

These little pastries are perfect for parties and make excellent appetisers and hors d’œuvre’s. Your guests will also worship you for your delicious efforts.

They would partner well with a drizzle of tangy tamarind chutney (recipe coming soon due to a reader request) and served alongside a cooling raita (would you like me to post a recipe for this?)

Little Mung Daal and Paneer Samosas
(makes 25-35 little samosas- this may vary according to the size of your samosas)

Ingredients for the filling
1 cup mung daal, washed, soaked overnight and boiled until tender
2 cups crumbled paneer (recipe coming soon due to a request via Facebook for KO Rasoi)
¾ cup onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp white or red chilli powder (I used extra hot white chilli powder)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp garam masala powder
¾ cup fresh coriander, chopped
Salt to taste

Ingredients for the pastry
(To form a firm, smooth dough. The basic rule of thumb is that if your dough becomes sticky, add a tsp of oil and knead, if it becomes too soft, work in a little more flour, and if it becomes way too firm add a little more water and combine)

1 ½ cups plain flour
4 tbsp oil
2 tbsp lemon juice (makes the pastry light and crisp)
½ tsp salt
½ cup cold water
½ tsp garlic, crushed (optional)

Other ingredients
Enough oil to deep fry the samosas
An extra bowl of flour
Cold water

Method
1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and add the cumin seeds and onions. Sauté until translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients except the coriander and garam masala and cook the mixture until it’s dry and comes away from the sides of the pan. Add the coriander and garam masala. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients for the dough. Knead until firm and non-sticky.

3. Get to work rolling out and lightly cooking your fresh pastry sheets (I rolled mine to around 4 inches- step 2). Use my step by step below as a guide. I cook my pastry sheets on a dry skillet (step 7) making sure they do not brown. You just want them sealed enough so that you can work with them. Sandwiching two circles of dough together with oil and flour and lightly rolling over the top of them (steps 3, 4, 5 and 6) makes the pastry thinner and the whole process a little quicker. When they are cooked, carefully peel them away from each other (step 8), then half the circles into semi-circles (step 9). Wrap these in a tea towel until you need to use them.

4. In a small bowl, make a sticky paste from flour and cold water. You will need this to seal the edges of the samosas when you fold them.

5. Use my next step by step below to fold and fill all of your samosas with the cooled mung daal and paneer mixture.

6. Heat enough oil in a deep pan to deep fry the samosas until they are golden brown. Place on kitchen paper to drain away any excess oil. That’s my contribution to promoting good health right there.

The post Little Mung Daal and Paneer Samosas appeared first on Sanjana.Feasts.