Samosa - Stuffed Fried Dough Pockets

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 1
   In a bowl, mix the flour and salt.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the oil and the water and Knead about 5 minutes, until you get a smooth, soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands.

   ⚙ KneadingBowlStand mixer

   💡If the dough sticks, add a tablespoon of flour; if it crumbles, a tablespoon of water. Good dough is as soft as an earlobe.
3. 3
   Cover and let the dough rest 30 minutes at room temperature.

   💡Oil-and-water dough needs no rising: the rest relaxes the gluten, so the dough rolls out thin without shrinking back.

For the Pastry Filling

1. 4
   Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 5
   Add the onion and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 6
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
4. 7
   Add the cumin, turmeric and paprika and fry about half a minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
5. 8
   Add the potatoes, peas, salt and black pepper and mix well.
6. 9
   Let cool before filling.

   💡Fill with cooled filling: hot filling softens the dough and steams it from inside, and the pastry opens while baking.

To assemble

1. 10
   Roll out the dough thin, to 2–3 mm, and cut into into rounds of about 12 cm.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pinKnife

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
2. 11
   Fold each round into a cone, fill with a spoonful of cooled filling and seal the edges well.

   💡Seal well and press with a fork all along the edges, and don't overfill: a pastry that opens in the oven loses its filling, and in the fryer it fills with oil.
3. 12
   Heat the oil in a deep pot to 180°C (355°F) and Fry about 4 minutes, until the pastries are golden and crisp.

   ⚙ Deep-fryingStoveSlotted spoonCandy/oil thermometerDeep pot for frying

   💡Keep the oil at 170–180°C (340–355°F): too cold, and the food soaks up oil; too hot, and it browns outside before the inside cooks. Without a thermometer, dip the tip of a wooden spoon in the oil: when medium bubbles form around it right away, the oil is hot enough.

   💡Don't overload the oil: every piece that goes in cools it down. Fry one piece as a test, then the rest in several batches, and transfer to paper towels.
4. 13
   Drain on paper towels and serve hot with spicy tomato sauce.