Punjabi Samosas
Properly made samosas have a blistered, flaky shell that stays crisp for hours — the result of a stiff dough enriched with ghee and a low, slow fry. The spiced potato and pea filling is the easy part.
Photograph credit: Aloo matar with samosa and green chili pickle - Massachusetts by Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Rubbing ghee thoroughly into the flour before adding water coats the starch and physically blocks gluten development, which is what produces a short, flaky shell rather than a chewy one. Frying at a low 140°C / 285°F for the first several minutes cooks the pastry through and blisters it; a hot fry would brown the outside while leaving raw dough beneath.
What People Ask
How long does Punjabi Samosas take to make?
40 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes of resting, so allow 1 hour 35 minutes from start to finish. The method also needs time for cooling completely, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 8.
Photograph credit: Meat pie samosa and spring roll by Aisha Yahuza · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
The Method for Punjabi Samosas
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Rub the ghee into the flour, ajwain and salt for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture holds its shape when squeezed in your fist. This is the critical step for flakiness.
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Add the cold water gradually and bring together into a stiff, firm dough. Do not knead it beyond smoothness. Rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
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For the filling, heat the oil and pop the cumin and crushed coriander seeds. Add the ginger and green chillies and fry 1 minute.
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Add the ground spices, then fold in the crushed potatoes and peas with the salt. Cook 4 minutes, then stir through the amchur and fresh coriander. Cool completely.
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Divide the dough into eight. Roll each into a 16 cm oval and cut in half across the middle.
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Take one semicircle, brush the straight edge with water, and fold into a cone, overlapping the edges by 1 cm and pressing firmly to seal.
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Fill the cone two-thirds full, press the filling down, then brush the open edge with water and pinch it closed, fluting the seam.
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Heat the oil to only 140°C / 285°F. Fry the samosas in batches for 10 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally — they should barely bubble and stay pale for the first several minutes.
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Raise the heat to 180°C / 355°F for the final 2 to 3 minutes to colour them deep golden and blistered. Drain on a rack and serve with tamarind and mint chutneys.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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A Few Pointers
- A soft dough gives smooth, bubbly-free samosas that go limp. Stiff dough is what blisters.
- Seal the cone properly. A gap lets oil in and the samosa will burst.
- Uncooked samosas freeze for 2 months — fry from frozen at 150°C / 300°F, adding 4 minutes.
Swaps and Variations
- Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the green chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
- If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
Pairs Well With
Masala chai, always · Serve with tamarind and coriander chutneys · Follow with gulab jamun
Keeping and Reheating
Fried samosas keep 2 days; re-crisp at 190°C / 375°F for 8 minutes. Never microwave them.
Punjabi Samosas Nutrition
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (how much frying oil the food takes up cannot be known from the recipe). Why some recipes have none.
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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