SAMOSA: EASY AND TASTY RECIPE SAMOSA IN RAMZAN:

 

WHAT IS SAMOSA? HOW TO MAKE SAMOSA: EASY AND TASTY RECIPE

SAMOSA RECIPE

Samosas are very popular street food in Pakistan and you can buy them almost anywhere, in special samosa shops where you can sit and eat them, covered with a delicious imli (tamarind) sauce, or with a different sauce (called ‘chutney’ here) such as a mint sauce.. They are one of the foods served to break the fast during Ramadan and are frequently served with pakoras.

  What are samosas? They are stuffed savoury pastries and may be stuffed with potatoes, which is most common and the recipe given here, or they can be stuffed with minced (ground) beef and peas, or with chicken, or a mixture of vegetables.

Ingredients

Pastry

2 cups fine flour (maida), sifted

2 tsps oil

1 tsp ajwain or thyme

warm water to mix

salt to taste

1 egg, beaten to seal pastry

Filling

3-4 potatoes depending on size

3 green chillies, finely chopped

1 onion chopped into small pieces

½ tsp ginger root, finely chopped

1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, shredded finely

1 tbsp mint leaves, finely shredded

1 tbsp anar dana (dried pomegranate seeds), soaked for 15 mins before using

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp turmeric

chilli powder and salt to taste

oil for deep frying

Method

Mix flour with salt ajwain or thyme and the oil then add water slowly as needed to make a dough. Shape into 4 balls of equal size, cover in cling film and leave to chill for ½ an hour as this makes it easier to roll out the pastry.

Now roll them into rounds of 6 inches and cut in the middle.

Filling: -

Boil the potatoes peeled and whole then leave them to cool and mash them with all the other ingredients.

Beat the egg and use to seal two sides of each cone of pastry. Fill the cone with the filling and seal the end with the egg again.

Heat the oil for deep-frying and when hot enough to fry chips or French fries, lower the samosas into it a batch at a time so that they cook evenly.

Fry until the pastry is golden brown, remove from the oil and drain on absorbent paper.

Serve with chutney (sauce).

This has Taste and is a Treat.

How to make pakoray!

 

PAKORA:what is pakora?

PAKORA
These are popular snacks in Pakistan and northern India, and are easy to make. People serve them to unexpected guests washed down with cups of tea, as the ingredients are readily available in subcontinental kitchens. You can make them with aubergines (eggplants), or potatoes, but the most important ingredient is the chickpea flour, or besan as it is called. You can grind your own from dried chickpeas if you can’t buy it at your local supermarket.
People enjoy eating these while sitting on their verandahs or balconies, and watching the rain in the monsoon season.


Pakora
Ingredients
250 gr chickpea flour (besan)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
100 gr spinach, washed thoroughly, dried and finely shredded
6 green chillies, very finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala (see our recipe)
1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried mint
1 handful fresh coriander leaves, finely shredded
1 tbsp dried pomegranate seeds, soaked in water for 5 mins before using
¾ cup water
salt and pepper
oil for deep frying


Method
Put the chickpea flour along with the vegetables, spices and herbs into a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the water and knead until everything is evenly mixed. If you feel you need a little more water add some, but not too much.
Heat the oil in a frying pan or deep-fryer and when it starts to bubble, take a tbsp of the mixture and drop it into the pan. Continue doing this until you have a layer of Pakora and fry until they are lightly browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and drain on absorbent paper while cooking the next batch. Keep warm (in a preheated oven) until they are all cooked.
Serve with our mint and yoghurt sauce and the traditional cup of tea.