Vegetable Samosas

Vegetable Samosas

Makes 48 Samosas

(India)

Samosas are delicious little Indian dumplings we first enjoyed at various Indian Restaurants while we lived in Southern California.  While you can  go to the trouble of making your own dumpling skins, commercial wan-ton skins do an excellent job and while the recipe calls for circular wan-ton  skins square ones are more  common.  The only trick here is to be sure that the potatoes are thoroughly cooked. 

Ingredients

48 3 1/4 x 3 1/4-inch Won Ton Wraps

vegetable filling:

4 tablespoons of Ghee*

1 pound of potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 – inch dice

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

1 cup peeled and finely chopped yellow onions

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons of Garam Marsala

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander

½ teaspoon of turmeric

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

1 cup of frozen peas, thawed

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Preparation

vegetable filling:

1.  Heat a large frying over low heat and add the Ghee, potatoes, garlic, onion, and ginger.  Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes, stirring several times, to sweat the potatoes,  do not allow the potatoes to brown.

2.  Add the remaining ingredients and continue cooking, covered, until the potatoes and peas are tender (about 5 minutes).  Taste and adjust seasoning, remember potatoes require lots of salt.  Set aside and allow to cool before filling the pastries.

filling the pastries and frying the Samosas:

1.   Working with one wrap at a time, position the wrap directly in front  of you oriented as a diamond with each point pointing in a compass direction.    Place a generous teaspoon of the filling in the center of the diamond, wet the edges of the diamond with a little water and fold the bottom half of the diamond up over the top half and the filling  forming a triangle, press the edges slightly to seal and place on a dish.   Continue this process until all the wrappers and the filling have been used up.

2.   After all the Samosas are formed, either heat about 4-inches of oil in a large pot  to 375 degrees F.  over medium high heat or place the manufacturer's suggested amount of oil  in the container of a deep fryer and heat it to 375 degrees F. 

3.  When the oil comes up to temperature add the Samosas to the oil, several at a time, and fry until golden brown (for the oil in pot method) or per manufacturers suggested time (if you are using a deep fryer), about 4 minutes.  After they are fried , remove the samosas from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on a dish lined with paper towels to drain.

4.  Serve warm accompanied by your favourite Chutney, alone  or as an accompaniment to your favourite Indian dish.

*clarified butter