Samosa — Crispy Spiced Potato Pastries
The crisp, golden triangle loved across India and beyond: a flaky pastry shell wrapped around a spiced filling of potato, peas, cumin and ginger, deep-fried until shatteringly crunchy. Eaten by the millions as a teatime snack with tamarind and mint chutneys — the ultimate fried parcel.
Make a stiff dough of flour, ajwain and a good amount of oil (for flakiness), and rest it. Make a filling of boiled, roughly mashed potato with peas, ginger, green chilli and toasted spices. Roll the dough, cut into half-circles, form cones, fill and seal. Deep-fry slowly at moderate heat until pale gold and blistered-crisp. Serve hot with tamarind and mint chutneys.
- Use plenty of oil (moyan) in a stiff dough and don't over-knead — that's what makes the shell flaky, not bready.
- Fry low and slow at moderate heat for a crisp, blistered shell; hot oil browns the outside before the shell crisps through.
- Keep the filling fairly dry and well-spiced so it doesn't make the pastry soggy.
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Rolling pin
- Deep pan for frying
- Slotted spoon
วัตถุดิบ
Pastry
- 250 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 50 ml oil or ghee, the moyan, for flakiness
- ½ tsp ajwain (carom seeds), 1 tsp salt
- About 90 ml cold water
Filling
- 500 g potatoes, boiled and roughly crushed
- 100 g peas
- 1 thumb ginger and 1–2 green chillies, minced
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander, ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp turmeric, ¼ tsp amchur (dried mango), salt
- Oil, for the filling and for deep-frying
วิธีทำ
- ขั้น01
Rub the oil into the flour, ajwain and salt until it clumps when pressed (this fat is the secret to flakiness). Add cold water bit by bit to a stiff, firm dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
- ขั้น02
Temper cumin in a little oil, add the ginger and chilli, then the crushed potato, peas and ground spices. Cook a few minutes until dry and fragrant. Cool — it should be dry, not wet.
- ขั้น03
Divide the dough, roll each into a thin oval and cut in half. Take a half-circle, fold into a cone (sealing the straight edge with water), and fill with potato. Pinch the top closed into a sealed triangle.
- ขั้น04
Heat oil to a moderate 150–160°C. Fry the samosas gently, turning, for 10–12 minutes until pale golden and crisp with a blistered shell. Don't rush with hot oil.
- ขั้น05
Drain on paper. Serve hot with tamarind (imli) and mint-coriander chutneys, and a cup of chai.
Make ahead
Form a big batch and freeze raw on a tray, then bag — fry straight from frozen whenever you want fresh, hot samosas. The filling can also be made a day ahead.
Storage
Best fresh and hot. Fried samosas keep 2 days and re-crisp in a hot oven or air-fryer (not the microwave, which makes them soft). Uncooked formed samosas freeze brilliantly — fry from frozen at moderate heat.
Variations
Keema samosa
Fill with spiced minced lamb or chicken (keema) instead of potato.
Baked or air-fried
Brush with oil and bake or air-fry for a lighter (if less classically flaky) samosa.
Samosa chaat
Crush samosas and top with chickpeas, yogurt, chutneys and sev for a loaded chaat.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
คำถามพบบ่อย
How do I get a flaky, crisp samosa shell?
Two things: work a good amount of fat (oil or ghee, the 'moyan') into a stiff dough so it stays short and flaky, and fry low and slow at moderate heat. Resting the dough and not over-kneading also help — over-worked dough turns hard and bready.
Why fry samosas at a low temperature?
Slow frying at around 150–160°C lets the shell cook through and blister into that signature crispness without browning too fast. Hot oil browns and bubbles the outside while the inside stays raw and the texture turns hard rather than flaky.
Can I bake or air-fry samosas?
Yes — brush with oil and bake or air-fry for a lighter snack. They won't be quite as shatteringly flaky as deep-fried ones, but they're very good and less greasy. Cooking time and temperature are similar to other pastries.
How do I stop samosas getting soggy?
Keep the filling dry — cook off any moisture from the potato and peas, and let it cool before filling. A wet filling steams the pastry from inside. Seal the cones well so no oil seeps in during frying.
Can I freeze samosas?
Yes, and it's the best way to keep them. Freeze the shaped raw samosas on a floured tray until solid, then bag them. Fry straight from frozen at moderate heat — no need to thaw, which would make them soggy.
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