Samosa is an international snack. Yet, it would not be wrong to say that it was perfected in Punjab. You may find the real thing even in Delhi or maybe in some other North Indian cities. Trust me; the real thing tastes divine.
When I decided to share a recipe video on samosa, Chef Ranveer Brar was my logical choice. His recipes of Punjabi food are simply the best. So, here it is.
As you will see in the video, there are four stages to making Punjabi samosa. The first stage is making the dough, which needs the ingredients in the right proportions. One cup of refined wheat flour and two tablespoons of fat, which I would prefer to be a vegetable oil, but chef Ranveer suggests clarified butter. To add flavor to the dough, you may use some carrom seeds and salt.
The dough needs to be firm, rather hard, and its hardness will result in crispier samosas. After kneading, the dough needs to rest for at least 20 minutes.
The second stage is of preparing the filling. Basically, the filling is of boiled and spiced potatoes and green peas. You may use the masala of your choice. However, if you want to make it the Punjabi way, the main spices suggested by the chef are fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds which are all roasted and roughly ground.
Then, heat some oil in a pan and add finely chopped ginger, chopped green chili, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt. Saute for a while and add chopped boiled potatoes and green peas. Mix and cook with the lid on for five to seven minutes.
Our samosa filling is ready, but it needs to cool down fully. If you use hot or even warm filling in a samosa, the steam released inside the samosa makes it soggy when fried.
The third stage is where you roll the dough into thin sheets, give it the shape of a cone and fill the cooked potatoes. Then, seal the samosa with water. Finally, at the fourth stage, deep fry the samosas in a lot of hot vegetable oil until light brown.
Enjoy with the chutney of your choice or with launji.
Video credit: Chef Ranveer Brar YouTube channel.