Aloo Samosa (Indian Crispy Potato-Filled Fried Pastry)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 55 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Samosa first appears in written form in a 10th-century Central Asian cookbook under the name sambosa, then follows trade routes westward into Persia and east into the Indian subcontinent, where it settled into street-food culture so thoroughly that chai stalls sell hundreds before noon each morning.
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The dough is stiff - flour, water, and oil kneaded until firm - and rolled thin. Too soft a dough absorbs oil during frying and turns greasy rather than crisp. The filling is boiled potato mixed with cumin, fresh green chili, and cilantro; the cumin's earthy fragrance permeates the potato during the mixing. The dough folds into a cone, filling goes in, air is pressed out carefully before sealing - trapped air expands in the hot oil and splits the crust. Fried at the correct temperature, the layered shell blisters outward, turns golden brown, and shatters audibly on first bite. Inside is a warm, lightly spiced potato that has absorbed all that cumin. Mint chutney and tamarind sauce are served alongside, their sourness and sweetness doing what the filling alone cannot.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Rub 220g flour with 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp oil until the mixture resembles coarse sand, then gradually add 90ml water and knead into a stiff, smooth dough. Wrap and rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- 2Season
Boil 300g potatoes until tender, peel and mash well, then combine with 60g peas, 1 tsp garam masala, 0.5 tsp ground cumin, 0.5 tsp chili powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly until the spices are evenly distributed.
- 3Prep
Divide the rested dough into 12 portions and roll each into a thin 15cm circle.
Cut each circle in half, wet the straight edge with water, and fold into a cone shape, pressing the seam firmly to seal.
- 4Step
Fill each cone with about 2 tbsp of filling, brush water along the open edges, press out any trapped air, and seal into triangles.
Press the seams firmly with your fingers - any gaps will burst open in the hot oil.
- 5Control
Heat oil to 170C - when a wooden chopstick inserted shows slow, small bubbles, the temperature is right.
Add samosas and fry over medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown.
- 6Finish
Drain on a wire rack for 30 seconds and serve while hot.
Pair with mint chutney or tamarind sauce to balance the crispy crust against the spiced potato filling.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Cumin and garam masala-spiced potato filling is tucked inside a crisp, triangular fried pastry.
- Finish cue
- Pair with mint chutney or tamarind sauce to balance the crispy crust against the spiced potato filling.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
55min, 9 ingredients
Category median
48min, 8 ingredients
Based on 247 recipes
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