Samosas - 6

Samosas are one of those Indian snacks that have truely turned international you can find them in many places around the world in all shapes and sizes. Here is recipe for traditional vegetarian samosas like you find in a Gujrati household, if you are lucky!!!

* Or cheat and get filo pastry sheets from the supermarket!!!

Filling:

Take a large wok or pan. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil, once hot add the cumin seeds, dried red chillies, cinnamon sticks cloves. Once the 'waghar' is done ie the jeera seeds pop, add the chopped onion, ginger, green chillis, fry until onions have softened. Then add the potatoes, peas & sweetcorn. Now add salt, tumeric powder & half of the garam masala. Cover and cook until potatoes are cooked through stirring occassionaly so as not to let it stick. Add rest of garam masala, sugar, lemon juice, corinder and stir. Taste the filling if there is anything lacking or it tastes bland add whatever is required. You will find that once they are covered by pastry the taste of the filling will be effected slightly so you can afford to make it slightly hotter! (if you dare). Leave mixture to cool.

Pastry:

Make a soft but elastic dough out of the pastry ingredients. Always remember to add a little water at a time! to avoid slushy mess! Take a small amount in your hand and roll out into a round shape on a lightly floured surface. Dry cook the chappati on a griddle or frying pan on low heat. Make sure both sides are done. Once cooked cut the chappati in half. Take one half and fold into a cone leaving a flap at the top. Make sure there is no gaping hole in the bottom of the cone and fill with the mixture. Close the flap and stick it down with a sticky mixture of flour and water. Deep fry. You can make as many as required and then fry, leave them on a plate and cover so as not to let the pastry dry out. If you are using filo then take a few sheets at a time you can make cone shape or parcels and stick it down with flour and water mix, again deep fry. Shape is not the issue taste is everything!!! :)

You can eat samosas with lots of different things, i.e hot west Indian sauce, date and tamarind chutney (refer to petis recipe above) ketchup, or you can make samosa chaat by putting 2/3 samosas in a deep dish, add a couple of tablespoons of yogurt, 1/2 tablespoons of date and tamarind chutney, garnish with chopped corinder and chopped green chillis and EAT!!