East Meets West: Tortilla Samosas
Shubhra
Want to learn how to make an Indian samosa with a Mexican tortilla? Watch Greenista Girl Shubhra Ramineni on Great Day Houston show you how to make this popular Indian snack from her recently released cookbook, Entice with Spice – Easy Indian Recipes for Busy People. Samosas are super easy appetizers made from peas and potatoes. Bonus: You can assemble them up to a month in advance. They make great party finger foods, so you can wow your friends with these cross-culture appetizers at your next soirée. Yum yum!
Makes 10 Small Samosas
- Prep Time: 35 minutes to boil the potatoes (can be done 1 day in advance) + 10 minutes to assemble samosas
- Cook Time: 5 minutes for the filling + 20 seconds per samosa
- Refrigerator Life: Not recommended. (Tastes best freshly fried and served hot.)
Shells
- Five 6-in white flour Mexican tortillas
- Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Filling
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium russet potato (about 1/2 lb), boiled, peeled and diced
- 4 tablespoons frozen green peas
- ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Binding
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons water
1. To make the Filling: Pour the oil into a medium nonstick skillet and place over medium heat. When the oil is heated, add the cumin seeds and let brown, about 10 seconds. Do not let the cumin seeds burn and turn black.
2. Immediately add the diced potato, peas, red pepper, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. You may taste the Filling to make sure the seasoning and spices are to your liking, and add more if desired. Remove from the heat.
3. To make the Binding: Place the flour and water in a small bowl. Using a small spoon, mix until thoroughly combined and smooth. (The Binding is the “glue” that holds the samosa together.)
4. When you’re ready to assemble the samosas using, have the Filling and Binding handy on your work surface so you can work quickly to keep the tortillas from drying out. Heat just 1 tortilla in the microwave for 10 seconds to soften it. (This will keep it from breaking when you are folding it, and will help the Binding stick better).
5. Place the tortilla on a flat surface, and using a knife, slice the tortilla down the middle to create two semicircles, in order to create two samosas from each tortilla. (Do this quickly so that the tortilla does not cool down.)
Assembling the Samosas
1. To assemble the samosas, work with one semicircle at a time. Form a cone by folding 1 side of the semicircle to the middle. Dip the tip of your finger in the Binding and wipe it on the folded edge, and on the other side. Fold over the other side and overlap to form a triangle and tightly press to create a seal.
2. Hold the triangle in your hand and open it to form a cone. Pinch the bottom so the Filling will not come out. Place about 1½ tablespoons of the Filling in the cone so it is filled about ½ inch from the top.
3. Dip the tip of your finger in the glue and line the inside edge of the cone. Tightly pinch the edges together to seal the samosa.
4. Repeat this process with the second half of the tortilla to assemble another samosa.
5. Continue assembling the rest of the samosas the same way. At this point, you may fry the assembled samosas, or cover and refrigerate them up to 1 day, or cover and freeze up to 1 month.
Deep-frying the Samosas
1. To deep-fry the samosas, pour 2 inches of oil into a medium wok or deep
stockpot and place over high heat. Before frying the samosas, test the oil to make
sure it is hot by pinching a piece of the tortilla from a samosa and dropping it into the oil. If the tortilla rises quickly to the top, the oil is hot and ready. If not, let the oil heat longer.
2. When the oil is hot, slide the samosas into the wok, about three at a time. Fry
the samosas until they are golden, turning frequently, about 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Remove the samosas from the wok with a slotted spoon and place them on
paper towels to allow the excess oil to drain. Fry the remaining samosas the
same way. (After you have fried a few samosas, you may notice it is taking longer
for them to cook, which means the oil has cooled down. Allow the oil to heat up
again before adding more samosas so that they will cook quickly and properly.)
Enjoy now while they are crispy and hot!
Recipe courtesy of Shubhra Ramineni. www.enticewithspice.com
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