In India, we have no dearth of savoury snacks. The passion and love for deep-frying in the country is immense. Be it kachoris, bondas, pakoras or patties, the ideal state of these foods is achieved only when they are dipped in hot oil and fried to the core. One such popular Indian snack is the samosa. For the unversed, samosa is a crispy conical puff pastry made with maida and generally stuffed with a diced potato filling. When we come to think of samosa, we almost instantly say it is Indian. But the roots of its origin tell a different story.
The humble samosa was a Middle-Eastern dish that traversed through Persia and the Mughal courts and changed several names on the way, from being called sambusak, sanbusaj to finally acquiring the present-day samosa. Irrespective of where it came from, our love for the conical pastry remains uncompromised. And when the love is so genuine and pure, how can we bear with imperfect samosas? Not a chance.
While it may seem an easy job, you really need practice to master the art of making street-style samosas just like your nukkad ka halwai. Here are a few tips and tricks to make the samosa of your dreams.
1. Knead It Right
The dough for the samosa is made from all-purpose flour and oil. The kneading of the dough should be done properly to ensure you get crispy samosas. For this, one thing to keep in mind is that you have to knead the dough a minimum of five to six times so that you get a tight dough. A softer dough would not be able to hold shape and the samosas would turn out soggy and flat.
2. Dough It Right
It is important that you let the dough rest for approximately one hour after kneading it. Do not use too much water while kneading the dough as it will make the dough softer. Once you feel it firm and ready, roll out a small piece of the dough into a round mini roti. Make sure it is thin and don’t add any dry flour to it like you do for a chapatti.
3. Crust It Right
The crust is the main outer layer of the samosa and that cannot go wrong. While it is said that a thin roll works well, don’t make it extremely thin that it is unable to hold the stuffing in it. A balance has to be maintained to achieve the ideal thickness and you can use oil for rolling it smoothly.
4. Fry It Right
The key to frying a flaky samosa is to fry it at low heat. The oil should be hot and then you can drop in your pockets while keeping the heat low. Too high a temperature will result in air bubbles being formed around the samosa crust while not-so-hot oil will make the samosas greasy.
