Samosa

Crisp golden pastry triangles filled with spiced potatoes and peas, fried until blistered. They are served with mint and tamarind chutneys.

Samosa

Samosas, snack food at Wikipedia's 16th Birthday celebration in Chittagong (01): Moheen Reeyad, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

Where it comes from

Samosas are enjoyed across South Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East and East Africa, and they are the classic tea-time snack in India and Pakistan. Fillings range from potato to minced meat.

Explore the cuisine of India, Pakistan.

Recipe

Make Samosa at home

Serves 8Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 potatoes, boiled and crumbled
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp amchur or lemon juice
  • 1 green chili, chopped
  • Oil for deep frying

How it's made

  1. Rub oil and salt into the flour, add water to form a stiff dough and rest 30 minutes.
  2. Fry cumin and coriander seeds in a little oil, add chili, peas, potatoes, garam masala, amchur and salt, and mix; cool.
  3. Divide the dough into balls, roll into ovals and cut each in half.
  4. Shape each half into a cone, fill with the potato mixture and seal edges with water.
  5. Heat oil to medium and fry the samosas on low-medium heat, turning often.
  6. Cook 12 to 15 minutes until deep golden and crisp.
  7. Drain and serve with chutney.

Variations

  • Keema samosa with spiced minced meat.
  • Baked samosa for less oil.
  • Cheese samosa.

Cook’s tip: Fry on low-medium heat so the crust cooks through and blisters.

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About this page

Description and method written by Intercontinental Chef. Home-style method; quantities are a starting point, so adjust to taste.

Photo credit
  • Samosas, snack food at Wikipedia's 16th Birthday celebration in Chittagong (01): Moheen Reeyad, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)