“I grew up in India, so for me, street food played a huge part in those years. When I moved to the UK I missed my friends, so I started cooking and creating the flavours of my childhood.”
PREPARATION TIME: APPROX. 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: APPROX. 1 HOUR | MAKES 14-16
Ingredients
FOR THE PASTRY
- 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 6 tsp sunflower oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ajwain seeds (caraway seeds)
- 100-120ml room temperature water
FOR THE FILLING
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced small
- 6 tsp sunflower oil, plus extra for deep frying
- 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 70g peas
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped with seeds (or use 1 tsp chilli powder)
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp mango powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Method
FOR THE PASTRY
Sieve the flour into a bowl, add the oil and salt, then rub the mixture together with your hands. Add the ajwain seeds and slowly pour in the water as you bring the dough together. Depending on the quality of flour, you might need less or more water.
Knead the pastry briefly until it forms a ball. It should be smooth and soft.
Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
FOR THE FILLING
Boil the diced potato in water until soft but not mushy, then drain and set aside to cool. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the fennel and cumin seeds, then once they start sizzling add the peas and cook for a few minutes.
Stir in the grated ginger, green chilli, ground coriander, ground cumin and mango powder. Cook for 1 minute, then add the cooked potatoes to the pan, mix well and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the salt and chopped coriander then continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes on a low heat. The vegetables should be well coated with spices. Check the seasoning, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
TO MAKE THE SAMOSAS
Place a frying pan on a very low heat. Meanwhile, divide the rested pastry into seven or eight equal-sized balls. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each ball into a circle approximately 15cm in diameter. One at a time, lay the pastry circles into the frying pan to warm through (without cooking) then cut them in half.
Brush the edges of the pastry case with water. Bring the straight edges together to make a cone shape and spoon in some of the potato and pea filling. Pinch the open edge together and then press it with a fork to seal.
Repeat until all the remaining pastry pieces are made into samosas.
Heat a deep heavy-bottomed pan, half fill it with oil and bring the temperature to 180°c. Deep fry the samosas, two at a time, for 4 to 5 minutes until light brown and crisp. Lay them on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil and fry the rest in batches. Serve the samosas with chutney or ketchup.
This recipe appears in From Beder’s Kitchen, a charity cookbook containing a collection of recipes and reflections from amazing foodies around the world including head and executive chefs at some of the UK’s leading restaurants; MasterChef winners; TV chefs; food bloggers; nutritionists; best-selling authors; a Great British Bake Off winner and mental health advocates. There are 90 contributors in all, who have donated recipes and shared their personal experiences and words of advice about looking after their mental health and how food has played a part in that.
From Beder’s Kitchen is £22.50 at www.beder.org.uk, Harrods, Whole Foods Kensington, Daylesford Organic Farm Shop and Virgin Megastore (Al Maryah Island, Dubai Marina Mall, Yas Mall, Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates).
Click here to read the article by Razzak Mirjan, Founder of Beder, to find out more about the charity and cookbook.