Samosa chaat

Freshly made samosas take this samosa chaat to another level. The samosas are stuffed with a classic spicy potato and green pea filling and then topped with tangy chutney, yoghurt, mango powder, coriander and sev.

Ingredients

For the samosa filling

• 500g/1lb 2oz potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1cm/½in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• ½ tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• salt, to taste
• 1 tsp mango powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 40g/1½oz frozen peas
• fresh coriander leaves, to taste

For the samosa dough

• 200g/7oz plain flour
• pinch salt
• ½ tsp carom (ajwain) seeds
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee, plus extra vegetable oil for deep frying and greasing

For the samosa chaat

• 2–3 tbsp full-fat yoghurt, whisked
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp mango powder
• 2 tbsp mint chutney
• 3 tbsp tamarind chutney
• 2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• handful sev
• small bunch coriander, leaves picked
• 2–3 tbsp pomegranate seeds

Method

1. To make the filling, cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling water until tender. Drain and lightly crush. Set aside to cool.

2. Heat the oil in a non-stick saucepan. Add the cumin seeds, then as soon as they start to sizzle, add the ginger and fry for a few seconds over a medium heat. Add the chilli and coriander, stir and add the crushed potato. Mix well and season with salt to taste. Now add the mango powder, garam masala and peas. Cook over a low heat for a minute. Turn the heat off and leave to cool. Garnish with coriander and leave to rest while you make the dough.

3. To make the dough, place the flour, salt and carom seeds in a large bowl. Add the oil or ghee and, using your fingers, mix well to a breadcrumb consistency. Add 5 tablespoons water a little at a time, mixing to form a stiff dough. It might seem like it’s too little water but keep at it as the dough will come together. Knead well. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

4. Place a little oil in a small bowl. Divide the dough into 8–10 portions. Dab a little oil on a portion of dough and roll it out on a lightly greased surface to a 12cm/4½in circle. Cut in half with a knife. Take one half in your hand and wet the edge with water and form a cone shape, sealing the side seam. Now fill the samosa with a tablespoon of the potato mixture. Wet the top edge and pinch the edges together to seal the filling. Stuff all the samosas in the same way, taking care to seal the edges well so the filling is encased.

5. To deep-fry the samosas, heat the oil in a wok, kadhai or a deep saucepan over a low–medium heat. (CAUTION: Do not leave hot oil unattended.) Add a small piece of dough to the pan. When it begins to sizzle, the oil is hot enough. Add the samosas in batches and fry for 12 minutes. At this stage they will begin to cook on the inside and firm up on the outside while sizzling away. Now you can turn the heat up slightly and continue cooking until they are golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. For the next batch, make sure the oil has cooled slightly before adding them and follow the cooking process. (The key is to cook them slowly making sure the dough is perfectly cooked on the inside too. If the oil is too hot, the outside will colour quickly but leave the dough inside raw.)

6. To assemble the samosa chaat, arrange the samosas to a serving plate and crush lightly. Top the whisked yoghurt, chilli powder, mango powder, mint chutney, tamarind chutney, red onion and chaat masala. Garnish with sev, fresh coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds.

Samosa chaat