Recipe: Aloo Samosa (Savory Pastries with Spicy Potato Filling), Savory Meat Pastries (Keema Samosa)

Also, Garam Masala

First, I must have accidently checked the tried button for the last recipes I gave you Margie. I have made both Pakora and Samosa before but I don't think that I used any of these recipes.

These next recipes are from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni.

Aloo Samosa (Savory Pastries with Spicy Potato Filling) Makes 32 savory pastries

Pastry Dough:
1 1/2 c. unsifted all purpose flour
1 tsp. Kosher salt
4 Tbl. vegetable shortening
6 - 7 Tbl. cold water

Spicy Potato Filling:
4 Tbl. vegetable shortening, or light oil
2 Tsp. coriander seeds
1/2 c. chopped onions
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger root
7 medium sized potatoes (1 3/4 pounds), boiled till soft, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 c. cooked shelled green peas
2 - 3 green chilies, seeded, chopped, or 1/4 tsp red pepper(cayenne)
1 1/4 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp.ground pomegranate seeds, or 1 Tbl. lemon juice
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/3 c. flour for dusting
Peanut or corn oil - enough to fill a kadhai, French fryer, or pot to a depth of 3 inches

Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub shortening in. Pour 6 Tbl. water over the flour, and mix. Add the remaining tablespoon in droplets, until all the flour adheres together in a mass that can be kneaded.

Place the dough on a marble or wooden board. Coat you fingers with a little oil to prevent the dough from sticking, and knead the dough for 10 min. This will be a firm but pliable dough, not at all sticky. Coaver with a towel or plastic sheet, and let the dough rest for 30 min. (The dough may be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated, tightly sealed. Remove from refrigerator about 30 min. before you are ready to roll it out.)

To make dough using a food processor: Put the flour and salt into the container of the processor, with steel cutting blade attached. Process for a few seconds to mix them. Add shortening, and process, turning the machine on and off, until the fat is well distributed through the flour. Add the water through the feed tube, with the motor running, until ball of dough forms on the blades (about 15 seconds). Take out the dough and gather it into a smooth ball.Coat the ball with a little oil and place it in a bowl. Cover with a moist towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 1/2 hour.

To make the filling, heat the shortening or oil over medium high heat in a frying pan for 2 min. Add coriander seeds and fry until they turn dark brown (about 15 seconds). Add onions and ginger root, and continue frying until the onions turn light brown (about 4 - 5 min). Add potatoes and peas, stir rapidly, and fry until the potatoes become dry (about 10 min.). Turn off the heat.

Add the remaining filling ingredients, mix well, and set aside. (This filling can be made up to 2 daus in advance and kept refrigerated until you are ready to make the pastries).

Knead the dough again for a minute, and divide into 2 equal portions. Using your hands, roll each into a 1/2 inch thick rope, and cut into 8 equal parts. Roll all pieces into smooth balls.

Working with 1 piece at a time, place a ball on your workboard, dust it lightly with flour, and roll into a 6 inch circle. Cut the circle in half. Now you have a2 semicircles. Each semi circle will become a samosa.

Place a small bowl of water next to the workboard. Form a cone: Moisten half of the semicircle's straight edge with water, and bring the other half of the straight edge over it, so the dry side overlaps the moistened portion by 1/8 - 1/4 inch. Press overlapped edges seurely together to seal. (This is the shape that is usually used for samosa).

Place a scant tablespoon of filling in the cone, and quickly pinch the open end shut in a straight line, closing the cone into a triangular shape. Press tightly to seal. Moistening is essential to insure a tight seal; otherwise, during frying, oil will seep into both pastry and filling, making it taste greasy, heavy and rich.) Continue with the rset of the dough filling the same way. (The samosa can be rolled and shaped a few hours ahead of time and kept loosely covered. Do not worry if they dry out slightly. In fact, for best results they should be left out to dry for 1/2 hour. Thsi makes the crust more crunchy and flaky.)

When ready to fry the pastries, heat the oil. When the oil is hot (350 degrees F), drop in about 8 - 10 pastries. The temperature of the oil will drop automatically to around 300 degrees F. Maintain the temperature at this low point by regulating the heat between medium-high and medium-low. This low temperature cooking is essential for samosa, because it enables the pastry dough to brown evenly and become flaky. Fry stirring and turning the pastries until they are light brown (about 12 min). Take them out with a slotted spoon or tongs, and drain on paper towels. Continue with the remaining pastries the same way. Serve hot or warm, accompanied with chutney.

Savory Meat Pastries (Keema Samosa)
makes 32 pastries

1 recipe pastry dough (above)
1 recipe Dry-cooked Spicy ground meat (Sookha Keema) (below)
Peanut or corn oil

Sookha Keema:
2 tbl. light vegetable oil
2/3 c. finely chopped onions
4 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 Tbl. finely chopped fresh ginger root
2 green chilies, seeded and minced
1 pound lean ground lamb or beef
1/4 tsp. tumeric
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbl. chopped fresh coriander(cilantro) leaves (or substitute 1 Tbl. dried coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a skillet or largefrying pan and add the omions. Fry the onions over medium -high heat until they turn caramel brown (about 10 min), stirring constantly to ensure even browning.

Add garlic, ginger, and green chilies and cook until the meat loses it's pink color and begins to brown. Sprinkle tumeric and salt over the meat, stir for a moment or two, and the add 1/4 c, hot water. Reduce heat cover, and let the meat cook thoroughly for about 25 min., stirring frequently to prevent burning. (The moisture should be totally absorbed; if it is not, uncover the pan, increase heat, and cook until all the moisture has evaporated). Turn off theheat and stir in the garam masala, lemon juice, and chopped coriander.

Note: The cooked keema is usually lumpy and coarse and not very pleasing to the eye. Mash it with a potato masher, or the back of a measuring cup for a minute to break up the lumps of meat. This final mashing is essential when the keema is used for stuffing for samosa.

(Sookha Keema can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen. Defrost thoroughly before reheating. To reheat, simply warm in a frying pan over low heat until heated through. You could probably also reheat it in the microwave.)

Here is one recipe for garam masala for anyone who can not find it in their grocery store's spice section.

Garam Masala makes 1 1/2 cups

3 Tbl (about 20) black or 2 Tbl. (about 75) green cardamon pod3 cinnamon sticks, 3 inches long
1 tbl. whole cloves
1/4 c. black peppercorns
1/2 c. cumin seeds
1/2 c, coriander seeds

Break open cardamon pods. Remove seeds, and reserve. Discard skin. Crush cinnamon with a kitchen mallet or rolling pin to break it into small pieces. Combine all the spices, and roast and grind them. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. To roast spices: Heat a heavy frying pan for 2 min. over medium heat. Add the spices and roast over medium heat, stirring and shaking the pan constanly in order to prevent burning. For the first minute or two, nothing will happen - the pices are losing their moisture during this time - and then all of a sudden they will start to brown. Thsio is a crucial period: If you don't watch them carefully and stir them constanly, they will burn almost instantly. As the spices brown they will begin to smole, releasing their sweet fragrance. Roast them until they turn dark brown. Turn down the heat if they seem to be roasting too fast. The time will depend on the spice and the amount of spice being roaste. The garam masala should take about 10 minutes. Take the browned spices out of the pan immediately, and put them in a clean, dry bowl to cool completely before using.

To grind spices: Put thespices in the jar of a coffee grinder, a spice mill, or an electric blender, and grind them to a fine powder. The food processor is not suitable for grinding spices of varying hardness and size.