Samosa - Crave, Eat, Repeat!!!!

The Indian samosa is arguably the most recognizable and widely-available Indian food throughout the world. From street vendors to grocery stores to the menu in restaurants small and large, this snack is extremely popular with Indian cuisine. Samosa has a surprisingly rich, diverse history, having traveled far and wide through Central Asia and across the Himalayan Steppe to reach the place that in modern times is thought of as its home.

History Of Samosa –

A simple dish known by many names in many regions.

It was in the 1300s that our samosa first makes a historical appearance on Indian soil. Traded through Central Asian peddlers and vendors across the Muslim world, it eventually found its way to the subcontinent under the name samsa, named for its pyramidal shape after the pyramids of Central Asia. These would likely have been recognizable as samosas even today, containing meat, ghee, and onion.

From India, the samosa diffused itself across many cultures and centuries, and every region added its own flair to the traditional simple recipe. In turn, these variants also made their way back to India, where the samosa had already been transformed from region to region.

All these transformations, and reinvention is what have led to the incredibly diverse but ever-popular samosa we all know and love today.

Samosas – with pastry sheets

Crunchy & filling, dinner is complete with Samosas paired with your choice of soup. Made with pastry sheets this dish is just the right hint of crunch & spice!

Ingredients

• 1 x 270g Pastry sheets
• 100g butter, melted
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled (150g peeled weight)
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled (150g peeled weight)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 fat clove garlic, crushed
• 2-3 tsp curry powder (strength of your choice)
• 50g frozen peas defrosted
• Small bunch fresh coriander (optional)
• Yoghurt and fresh mint to serve (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C in a fan oven) Gas mark 4
2. Cut the potatoes into 1cm chunks and the sweet potato into 1½ cm chunks, place in a pan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender and drain.
3. Meanwhile heat the oil in a pan, gently sauté the garlic and onion, stir in the curry powder and cook for 3 minutes, remove from heat. Add potatoes, peas and coriander (if using), stir and set aside.
4. Place a sheet of pastry on a clean work surface, brush with melted butter and fold in half lengthways, so you have a long strip.
5. Place a spoonful (approximately 1/7^th) of the filling towards the end of the pastry strip nearest you, slightly on the left of the strip and just up from the bottom. Fold the bottom right hand corner up to cover the filling and make a triangular shape. Fold the triangle up, then fold to the right, fold up and then to the left, so you are keeping a triangular shape. Ensure the points are tucked in to prevent the filling from seeping out.
6. Brush the completed parcel with melted butter and place on baking tray. Continue with the remaining filling and  pastry.
7. Bake the samosas for 15 – 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

How To Cook Frozen Samosas

The best way to cook frozen samosas is to deep fry them, but you can also bake them in the oven or cook them in the air fryer. Frying the samosas does give you the best results, but baking or cooking them in the air fryer is healthier. Frying frozen samosas is the most popular way to cook them, and it does give you the best samosas! 

Here is how to fry frozen samosas:

1. Heat the oil in the deep fryer until hot, reaching around 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Carefully place the samosas into the deep fryer, one at a time. Do not overcrowd the deep fryer as it will bring down the temperature of the oil, and there will not be enough heat to shock the samosa wrapping to turn crispy and golden.
3. Keep turning the samosas as they fry so that they cook evenly on all sides.
4. After 2 minutes, turn down the heat and leave the samosas to cook for another 3 minutes. This helps them turn crisp and golden.
5. Remove the samosas from the hot oil and lay them onto a plate covered with a paper towel.
6. Repeat the above process, heating up the oil and cooking the samosas a few at a time until they are all cooked through properly.

How To Bake Frozen Samosas

If you do not want to fry your samosas, you could bake them in the oven. While this is not the most traditional way to cook them, it does offer up some good results and is healthier than cooking them in oil.

You can either bake uncooked frozen samosas or pre-cooked frozen samosas. Here is how to do both:

If your frozen samosas haven’t been cooked before, you will want to bake them at a higher temperature and for a longer time.

Here’s how to bake uncooked frozen samosas:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Lay the frozen samosas out onto a baking tray, and brush each very lightly with some vegetable oil.
3. Place the baking tray with the samosas into the oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes on each side, turning the samosas over once. The internal temperature of the samosas should reach around 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. When cooked, remove the samosas from the oven and let them stand for up to 3 minutes before serving.

Baking Pre-Cooked Frozen Samosas

If your frozen samosas are pre-cooked, this is much easier. They really just need to be warmed up in a way that won’t sacrifice all of their crispiness – although, again, the texture will not compare to the excellent results from frying.

Here’s how to bake pre-cooked frozen samosas:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Lay the frozen samosas onto a baking tray and brush them lightly with some vegetable oil.
3. Place the baking tray with the samosas into the oven and leave to cook for 8 minutes. 
4. Turn the samosas over onto the other side and leave to cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, until they are heated through completely.
5. Remove the samosas from the oven and allow them to sit for up to 3 minutes before serving.

Cooking Frozen Samosas in the Air Fryer

You need no oil to cook the samosas in the air fryer, so it is the healthiest way to cook them by far. It also does not take as long as cooking them in the oven!

Here is how to cook a batch of frozen samosas in the air fryer:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. This should only take around 5 minutes.
2. Place the frozen samosas into the air fryer basket, arranging them in a single layer, spacing them out as much as possible. They will not cook properly if you overcrowd them in the air fryer.
3. Cook the samosas in the air fryer for 5 minutes.
4. Open the air fryer and carefully turn the samosas, being very careful as they will be hot.
5. Place them back into the air fryer for another 3 to 4 minutes.
6. After this time, the samosas should be crisp and light brown, and heated throughout.
7. Remove them from the air fryer and let them rest for 3 minutes before serving.

WAYS TO EAT SAMOSAS-

There is practically no situation that doesn’t call for a samosa. 

---The ever-popular chai-samosa is the pairing of tea and samosa.

---Bun Samosa

---Samosa With Chutney

---Samosa Chat

---Samosa Wrap