Samosa is a popular snack which is either fried or baked pastry with savoury filling such as potato, beans, chicken or ground meat. It is believed to have originated in Middle East, known by the name of ‘sambosa’. The samosa is made up of a flour-based shell stuffed with filling.
The entire pastry is then deep fried to a golden brown colour, in vegetable oil. It is served hot and is often eaten with fresh Indian chutney, such as mint, coriander or tamarind. It can also be prepared as a sweet form.
Tikona samosa
Ingredients
For covering
Flour no.1 1 cup
Carom seeds ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tbsp + to deep fry
For filling
Potato 5 no
Green peas ½ cup
Oil 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Ginger 1 inch pc
Green chili 1 no
Red chilli powder ½ tsp
Garam masala ½ tsp
Coriander powder ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves ½ cup
Cashew nut 10-12 pcs
Kasoori methi 2 tbsp
Mint chutney as required
Tomato ketchup as required
Method
Mix the ingredients for the covering and knead to a stiff dough.
Be careful not to add too much water in the dough and once ready keep covered with a damp cloth.
For the filling, heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and saute.
Add chopped ginger, green chili and diced potato, cashew nuts and soaked kasoori methi.
Stir and add all the spices and adjust the seasoning, keep the filling aside.
Divide the dough into 10 equal balls and flatten it using rolling pin into 5’ diameter oval discs.
Cut the oval disc into half and run a moist finger along the sides.
Roll around finger to make a cone, fill 1 tbsp of filling into the cone.
Seal the open side by moist finger and deep fry these prepared samosas over medium heat until light brown.
Serve hot with mint chutney and tomato ketchup or your choice of sauce.
Pav bhaji
A hurried meal for a man on the street is what gave invention to this dish. Pav bhaji is a fast food dish that originated in Mumbai and became popular in India and abroad. Pav means bread, bhaji in Marathi language means a vegetable dish. Bhaji is a thick mashed potato and vegetable based curry which is heavily garnished with chopped onion, coriander, lemon slice and a butter toasted pav on the side. It is a local street food which was initially made for the textile workers as a quick lunch option.
The dish is so simple and popular that it is common to find it on the menu of most Indian restaurants serving fast food.
Ingredients
(serves 4)
Pav bread 8 no
Butter 4 tbsp
For bhaji
Potato 1 ½ cup
Cauliflower ½ cup
Green peas ½ cup
Carrots ½ cup
Onion 1 cup
Capsicum ½ cup
Tomato 2 ½ cup
Turmeric powder ½ tsp
Chili powder ½ tsp
Pav bhaji masala 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Garlic cloves 4- 6 no
For garnish
Butter 4 tbsp
Onion 1 no
Lemon 2 no
Coriander leaves 4 tbsp
Method
Boil potato, cauliflower, carrots and peas till they are soft, drain excess water.
Chop all the vegetables and keep aside.
Heat butter in a sauce pan and add chopped onion, capsicum and sauté, add garlic and sauté till onion softens.
Add tomato and simmer till oil separates.
Add all the spices and cook for two minutes to remove the raw smell of spices.
Add boiled vegetables and mash thoroughly using a potato masher and add water if required, adjust seasoning.
Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes until all the vegetables are mashed and thick curry consistency is achieved.
Cut the pav into half, spread butter and toast on hot tawa from both sides until light brown.
Serve the bhaji hot sprinkled with generous amount of chopped onion, coriander leaves, slice of butter and lemon wedge on the side.
Note: Pav bhaji masala is a spice blend which is commonly available in most of the grocery stores, or else you can replace with garam masala. Also the pav bread can be replaced with bread like khuboos, naan or bread roll as per your choice and availability.
* (Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to:
[email protected])
Tikona samosa.
