Samosas, kachoris & more.........

Had a marathon session of cooking demo + workshop with my friend Shila some time ago....

Now, My old friend Shila is a cook of the very first order... having learnt all the finer nuances of cooking & stuff from her mother-in-law. who was herself a wonderful & accomplished cook, I hear.

(In the photo.....My friend Kalyani on the left , & Shila on the right.)

I had been nagging Shila to teach me some of the stuff she always khiloas me ( feeds me ) every time i go to her place...

She makes tons of these really lip smacking little little starter things..... some filled with corn & cheese , some with paneer & capsicum, potatoes, fresh sweet green peas, green tuvar, coconut & onion & what nots......

& then finally she gave in to my pathetic pleading & decided to put an end to my persistent nagging...

We fixed a day, shopped for all the stuff in the list.... & invited another friend of mine, who begged to be allowed to come..... The demo session nearly threatened to became a cottage industry .... that's the amount of stuff we made that day !!!

What impressed me the most about Shila's technique is that she normally made all this at her own leisure , deep fried them for half a minute exactly & then cooled them & put them in the freezer to be taken out & fried when guests came.........
or for that matter when you wanted to eat them.

Super Idea..........
Works really well for me......
So do check it out...
the recipes & photographs follow.....

These recipes are greatly versatile I found. We used the same dough for the outer covering of all the eats. But the fillings & the shapes for each were different. You can of course, play around with the shapes & fillings as you like.

*************************

For the covering...

maida ( flour) & atta ( whole wheat flour ) - 1: 1 ( flour -1 cup & whole wheat flour - 1 cup) about 2 tbsp of oil & ghee ( together )
salt - a pinch
a few drops of lemon( so that it remains crisp on re frying)
& water

Method

Take the both the flours in a bowl. Add the oil & ghee & salt. mix a bit. Add the lemon juice. & then add enough water to make a fairly stiff dough. Keep aside.

************************

Now for the various fillings.....

For the Matar Kachori filling

Some crushed fresh ( or frozen) green peas,
a small amount of green chilli & ginger paste
mustard seeds,
white sesame seeds,
cumin seeds,
a pinch of asafoetida ( hing),
some dry mango powder( amchur ) or lemon juice ,
chopped coriander leaves,
salt to taste,
a pinch of sugar,
oil &
one boiled ( & grated potato if you need extra binding in the filling).

Method

Heat the oil. Add mustard, sesame, cumin & asafoetida, & wait for the mustard to splutter, add the crushed peas, salt, amchur or lime juice & salt. Cook for a few minutes until the peas are cooked. Add the potatoes & cook for another minute. Add the sugar & stir for another minute. Mix in the chopped coriander & keep aside to cool.

*************************

For the regular samosa filling with potatoes

Boiled potatoes,
some green chillies & garlic paste,
oil,
mustard seeds,
asafoetida,
garam masala,
tandoori masala,
chat masala,
salt,
red chilli powder,
amchoor powder ( dry mango powder ) or lime
& fresh coriander leaves.

Method

Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds & let it splutter. Then add the asafoetida, then the chilli garlic paste & stir for a minute. Now add the boiled, peeled & crushed potatoes & then all the spices.Cook for a few minutes & adjust the seasoning. Top with fresh coriander & keep aside for cooling.

***********************

For the Corn filling

Some crushed corn kernels,
ginger - green chilli paste,
oil,
mustard,
cumin,
sesame,
asafoetida,
a pinch of sugar ,
lime,
salt
& fresh coriander.

Method

Heat the oil, add the mustard & allow it to splutter. Now add the cumin sesame & asafoetida, & stir for a few seconds. Add the crushed corn & salt & cook for a few minutes until the corn is cooked & nearly dry. Add the sugar & lime & cook for a couple of minutes more. Top with fresh coriander & set aside to cool.

****************************

For the Paneer & Cheese filling........this one's the yummiest !!!

Some fresh, grated paneer,
grated cheese,
finely chopped capsicum,
finely chopped onion,
salt,
some pizza masala ( they call it here ) or Italian seasoning ,
maybe a pinch of chat masala ( for that extra kick)
& pepper.

Method

No cooking. Just mix all the ingredients together, adjust the seasoning & keep aside.

***************************

For the Coconut & onion filling.......

Now this is the surprising one.........it's a bit hatke ( different )
but.....completely mind blowing !

Some freshly scraped coconut,
finely chopped onion,
ginger & green chilli paste,
cumin,
sesame,
salt
sugar
& fresh coriander.


Method

Heat the oil & add the sesame & cumin & fry for a minute. Add the onions & chilli- ginger paste & fry for a few minutes just until the onions become transparent. Do not brown them. Mix in the coconut, salt, sugar & fresh, chopped coriander & &cook for a few seconds & take off the stove. Keep aside to cool.

***********************

These semi circular ones are called Ghughras here in Gujarat. They are normally filled with the green peas filling.

Roll out a small thin circle with the dough, place a spoonful of filling in the center of each circle. Gently fold the circle into a semicircle. Seal the edges with a little water. To decorate the edges, twist the edges carefully with the thumb & forefinger.

***************

For the regular samosa shape....
which i think most of you might already know.......
Roll out small circles. Divide each into half.Make a cone with each half & put a little stuffing in. Seal the edges with a little water . Repeat for the rest of the samosas.

*********************

This one's called a potli.( bundle)

Make a small circle with the dough & place a spoonful of filling in the centre. Bring up the sides together to give it a bundle like shape. Slightly press at the neck to seal. A little extra strip has been on the neck

**************************

These rectangular ones are called cushions.I have put the corn mixture into these........Corn Cushions !!!

Roll out a small thin circle. Place some filling in the centre. Bring both the sides over the filling to make a three fold.Use a little water to seal the edge. Now fold the top & bottom a little & seal them using a little water. The cushions are ready to be fried !

*************************

These are the kachori shaped ones. Very similar to the potli. Roll out a small circle & place some filling in the centre, bring up the edges & pinch them them shut. Pinch of the extra dough on top & slightly flatten between your palms...

*******************************

These are the kolkata shingara type samosa shape. They are just like the regular samosa shape except for a little extra pleat on one side so that it sits up.......

*********************

The same regular samosa shape with twisted edges.

***************************

Now for the final frying.......

If you want to serve them immediately...

Heat some oil & fry on medium flame until crisp & golden. Remove onto kitchen tissues to blot out the oil & serve piping hot with your choice of sauce or chutney.

If you want to freeze them for later use........


Heat some oil & fry these on medium heat exactly for a minute..........(i,e.... just lower them into the hot oil , wait for a second , turn them over & immediately remove them ). Place on kitchen towels to remove excess oil & allow them to cool completely.

Pack into containers & store in the freezer.

When you need to serve......Do not take out & leave for defrosting.
They will become soggy. Take them out of the freezer just 5 -10 minutes before you need to fry. Fry immediately in medium heat until crisp & golden.
Blot excess oil & serve .