Samosa is a savory fried Indian snack which has a crispy outer crust and a spicy filling. Learn to make best Halwai style crispy Indian samosa at home using my easy recipe. Here is how to make Punjabi Samosa.
Samosa is one of the the most famous Indian savoury snack. It is not only popular in India but also across Asian countries and Middle East. Samosa is believed to be originated in Middle East and brought to India by merchants.
For a samosa to qualify as a very good one, it has to pass certain standards. The crust should be crispy and crunchy and slightly flaky and the filing should be a perfect balance of spicy, tangy and full of flavours.
When we make samosas at home, a few tips must be kept in mind which will make sure the crust turn out perfect and I have mentioned them in detail in the post below.
The filling that I make for samosa is not overly spicy. It’s loved by both adults and kids whenever I make it, I get great feedback from everyone.
So let’s waste no time and head right to the samosa recipe.
What is Samosa?
Samosa is a fried or baked snack with a crispy outer crust and a savoury filling, such as spicy potatoes, peas, onions, lentils, cottage cheese, minced chicken or lamb. The shape of the samosa varies depending on the region – triangular, cone, half-moon shaped, or square pockets.
The Indian samosa is served with Chutneys – sweet, tangy and spicy. They make for a perfect appetiser or evening snack. Whether you love Punjabi aloo samosa or a crispy vegetable samosa, this is my trusted and tested recipe.
Samosa History
If you think our humble samosa originated in India, you are mistaken. So was I.
“The samosa originated in the Middle East and Central Asia It then spread to Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and elsewhere. The term samosa and its variants cover a family of pastries and dumplings popular from north-eastern Africa to western China.
The samosa spread to the Indian subcontinent, alongside the spread of Islam, during Muslim rule in the region. A praise of samosa (as sanbusaj) can be found in a 9th-century poem by the Persian poet Ishaq al-Mawsili.
Recipes for the dish are found in 10th–13th-century Arab cookery books, under the names sanbusak, sanbusaq, and sanbusaj, all of which derive from the Persian word sanbosag.
Central Asian samosa were introduced to the Indian subcontinent in the 13th or 14th century by traders from Central Asia.[5] Amir Khusro (1253–1325), a scholar and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate, wrote in around 1300 CE that the princes and nobles enjoyed the “samosa prepared from meat, ghee, onion, and so on”.
Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century traveler and explorer, describes a meal at the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq, where the samushak or sambusak, a small pie stuffed with minced meat, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and spices, was served before the third course, of pulao.
Nimmatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi, a medieval Indian cookbook started for Ghiyath al -Din Khalji, the ruler of the Malwa Sultanate in central India, mentions the art of making samosa. The Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century Mughal document, mentions the recipe for qutab, which it says, “the people of Hindustan call sanbúsah”. – Source
Can you bake Samosa in Oven?
To bake samosas in an oven, preheat the oven at 300 degree F for 20 mins. Arrange the samosa on a baking tray and spray or brush them with oil. Now bake the prepared samosas for 30 mins. Once done, serve with mint chutney.
Can you make Punjabi Samosa in Air Fryer?
You can air fry the samosas if you have an air fryer handy. Air-fired samosas have a better texture than the baked ones. They taste similar to the fried ones and are not at all oily. To air fry the samosas, preheat the air fryer at 300 degree F for 10 minutes.
Brush the samosa with oil and put in the air fryer. Air fry for 10-15 minutes till golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite chutneys.
Can you freeze Samosa?
Samosas can be frozen before frying and also after frying. Shape the samosas and place on a sheet pan in a single layer and freeze them. Once frozen, store them in freezer bags. You can refrigerate the samosa for up to 6 months.
When you want to fry them, bring the samosas to room temperature. If you have leftover fried samosas, wrap the samosa in aluminium foil or plastic wrap loosely and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 F for 10 mins.
Can you make Samosa with Wheat Flour?
You can use wheat flour instead of maida to make a healthier version. Make sure you add more water while kneading the dough as wheat flour absorbs more water than maida. You can follow the rest of the recipe as is.
Samosa filling ideas
Although potato is the most popular filling option for the Indian samosa, there are many other variations that you can try. Listing a few below
Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Samosa: Use minced paneer with green chillies and finely chopped onion and coriander.
Vegetable Samosa: Use any mix of vegetables for the filling
Sweet Samosa: This can be made by stuffing khoya and dry fruits. I have a detailed recipe, so do check it out here.
Chicken Samosa: Use minced chicken with all the dried spices for stuffing. I also have a chicken and cheese samosa recipe here.
With Dry Fruits: You can add dry fruits like cashew nuts and raisins in the samosa filling to make them more rich.
How to make Punjabi Samosa Step by Step
Heat vegetable oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, add hing, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds and fry them for a few seconds.
Add ginger and green chilli in the pan.
Add mashed boiled potatoes and peas.
Now add kauri methi, anardana powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, black pepper powder, amchoor powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder and mix well.
Using a potato masher. mash everything well to make a smooth filling. Add salt, fresh coriander and mint and mix well. Remove the pan from heat and let the filling cool completely.
Mix all purpose flour, salt, ajwain (carom seeds) and oil in a bowl.
Mix well for a minute.
Add little water and knead to make a very stiff dough.
Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Knead the dough once again for a minute. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Make them into balls. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes.
Roll the dough ball to make an oval.
Cut the oval from the centre. Roll and cut all the dough balls in the same manner.
Roll each half oval part a little more.
Apply little oil on straight sides and bring the two ends together to make a cone. Make sure to seal the ends tightly.
Fill 2 tbsp of potato filling in the cone.
Apply more water on the open sides and make a pleat at the centre of the round open edge.
Seal the samosa to make a triangle. Press the entire samosa a little bit so that it does not puff up while frying. Make all the samosa in the similar manner.
Heat oil for frying the samosa in a pan. When the oil is just hot, drop a few samosas in it.
Make sure that the hot is not too hot, otherwise the samosas will have blisters on the surface. Fry on low flame until they are golden brown in color. Do not over crowd the pan while frying the samosas and fry them in batches. Each batch will take 15-20 minutes. Once they are golden brown, tale out on a plate lined with kitchen tissue. Serve hot.
Punjabi Samosa Recipe
Punjabi Samosa
Samosa is a savory fried Indian snack which has a crispy outer crust and a spicy filling. Learn to make best Halwai style crispy Indian samosa at home using my easy recipe. Here is how to make Punjabi Samosa.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 250 g All Purpose Flour
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tsp Carom Seeds/ Ajwain
- 1 tsp Salt
- Oil for frying
For the Filling
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 tsp Hing
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds Crushed
- 2 tsp Ginger Finely Chopped
- 2 tsp Green Chilli Finely Chopped
- 3-4 Boiled Potatoes Refrigerated for 4-6 hours.
- 1/2 cup Peas Boiled
- 2 tbsp Kasuri Methi
- 2 tsp Anardana Powder
- 1/2 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garama Masala Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
- 2 tsp Dry Mango Powder
- 2 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp Coriander Leaves Chopped
- 2 tbsp Mint Leaves Chopped
Instructions
For the crust
Mix all purpose flour, salt, carom seeds and oil in a bowl.
Mix well for a minute.
Add little water and knead to make a very stiff dough.
Cover the dough with a damp cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Knead the dough once again for a minute.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts.
Make them into balls.
Cover the dough balls and keep aside for 10 minutes.
Roll the dough ball to make an oval.
Cut the oval from the centre.
Roll and cut all the dough balls in the same manner.
For the filling
Heat vegetable oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, add hing, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds and fry them for a few seconds.
Add mashed boiled potatoes and peas.
Add kauri methi, anardana powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, black pepper powder, dry mango powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder and mix well.
Using a potato masher, mash everything well to make a smooth filling.
Add salt, fresh coriander and mint and mix well.
Remove the pan from heat and let the filling cool completely.
Assembly
Roll each half oval part a little more.
Apply little oil on straight sides and bring the two ends together to make a cone.
Make sure to seal the ends tightly.
Fill 2 tbsp of potato filling in the cone.
Apply more water on the open sides and make a pleat at the centre of the open edge.
Seal the samosa to make a triangle.
Press the entire samosa a little bit so that it does not puff up while frying.
Make all the samosa in the similar manner.
Heat oil for frying the samosa in a pan.
When the oil is just hot, drop a few samosas in it.
Make sure that the hot is not too hot, otherwise the samosas will have blisters on the surface.
Fry on low flame until they are golden brown in color.
Do not over crowd the pan while frying the samosas and fry them in batches.
Each batch will take 15-20 minutes.
Once they are golden brown, tale out on a plate lined with kitchen tissue.
Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
Boil the potatoes a few hours before using them and refrigerate for 4-5 hours.
You can add raisins and cashew nuts in the filling if you wish to.
Before the next batch of samosa in the pan, make sure to bring down the temperature of the oil to low.
Are you making this recipe? I LOVE to see your creations so snap a photo and tag Whiskaffair on Instagram with the hashtag #Whiskaffair and please give a star rating below ★. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for more such easy recipes.
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