Although I have never been to India, I have enjoyed the food in restaurants and homes all over the world. The first time I had Samosas was in Nairobi, Kenya. I remember standing at an outdoor market where they came to me with a slice of lime to squirt on it before the crispy treat entered my mouth. Samosas are delicious bite size triangles of spiced potatoes, onions and peas wrapped in a flaky thin crust and deep fried to perfection. For the most part they are served as appetisers in Indian restaurants, but my favorite ones are served at the hole in the wall taxi driver snack shops next to gas stations all over NYC. These over crowded 24 hour shops are great to pop in and out and grab a few samosas and a hot cup of spiced tea for a couple of bucks.
I had had Indian food before but had never cooked it. At age 15 my mother came home after discovering an Indian spice store. In she came with bags of aromatic herbs and spices, vegetable, legumes, grains, flours and sauces and away we went. What I loved about it (besides the obvious, cooking alongside the master) was taking 100 different components , combining them in 100 different ways, and producing 100 different outcomes. As opposed to producing one main course, we produced 10 different ones. I still remember the cucumbers and onions sitting in a brine of vinegar, salt sugar, turmeric and multi color peppercorns. What I learned that day was a valuable lesson. Experiment, mix , create, combine, invent and use your instinct and your possibilities are endless.
Samosas are great to experiment with, since they are small you can chose a variety of different combos to put inside, producing different results, to be mixed and matched with several dipping sauces. Potatoes, peas, lamb, chicken, cheese, spinach or any combo are always delicious.
Potato filling
2 cups chopped up potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cups chopped onion
1 can green pea, strained
1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
salt
black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander seed
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground clove
Boil potatoes till done, strain.
In large frying pan heat oil. Add onions and garlic and spices and cook til onions are semi soft. Add potatoes and peas and heat through till coated in spices. Remove from heat and toss in cilantro. Set aside to to cool to room temp
To make triangles
1 package of egg roll wrappers ( you can make the dough from scratch , but it really is a pain and consumes tons of time) normally its a pack of 24
On flat surface place 2 tablespoons of cooled filling in corner, fold over and over again to make a triangle, seal with a moist finger or towel.
In frying pan heat oil , working in batches fry samosas till golden brown on both sides. Using a slotted spoon remove from heat and place on paper towels. Server with mango or tamarind chutney or a try a cool cucumber yogurt and always a squirt of lime.
