Cocktail Samosa

Cocktail Samosa

Ingredients:
Pastry (I eyeball the amounts, so what I’ve written below is an approximation)
Flour – 1 1/2 cups
Clarified butter – 1-2 tbsps
Water to knead this to a firm, smooth dough

Filling
Chicken mince – 250 gms
Garlic – 5-6 cloves; chopped fine
Onion – 1 small; chopped fine
Fresh coriander – 1 bunch; chopped fine
Green chili – 1-2; chopped fine
Salt to taste

Method:
Pastry
* Rub the clarified butter into the plain flour with your fingertips to distribute it evenly. Gradually add water & bring the dough together. Knead it till its firm & smooth, & leave to rest for about 30 minutes.
*A firm dough is important to get a crisp, thin, almost translucent pastry.


Filling
* Heat 2-3 tbsps of oil in a pan. Sweat the onion & garlic for 2-3 minutes, till translucent.
* Add the mince & saute on high heat till cooked through & dry.
*Add the coriander + green chilies + salt to taste. Make sure the water is completely dry or the samosas will get soggy.
*Once done, cool the filling completely. (The filling can be made a day in advance)


Making them…
*Pinch a small piece of dough, make a ball & roll it out as thin as you can (dust with as little dry flour as possible).
*Cut out circles with a 3″ cookie cutter. To make triangles, half the circles. To make semi-circles or small balls, leave them uncut.
*Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of each & fold as desired, sealing the edges firmly with a little water. Make sure you seal them well, or the filling will spill out while frying.
* Heat the oil in a deep heavy bottom pan/wok/kadhai to almost smoking (just like you do for doughnuts), & fry in small batches till light brown. At this stage you can remove from oil, cool & freeze for later use, or continue to fry till golden brown. Once golden brown, place on paper towels for 5-10 seconds for extra oil to be absorbed. Serve HOT with a chutney, green or tamarind, or with a Cilantro-yogurt dip.
*Note: The recipe makes a largish batch of almost 60-80 small samosas, so you can use half, & freeze half for later.