One of the most famous appetizers in Nepal, Samosa is almost everyone’s favorite tea-time snack. It is made up of curried potato and peas filled into pastries that are deep fried to give a crispy taste. It is usually served with spicy tomato chutney or, at some places, with chola (dried pea curry).

Although the process of preparing samosas might be time consuming, the outcome is worth it. Here is a short instruction on how to prepare samosas in your own kitchen.

Ingredients:

(For pastry dough)

2 cup flour

½ cup melted butter or warm oil

1 cup chilled yogurt

½ tsp salt

Filling

2 cups diced potatoes, boiled and roughly mashed

½ cup green peas

½ cup boiled diced carrots

1 medium finely chopped onion

1 tbsp crushed garlic

1 tbsp crushed ginger

3 fresh julienned red chilies

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp cooking oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Procedure:

First of all, let’s start with making the wrap or the outer layer of the samosa. Put flour, oil/melted butter, salt and a little water in a large bowl and crumble it all thoroughly. Now, knead the dough until it becomes smooth and keep it covered with a moist cloth for at least 25 minute. After that, make 1 inch balls out of the dough but do not forget to keep the balls covered with a wet towel throughout the preparation. Take the balls and roll them out into 3 inch paper-thin circles using the wooden rollers (belna and chakla). Now, cut the circle in the middle to form two semi-circles. After that, take one semi circle, apply water along the straight rim and make a small cone by sealing the overlapping layers.

For the filling, heat oil in a non-stick fry pan. Add onion and fry it until it turns light brown. Now, add garlic, ginger, chili and garam masala (spices) and fry for a minute or so. Then, add the mashed potatoes, green peas and diced carrots followed by lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix everything thoroughly. You can also refrigerate it until it is used.

Now, put a tablespoon of the filling mixture into the cone and press down the cone to seal off the edges at the center. Repeat this process for all other balls.

For the last process, heat oil in medium-low temperature in a deep frying pan and slowly deep-fry the samosas. Keep turning it until it turns golden brown in color and looks crispy. Finally, drain off the oil using kitchen towel or use paper towels (napkins) to ward off the excessive oil from the samosas and serve them hot with spicy chutney. These hot samosas with spicy chutney could be an ideal snack during the cold and chilly winters.