Samosas with dumpling wrappers

My friend Soni makes the best samosas. She makes everything from scratch – including the flaky, crispy crust.  I don’t think I can ever match that – and so don’t attempt to.  I have tasted samosas at restaurants here and in India, but nothing comes close to hers.

Samosas with dumpling wrappers

Soni was our neighbor for the longest time.  She lived two doors away, and would send delicious goodies our way frequently.  She has now moved to a different neighborhood. I really do envy her neighbors.

I have tried various short-cuts for the crust.  This is my most recent attempt and I think they came out well.  I used dumpling wrappers that I had bought for something else and filled them up with the spicy potato mixture.  Since I was making this for a Navrathri party, I made sure that the dumpling wrappers did not have eggs in them.  I also omitted the onions.  They turned out great - not anywhere close to Soni’s, but for a quick samosa recipe, they were good.

Pot Sticker mold

I had a mold for making pot stickers.  This helped making the samosas a snap!  I could easily make about 60 in an hour.

Here is what you need:

(makes about 30 – 40)

• 2 tsp. oil
• 1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
• ¼ tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
• 4 green chilies, minced
• 2” piece ginger, minced
• 10 medium sized potatoes, boiled, peeled, and diced into small pieces
• salt to taste
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. jeera powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. amchur (dried mango) powder
• chopped cilantro
• dumpling wrappers
• water to brush
• oil for deep-frying

Here is how I made it:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add jeera and ajwain.
2. When the jeera turns slightly dark, add the green chilies and ginger.  Sauté for a couple of minutes.
3. Now add the potatoes, salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, jeera powder, coriander powder, and amchur powder.
4. Sauté for a few more minutes till all the spices are blended.  Turn off the heat.
5. Add the cilantro and mix well.  Set aside.
6. Heat oil for deep-frying.
7. Take dumpling wrappers on at time and place on the mold. Wet the whole wrapper with water.
8. Place a little more than a spoonful of filling in the center and close the mold, pressing it hard, so that the edges are sealed.  (If you don’t have a mold, you can place the wrapper in the palm of your hand and press with your fingers to seal the edges.)
9. When you have five or six ready, drop them in the hot oil and fry over medium heat till the crust is golden brown and crispy.
10. Repeat till all the filling is done.

Serve hot with cilantro/pudina chutney.

These came out so well that I am making them again for a party on Friday!