Thanksgiving Samosas Recipes

Steps:

• Make the Pastry: Combine the flour and kosher salt in a large bowl. Rub the grapeseed oil into the flour until incorporated. Add the ajwain and nigella seeds. Gradually add the water, mixing after each pour, until a smooth dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes. Drizzle the bowl with oil; turn the dough to coat. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside on the counter.
• Make the Filling: In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the red onion, serrano, ginger and turmeric in the grapeseed oil until softened and slightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the dried cranberries and peas; cook just until the peas are thawed, a couple of minutes. Season with kosher salt.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the potato and turkey; sprinkle with lime juice and cilantro. Stir, then taste for seasoning.
• Make the Samosas: Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a dutch oven over medium heat until the oil reaches 375˚ F on a deep-fry thermometer. Meanwhile, divide the dough into 9 balls. Roll out each into a 5- to 6-inch round on a floured surface. Slice each round into 2 semicircles. Wet the straight edge of a semicircle with a little water, then position the semicircle with the straight edge facing away from you.
• Place 2 teaspoons filling in the middle of the semicircle. Fold one corner over the filling, forming a triangle; fold in the other corner to make a cone. Seal the ends with water, pinching and folding the edges to seal tightly. Repeat with the remaining semicircles and filling.
• Working in batches, fry the samosas until golden brown, 4 to 7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack set on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• Make the Chutney: In a blender, puree cilantro, mint leaves, scallions, garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, lime and lemon juice, and chile. Add crème fraîche and blend until incorporated.
• Serve the samosas hot or at room temperature with the chutney.

Steps:

• For the pastry: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Rub the grapeseed oil into the flour mixture until well incorporated. Add the ajwain and nigella seeds. Gradually add the water, mixing after each pour, until a smooth dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes. Drizzle the bowl with a little oil; turn the dough to coat. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside on the counter.
• For the filling: In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute the red onions, chiles, ginger and turmeric in grapeseed oil until softened and slightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cranberries and peas; cook just until the peas are thawed, a couple minutes. Season with salt.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl with the potatoes and turkey and sprinkle with some lime juice and cilantro. Stir together, then taste for seasoning.
• To make the samosas: Heat 3 inches of oil in a Dutch oven over medium until the oil reaches 375 degrees F on a deep-frying thermometer.
• Divide the dough into 9 balls. Roll each ball into a 5- to 6-inch round. Slice each round into two semicircles. Set up a small bowl with water. Wet the straight edge a semicircle with a little water, then set the semicircle on a work surface with the straight edge facing away from you. Place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the middle of the semicircle. Fold one corner over the filling, forming a triangle; fold in the other corner to make a cone. Seal the ends with water, pinching and folding the edges to seal tightly. Repeat with the remaining semicircles.
• Fry the samosas in batches until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet on a paper-towel lined plate. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
• For the green chutney: Add all the ingredients except for the creme fraiche to a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the creme fraiche and blend until incorporated.
• Serve the samosas hot or at room temperature with the chutney.

Steps:

• For the pastry: Add the flour, salt and nigella or ajwain seeds to a medium bowl and mix. Add the ghee or oil and mix in with your fingers until the dough looks crumbly. Begin by adding 3 tablespoons of cold water, then add more water a little a time to make a stiff dough. Try to knead the dough as little as possible (think flaky pie crust). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• For the spice blend: To roast the spices, heat a small cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the whole spices: coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, clove, cardamom and cinnamon and roast, shaking the skillet often, until the mixture darkens slightly and becomes toasty and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a small bowl to cool. Add the amchur powder, red chile powder and turmeric. Once cool, transfer to a grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a medium-fine grind.
• For the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let sizzle until they darken slightly, about 30 seconds Add the peanuts if using and cook until crunchy, about 2 minutes. Add the chiles and ginger and cook, stirring often, until the raw aroma of the ginger goes away, about 1 minute.
• Add the potatoes, peas, roasted spice blend and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until the peas soften and the mixture is well mixed and seasoned, about 3 minutes. Add the cilantro if using. Add salt to taste, amchur for additional tang and red chile powder for spice.
• To assemble and fry the samosas: Pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven or wide heavy-bottomed pot to come up the sides about 3 inches. Place over medium heat and heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 340 degrees F.
• While the oil is heating, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball (a kitchen scale is helpful here but not necessary). For smaller samosas, you can divide the dough into 8 balls. Cover all but 1 ball with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Flatten the uncovered ball into an oval patty. Lightly brush with oil and roll the patty into a thin oval (8 to 9 inches long and 5 to 6 inches wide). Cut in half widthwise into 2 semicircles.
• Set a small bowl of water beside you. Working with one semicircle at a time, fold over one end of the straight edge halfway toward the rounded edge. Using a fingertip, lightly wet the outside edge with a little water as well as the inner edge of the other half of the straight side. Then fold the other half up and overlapping the wet sides, about 1/4 inch, to form a cone. Press the edges together to form a seal. Hold the cone in one hand, pinch the seam again to make sure it's sealed and fill it with 2 tablespoons of the potato filling. Make a little pleat opposite of the sealed edge by pinching it over about 1/4 inch. This is the backbone of the samosa and will help it stand. Wet the inside of the rounded edge and fold it over the filling to enclose it. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat with a second dough ball and some of the filling to make 4 samosas.
• Double-check that the oil temperature is 340 degrees F (it's important for the oil to be medium hot; if it's too hot, the outside of the samosas will brown too quickly, while the inside dough will not be cooked enough and the samosas won't crisp up). Gently slip in the 4 samosas and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. If the samosas haven't browned by then, increase the temperature to 360 degrees F and cook, turning over as needed, until golden brown. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
• While the samosas are frying, shape and fill 4 more samosas, then repeat until all the samosas are shaped, filled and fried. Serve immediately with Tamarind-Date Chutney.
• Stir together the seedless tamarind, date paste, jaggery, cumin powder, red chile powder, ginger powder, fennel powder, black salt, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low so the sauce is simmering. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes; when you dip a spoon into the sauce and run your finger across the back of it, it should hold a line. Taste and add more salt or jaggery if needed. Remove from the heat and strain. Allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight glass jar and refrigerate.

Steps:

• Make the samosa dough:
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the shortening and use a pastry blender or 2 forks to cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal. Gradually add the water in 3 batches and use the pastry blender or forks to gently work it into the dough (the dough will be shaggy at first). Transfer to a work surface, and knead the dough until it's hydrated and starting to smooth out, about 5 minutes (the surface of the dough will still appear shaggy; it will smooth out during resting). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
• While the dough is resting, make the samosa filling:
• In a heavy large saucepan over moderate heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, garam masala, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry powder and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the mustard seeds begin to pop and the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, and hot chiles and stir to combine. Adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and set aside to let cool before filling the samosas.
• Fill the samosas:
• Divide the samosa dough into 6 equal parts and roll each into a ball. On a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll each ball into a circle that measures about 8 inches across and is about 1/8 inch thick. DO AHEAD: The circles of samosa dough can be made ahead, layered between sheets of wax paper, wrapped in a double layer of plastic, and refrigerated for 24 hours or frozen up to 3 months. Defrost before using.
• Cut the dough circles in half, so that there are 12 semicircles. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the flat edge of 1 semicircle with water then fold 1 corner up and over middle. Fold the second corner over to make a triangle, and pinch the corners of the triangle to seal (leave the rounded side open). Hold the triangle in your hand with the open rounded side facing up and let dough fall open to make a cone. Fill with 1/4 cup filling, lightly brush the remaining open edge of the dough with water and then pinch along the rounded side to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. DO AHEAD: Filled samosas can be frozen, well wrapped in plastic, up to 3 months. Fry them from a partially defrosted state.
• Fry the samosas:
• Line a large baking sheet with paper towels.
• In a heavy large saucepan or Dutch oven over moderate heat, heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325°F. Working in batches, fry the samosas until dark golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer as done to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain and cool. Continue to fry the remaining samosas, returning the oil to 325°F between batches. Serve hot with the Cilantro-Mint Chutney and/or the mango Chutney, if desired.