Craving some crispy, golden goodness? Look no further than these fried potato and pea samosas, seasoned to perfection with a savory curry blend. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you for trying this recipe!
Try your hand at making Indian food at home with a few more of my recipes: Butter chicken, garlic naan, and tomato chutney!
Homemade Samosas
Samosas are a staple in Indian cuisine for good reason. These delicious savory pastries are made with a vegetable or meat filling, spiced to perfection and tucked inside a buttery dough. From there, the samosas are shallow fried until they’re golden brown and crispy on the outside. YUM!
This specific recipe for samosas is made with a potato, pea, and curry filling. You are going to love every flavorful bite! Make them to accompany your next Indian-inspired meal. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you.
Ingredients Needed
I know it looks like a lot, but the spices and seasonings in this samosa recipe are what make it so good! Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.
Dough:
- All-Purpose Flour: The base of the samosa dough, providing structure and texture.
- Thyme: A subtle herb adding a touch of earthy flavor.
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors and balances the sweetness of the filling.
- Ghee (Clarified Butter): Adds richness and flakiness to the dough.
- Cold Water: Binds the dough together without making it tough.
Filling:
- Russet Potatoes: The main filling ingredient, providing a creamy, hearty base.
- Ghee: Adds richness and flavor to the sauteed vegetables.
- Cumin Seeds: A warm, earthy spice.
- Coriander Seeds: A citrusy, floral spice that complements the cumin.
- Fennel Seeds: A sweet, licorice-like spice.
- Ginger: Adds a kick of flavor to the samosa filling.
- Green Chili: So the filling has a touch of heat and freshness.
- Green Peas: Add pops of sweetness and texture to the filling.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens the overall flavor a bit.
- Turmeric: A warm, earthy spice that also adds a beautiful yellow color.
- Garam Masala: A warming blend of spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom.
- Cilantro: Because you can never go wrong with fresh herbs. Especially for homemade samosas!
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors. You only need a little bit.
Frying:
- Oil: You will also need any high-heat oil like vegetable or peanut oil, used for shallow frying the samosas in.
How to Make Samosas
Homemade samosas take a bit of preparation and you need to keep a close eye on them as they cook, but it’s SO worth it! Here is every step to making this Indian staple at home, broken up into 3 parts:
Make the Dough
- Dough Mixture: To a bowl, whisk together the flour, thyme, and salt. Add the ghee to the four mixture and mix well with your fingers until all the ghee has been incorporated. You should have a shaggy dough that can hold its shape when pressed together.
- Adjust Consistency: Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, kneading the dough as you add it until you have a fairly stiff dough, it shouldn’t stick to your hands.
- Rest: Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Make the Filling
- Boil Potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 inch chunks then boil them until they are just fork tender, you don’t want them to be too soft and mushy.
- Drain: Drain the boiled potatoes then roughly chop or crumble them, do not mash them. Set the potatoes aside.
- Heat Ghee With Spices: Heat the ghee in a medium size pan over medium high heat, add in the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds and saute until they begin to sizzle.
- Add Veggies: To the pan add in the ginger, green chilis, and peas. Saute everything for about 2 minutes.
- Add in Remaining Ingredients: Lastly add in the lemon juice, turmeric, garam marsala, fennel powder, cilantro, salt to taste, and potatoes. Mix everything together well and saute for another 2 minutes.
- Cool: Remove the filing from the pan and then set it aside to cool. Once the filling has cooled nearly to room temperature it is ready to assemble.
Assemble Samosas / Fry
- Divide Dough: Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, form into balls, cover and let them rest about 10 minutes.
- Roll Out: Roll each ball into flat disks, about 7 inches across. Press them between two pieces of parchment paper to roll flat.
- Cover: Keep the flattened dough sections covered to avoid drying them out, work with one dough section at a time.
- Create a Cone Shape: Cut the round in half, wet the flat edge of one half of the round and press the ends together to form a cone.
- Fill and Seal: Fill the cone with about 2 tablespoons of the filling, gently pack it in. wet the inside edge of the open side and press it closed.
- Repeat: Repeat with the other half of the round and then with the rest of the dough. This will yield 12 samosas.
- Heat Oil: Heat 2 inches of oil in a large heavy bottom pan over medium heat, a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the oil should sizzle when the oil is hot enough.
- Fry: Add enough samosas to the pan to leave some room between, you will need to work in batches. Fry the samosas for about 1 minute on each side, they should be golden and crispy but not develop dark brown spots.
- Transfer to Plate: Remove the fried samosas from the pan, place them on a paper towel lined plate to allow any excess oil to be absorbed.
- Enjoy: Once all the samosas are finished frying, serve them fresh with Mango Chutney or tamarind sauce.
Tips and Variations
- Ghee Substitute: If you don’t have ghee, you can use oil in it’s place in both the dough and the filling.
- Using Ground Spices: You can use ground spices in place of the whole spices if you prefer.
- Use Canned Chilies: Replace the fresh diced green chiles with canned diced green chiles if needed.
Storing Leftovers
Samosas are super easy to reheat and enjoy later! I like to use the air fryer to keep them nice and crispy.
- In the Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: It’s best to reheat your samosas in an air fryer or oven to maintain the crispy exterior. To reheat in the oven, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-8 minutes. Air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 3-5 minutes.
More Delicious Recipes Inspired By Indian Cuisine
Looking for more ways to spice up dinnertime? Check out my full list of tried and true, Indian-inspired recipes.
Crispy Potato and Pea Samosas
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup ghee, clarified butter
- 8-12 tablespoons cold water
Filling
- 1 lb russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon ghee, clarified butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 1 green chili, diced
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
- Salt to taste
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Make the dough
- To a bowl, whisk together the flour, thyme, and salt. Add the ghee to the four mixture and mix well with your fingers until all the ghee has been incorporated. You should have a shaggy dough that can hold its shape when pressed together.
- Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, kneading the dough as you add it until you have a fairly stiff dough, it shouldn’t stick to your hands.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Make the filling
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 inch chunks then boil them until they are just fork tender, you don’t want them to be too soft and mushy.
- Drain the boiled potatoes then roughly chop or crumble them, do not mash them. Set the potatoes aside.
- Heat the ghee in a medium size pan over medium high heat, add in the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds and saute until they begin to sizzle.
- To the pan add in the ginger, green chilis, and peas. Saute everything for about 2 minutes.
- Lastly add in the lemon juice, turmeric, garam marsala, fennel powder, cilantro,salt to taste, and potatoes. Mix everything together well and saute for another 2 minutes.
- Remove the filing from the pan and set it aside to cool. Once the filling has cooled nearly to room temperature it is ready to assemble.
Assemble samosas
- Divide the dough into 6 equal portions, form into balls, cover and let them rest about 10 minutes.
- Roll each ball into flat disks, about 7 inches across. Press them between two pieces of parchment paper to roll flat.
- Keep the flattened dough sections covered to avoid drying them out, work with one dough section at a time.
- Cut the round in half, wet the flat edge of one half of the round and press the ends together to form a cone.
- Fill the cone with about 2 tablespoons of the filling, gently pack it in. wet the inside edge of the open side and press it closed.
- Repeat with the other half of the round and then with the rest of the dough. This will yield 12 samosas.
- Heat 2 inches of oil in a large heavy bottom pan over medium heat, a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the oil should sizzle when the oil is hot enough.
- Add enough samosas to the pan to leave some room between, you will need to work in batches. Fry the samosas for about 1 minute on each side, they should be golden and crispy but not develop dark brown spots.
- Remove the fried samosas from the pan, place them on a paper towel lined plate to allow any excess oil to be absorbed.
- Once all the samosas are finished frying, serve them fresh with Mango Chutney or tamarind sauce