North Indian Potato Samosas
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Filled with a mildly spiced potato filling, they’re vegetarian and they are unbelievably crispy, samosas are the ultimate snack and appetizer adored by all. Learn how to make the best North Indian Potato Samosas at home!
Samosa. Do I need to say any more about it? I know my eyes get big and my tummy rumbles every time I see a samosa or hear any mention of it!
I will give a quick summary anyways. Usually made with a vegetarian, mildly spiced potato filling and stuff into pastry and deep fried until golden brown and flaky. There are also other variations which includes chicken and lamb - I have tried the variations, but nothing beats the original North Indian samosa.
Interestingly, samosa is not a snack that has its roots in India. It came as quite a shock for me since Samosa and Jalebi is such a quintessential part of our culture. So interesting how cultures adapt overtime and over generations evolves and grows.
The introduction of samosas on the Indian subcontinent can be credited to the Mughals that came to India with an array of culinary techniques. Originally known as a “sambusaks”, they were originally stuffed with minced meat and nuts. Eventually, the Portuguese brought the humble potato to India, which they called “batata”, which eventually took over Indian breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. hence was born the well know potato samosa.
The economic times has a great article where you can learn more about the origins of samosa here.
The best samosas I have had are in the small town of Jaunpur and an even smaller town near Jaunpur called Pindra. There is something magical in how well the potato stuffing is prepare, and the pastry is perfectly crisp and not too greasy. If I close my eyes, I can still imagine waking up to the smell of freshly prepare samosa and jalebi.
Samosas can be filled with potatoes, paneer, chicken or lamb. The potato samosas, which I’ll be sharing with you in this recipe, are the most popular in India, and they’re definitely my favourite!
I can’t name a special occasion where you don’t get samosas. Even any ordinary day, you’ll just want to have some samosas to snack on! They’re simply irresistible! At school, on the street, at a wedding, at a dinner party, samosas are there for you to love and enjoy!
Making the perfect samosas at home definitely is a craft, but it’s worth every amount of effort. You’ll have so much fun making your stuffing and filling them up. I love frying them and watching them become a golden brown! You’ll love to dip them in chutney and hear that crunchy crispy crust at every bite! There’s no better feeling than biting into a piping hot samosa, and they’ll be gone in no time!
Why Make these homemade potato samosas?
Trust me, making samosas at home is a lot of fun! Though it can be challenging to get the technique just right, it can be a perfect bonding opportunity for you and your family! Let’s go over why you should try out these Aloo Samosas today!
A delicious, mildly spiced potato and pea filling
An addictive snack
Perfectly crispy outside
Warm filling
Amazing to serve for guests
Stores well in the fridge, so perfect for make ahead snacks!
Ready to experience the best Indian snack right at home? Get out some Cilantro-Mint Chutney, Tamarind Chutney, or ketchup to serve, perhaps a Mango Lassi to sip on as you cool off, and let’s get to it!
My Samosas aren’t good! Why?
I will share the tips & tricks by first sharing the absolute nightmare my mother and I had while making our first samosa. So we made a great potato stuffing, and kneaded a soft, fluffy dough. Then, we shaped them and they looked immaculate. Still going good so far.
Then came the frying, the oil was hot and we added in our shaped samosas, after a few minutes, the samosa came out crispy and golden brown. Then, we bit into it and there it was - raw pastry inside.
We tried again and again until we had the last few, which we ended up fixing.
So what was the problem?
Oil temperature. The right temperature is so important when you cook samosa. You need to cook it long enough that the dough inside completely cooks and the stuffed gets warm, but not have the oil so hot that the outside gets burnt.
So let’s troubleshoot some other issues that may have happened!
Why are my samosas greasy?
If the oil is not hot enough, the dough would absorb unnecessary oil. Make sure you get tiny bubbles in the oil and a light sizzle while frying to ensure the oil is hot enough.
Why are my samosas bubbly?
Your oil is likely too hot. With hot oil, the flour would want to puff up and this would result in an undesirable texture. Turn down the heat or add more oil to bring the oil temperature down. This is a great reason why cooking up a tester samosa is so useful.
Why did my samosas explode?
Make sure to apply water on the edges and press firmly to seal the samosa. Also, make sure not to over stuff the samosas.
Tips & Tricks Fop Perfect Potato Samosas
There is something special about making samosa from scratch, and just that factor itself will make your homemade samosa taste better than any store bought one. Here are some tips to nail your samosas and make them perfect every single time.
Let the dough rest for as long as you can be patient. This is usually the hardest part for me, after all, I want to eat and who wants to wait to eat these treats. Trust me, wait at the least 15 minutes and you will be glad. This will allow the dough to rest and be easy to shape into samosas.
Roll the dough thin and even. The thinner the dough, the quicker it will cook, however be careful not to roll it too thin - or you will run a risk of it tearing during the stuffing step.
Fry the samosa on low heat. If you want to take anything out of this recipe, this is the most important step.
Frying on a low to medium-low heat will help the samosa develop a golden brown crust which is cooked all the way through.
Ingredients for North Indian Samosas
Let’s review the ingredients we’ll need to make the samosa dough and to make the potato stuffing. Remember, for all quantities used, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD! You can scale the ingredients for the dough and stuffing based on how many samosas you plan on making!
FOR THE DOUGH
Flour/Maida: I’m using all-purpose flour for these samosas. For best results, this is what I recommend, as you will get different flavours by using whole wheat or any other kind of flour.
Ajwain: They add a subtle flavour and this helps with digestion.
Water: As needed.
Salt: Just a pinch.
Oil: For deep frying. I’m using peanut oil here.
For the potato stuffing
Potatoes: I’m using Yukon gold yellow potatoes. You’ll want to boil and peel them. I love using my Instant Pot to boil my potatoes!
Cumin seeds
Ginger
Green chillies
ground coriander
turmeric
amchur masala/mango powder
Peas: You can use fresh or frozen peas.
salt: To taste!
How to Make The best Aloo samosas at home
For the potato stuffing
Heat pan on medium heat and add ghee, add cumin seeds and sauté until reddish brown.
Add ginger and green chillies and cook off the rawness of the ginger.
Add in all of the dried spices except salt. Sauté for about a minute until the spices have lightly roasted. Add in boiled potatoes and peas.
Break down and stir potatoes and mix well until the stuffing comes together (Note: You do not need to completely mash the potatoes, some chunks adds texture and flavour.).
Set it aside to cool down.
FOR THE DOUGH
Measure flour in a bowl and add ajwain and ghee. Mix the dough well until the texture feels crumbly.
Then add water as required to knead a dough that is smooth but not too soft. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest at room temperature for at least 30-40 minutes.
TO MAKE THE SAMOSAS
Divide dough into 6-8 equal parts, rolling out each dough into a thin disk
Using a knife, cut from the centre of the dough until the edge, and wet the edges with some water. Pick up one edge and place it 1/4 of the way up the other edge, making a cone. Press to ensure the edges stick.
Scoop out roughly 2-3 T of Potato mixture and add to the cone, Fold the edges of the samosa, making sure to overlap the fold down the centre such that once sealed, the samosa can stand. Repeat the same process for the remaining dough and samosa.
Heat oil on medium heat and once hot, carefully add in your samosas, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
Cook until golden brown and crispy. Serve hot with tamarind chutney/mint chutney or ketchup and enjoy :)
Can I make aloo samosas ahead of time?
Yes, you sure can if you’re going to make a large batch for a dinner party! What you could do is make your mixture ahead of time and make your dough. You can let your dough rest and let the mixture cool down. When you’re ready to eat, you can then fill your samosas and fry them right on the spot. Otherwise, if you want to get the entire cooking process out of the way, you can reheat them in the oven.
Storing Leftover Potato Samosas
I don’t know how you could have leftovers because these Aloo Samosas sure are addictive, and once you start eating I’m sure you won’t be able to stop! They’re sure to be a crowd please for sure and you’ll definitely impress your guests! However, as I’ve said, they’d make for some amazing snacks to have on hand. Props to you if you’ve got the discipline to make these for some snack prep. You can store leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. You could either leave them on a plate and cover with plastic wrap, or store in an airtight container.
How to Reheat Aloo Samosas
To reheat your samosas, you could reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute, depending on how strong your microwave is. Simply reheat until the outside and inside are warm.
To keep the outside of the samosa nice and crispy, the best methods would be to air fry or reheat in the oven! To reheat in the air fryer, heat for about 2-3 minutes at 350 F. To reheat in the oven, also set your oven to 350 F and heat for about 5 to 10 minutes.
In my opinion, the air fryer would definitely be the best method because there’s no preheating, it’s convenient, and your samosas will be crispy outside! Of course, you can make the entire recipe in the air fryer if you have one. I’ll be sharing a recipe for that method soon!
Can I Bake the Samosa Instead?
Of course! To bake the samosa, preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and apply a thin layer of spray oil.
Line up the samosas on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. For more details on how to bake your samosas, you can read my Paneer Jalfrezi Samosa recipe (and perhaps try out that filling as well!).
Watch How to Make the Best North Indian Samosas Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!
Aloo Samosas
Ingredients
- 2-3 potatoes, boiled and peeled
- 1 Tbsp olive oil/ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 inch ginger, finely chopped
- 2-3 green chillies finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp fennel powder
- 1/4 tsp amchur masala/mango powder
- 1/2 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
- salt to taste
- 1 Cup all purpose flour/maida
- 1/2 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil/ghee
- Pinch of salt
- water as needed
- Peanut oil, for deep frying
Instructions
- Heat pan on medium heat and add ghee, add cumin seeds and sauté until reddish brown.
- Add ginger and green chillies and cook off the rawness of the ginger.
- Add in all of the dried spices except salt. Sauté for about a minute until the spices have lightly roasted. Add in boiled potatoes and peas.
- Break down and stir potatoes and mix well until the stuffing comes together (Note: You do not need to completely mash the potatoes, some chunks adds texture and flavour).
- Set it aside to cool down.
- Measure flour in a bowl and add ajwain and ghee. Mix the dough well until the texture feels crumbly.
- Then add water as required to knead a dough that is smooth but not too soft. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest at room temperature for at least 30-40 minutes.
- Divide dough into 6-8 equal parts, rolling out each dough into a thin disk
- Using a knife, cut from the centre of the dough until the edge, and wet the edges with some water. Pick up one edge and place it 1/4 of the way up the other edge, making a cone. Press to ensure the edges stick.
- Scoop out roughly 2-3 Tbsp of potato mixture and add to the cone, Fold the edges of the samosa, making sure to overlap the fold down the centre such that once sealed, the samosa can stand. Repeat the same process for the remaining dough and samosa.
- Heat oil on medium heat and once hot, carefully add in your samosas, making sure to not overcrowd the pan.
- Cook until golden brown and crispy. Serve hot with tamarind chutney/mint chutney or ketchup and enjoy!
Notes
You need to let the potatoes cool down before stuffing it in the pastry. Warm stuffing will cause the pastry to tear.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
205.51Fat (grams)
4.97Sat. Fat (grams)
1.73Carbs (grams)
35.82Fiber (grams)
3.45Net carbs
32.37Sugar (grams)
2.80Protein (grams)
5.28Sodium (milligrams)
132.92Cholesterol (grams)
5.55Nutrition info is an estimate and per each small samosa.
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Welcome to Cooking With Anadi. This platform is all about making cooking exciting and finding new ways to bring classic flavours and recipes at your service. Join me in my personal journey in the world of cooking. Hope you have a great ride!
