Jalapeno and Cheese Samosa

Samosas have been a very popular dish in every indian household and there are hundreds of different ways of making them. This was my take on it and let me tell you, you will not regret it!! These crunchy on the outside are filled with the perfect amount of cheese, vegetables and spice to enjoy at any given time.

For the samosa pastry:

• 4 cups all- purpose flour

• 5 tbsp Ghee (clarified butter)

• ½ tsp carom seeds (Ajwain) (optional)

• 1 ½ cup water, room temp

• Salt to taste

For the filling:

• 4-5 tbsp oil

• 4 Potatoes diced (fried)

• 3 small onions diced

• 2 red bell pepper diced

• 3 green bell pepper diced

• 1 cup corn (frozen)

• ½ cup jalapeno peppers, diced

• 3 cups mexican style cheese blend (shredded)

• 1 ½ cup pepper jack (shredded)

• 1 tbsp ginger (grated)

• 5-6 thai chilies (grated)

• 2 tsp dhana jeeru

• Salt to taste

• 1 tsp black pepper

Method for filling:

1. In a pan add about an inch of oil and bring to temperature on medium heat. Once the oil is done add in the diced potatoes and fry till half fried. Take out the potatoes and let it sit on a napkin to drain out excess oil. (Note: Potatoes are fried when added to the mixture so it’s not mushy.)

2. In a non-stick pan add oil. Then add in the thai chilies, ginger and saute for 1-2 mins until fragrant.

3. Add in the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers and cook until softened for around 10-15 mins stirring occasionally.

4. Once the veggies are soft add in the corn and fried potatoes, let cook for 5 mins until all veggies are fully cooked.

5. Add in the dhana jeeru, salt, and black pepper and mix well.

6. Take the mixture off the stove and set aside for 30-45 mins to get cool.

7. Once the mixture is cool add in the cheeses and mix well.

Method for dough:

1. In a mixing bowl add in the flour, carom seeds, ghee, salt and water to form a soft dough. Make sure the dough isn’t too soft or too hard to roll out. Cover dough and let it sit for 30 mins.

To assemble the samosas:

1. Roll the dough out about ½ inch thickness and around 7-8 inches in diameter.

2. Cut the circle in half and fold into the samosa shape which is similar to a cone. Put in about a spoonful of filling and use two fingers to close the opening tight. (Note: you can roll the dough any size you prefer and add as much filling you like. If you like more crunchy add less filling for more crispiness)

3. In a pan add upto 2 inches of oil to fry the samosas.

4. Once done, fry the samosas on both sides until golden brown. Take out on paper to remove excess oil.

5. Serve with tamarind chutney or any other sauce of your liking. Enjoy!!

Tips: The recipe below is mesured to make around 50 samosa, becasue we love to make big batches and keep them in the freezer to use any time we crave them! To do this what you would do is half-fry the samosas and keep them. The day of take them and cook the rest of it for best results.