INDIAN SAMOSAS

Makes 16 pastries. Dough:

2 cups flour, sifted

1 level tsp. salt

¼ tsp. whole cumin seeds, roasted and crushed (optional)

4 Tbsp. oil, plus a little more

½ cup water (or more, according to need – the dough should be hard)

Filling:

4 Tbsp. oil

1 medium onion, chopped finely

1 spicy green pepper, chopped finely (depending on how spicy you want it)

1 Tbsp. ginger garlic paste

3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. sweet or spicy paprika, according to taste ¼ tsp. turmeric

¼ cup water

4 cooked potatoes, cut into cubes or wedges 1 heaping tsp. garam masala

2 Tbsp. lemon juice or ½ tsp. mango powder (can be bought in spice shops)

200 gr. petite peas, frozen

1 tsp. coriander

½ tsp. salt

Oil for frying

Add all of the ingredients for the dough to a bowl and knead for 10 minutes until everything is well mixed. The dough should be hard. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for 30 minutes.

To prepare the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté onions until they’re browned. Add the spicy pepper, the ginger garlic paste and the spices. Mix well and then add the water, potatoes, garam masala and the lemon juice. Stir gently and add the peas, coriander and salt. Mix and let cool.

To prepare the samosas, roll the dough into a log shape and then cut it into 8 sections. Take one section and roll it out on your work surface until it’s ½ cm. thick. Cut it into 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a cone shape. Take a bit of filling and stuff it into the cone. Seal the opening so that the samosa comes out a triangle shape. Use a little water to seal edge. Prepare the rest of the samosas in the same fashion.

Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium flame and sauté the samosas until they’ve turned golden brown. Remove and set on paper towels. Alternatively, you can brush samosas with oil and bake in an oven that has been preheated to 200º until they turn golden brown. Serve with yogurt and green chutney.

THE WRITER (left) with chef Shira Ezra Kisos at the Ramle market.