Kheema Samosa

Savoury mince filled pastry parcels

• CuisineIndian
• CategoryLamb
• CourseStarters

Ingredients

• 500 gmsLamb mince
• 200 gmsOnion, finely diced
• 2Green chillies, finely sliced
• 100 gmsCarrots, grated
• 1 tbspGarlic, minced
• 1 tbspGinger, minced
• 1 tspChilli powder
• ½ tspTurmeric powder
• 1 tspGaram masala
• 4 sheetsShortcut pastry
•  Oil
•  Salt

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Add onions and green chillies and fry till soft
3. Add carrots, ginger, garlic, mince and stir till cooked
4. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala
5. Add salt to taste and cook till dry
6. Cut each pastry sheet into 3 x 3 squares
7. Place some filling in each square
8. Moisten the edges, fold into triangle and seal edges with a fork
9. Place in an oven at 200° C for 15 minutes and turn over, keep another 5 minutes

There are two kinds of samosas. The first kind is common all over India. But come to Bombay and you will find that the normal samosa plays second fiddle to a local version. This uses a very thin pastry wrapped in multiple layers and has a clearly equilateral triangle shape. The samosa eaten everywhere else is referred to as a Punjabi Samosa. The stuffing is usually vegetarian. The Punjabi Samosa is predominantly potatoes but the 'Bombay' samosa has a wide variety of fillings. Go to a Parsi or Irani restaurant and you may encounter the mutton samosa. This also has a thin multi-layered pastry covering. Straddling both worlds, I have opted for the Punjabi Samosa covering with a mince meat filling.

Samosas usually have a thinner pastry covering - may be a bit thicker than filo pastry. While it is made of maida - a refined flour - it still does not feel as refined as filo. It is also deep fried. But for the sake of convenience and to a certain extent, health, I opted for shortcrust pastry. Though I am not sure about the health bit - is a deep fried pastry any better than a baked pastry laced with butter? Puff pastry is also an option but I think it is further away in appearance and feel compared to the original. Shortcrust pastry comes a lot closer.

Start with a shortcrust pastry sheet and let it defrost. Cut into into 3 x 3 squares. Leaving the plastic separator makes it a bit easier to handle.

Add a spoonful or two of the dry mince. Wet the edges of each square with a bit of water.

Fold each square into a triangle and seal the moistened edges. Use a fork to press the edges closed. Besides sealing it, it also creates an interesting pattern. Sealing a deep fried samosa is critical - a leak means the stuffing leaks into the oil and the oil gets into the insides, ruining it. But a baked samosa does not need to be perfectly sealed.

Pop it into the oven at 200°C for 15 minutes. And then turn it over for another 5 minutes. In my case, I kept it for a little longer and I ended up with slightly blackened corners.