Ground Chicken Samosa
Deep-fried food is the guilty pleasure of people all over the world. So picture this: your favorite meat or dare I say veggies, wrapped in a flaky dough, placed in front of you piping hot and straight from the fryer. You dip this crispy goodness in coriander chutney and take a bite. That one bite is enough to take you straight to food heaven. Now friends this in a nutshell is the “ SAMOSA”
Being an Indian I have always thought that we owned the exclusive rights to the samosa. “NEWSFLASH” I was wrong. It actually originated in Central Asia and came over to India along with the Persian kings who invaded and ruled the country centuries ago. Nevertheless the samosa has led a long and charmed life and has grown into a popular food in different parts of the world.
Nowhere in the world is it more iconic than INDIA and Mumbai city is no different. There are food carts selling these crunchy snacks side by side with big restaurants. And trust me these snacks pack a flavorful punch without punching a big hole in your wallet. The samosa pairs extremely well with tea or “ CHAI” as it is locally called. “ CHAI-SAMOSA is ubiquitous in Mumbai, be it a high-profile business meeting or your friendly chat at your local snack shop with your buddies.
P.S: I would love to hear more about dishes like this from different parts of the world. Feel free to leave your responses in the comment section.
Having grown up in Mumbai I have been enamored with samosas from a very early age. I have fond memories of the times I spent with friends hanging out at the local snack shop just outside my pharmacy school. That shop sold a variety of treats but I always had my eye on the samosas which were paired with the tangy tamarind chutney. When I got out of school every evening I could smell the heavenly aromas wafting in the air from the freshly made samosas. As a result the days when I went home without having a bite of this sumptuous chutney coated snack were rare.
So when I started cooking these tasty treats were the first things that came to mind. It takes a bit of effort but the end result is totally worth it. The samosas are made with a wide variety of filings catering to different tastes. In India the traditional filling is a mashed potato and pea filing or a minced meat filing. I decided to make my samosas with a meat filing made of ground chicken and peas accented with a bunch of Indian spices.
In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour with salt. Now add oil and mix it with hand thoroughly till the oil is incorporated into the flour. Add water little by little until it forms a firm dough. Cover the dough with a moist towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
In the mean time, make the filling. Heat oil in a small pan. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamom and cloves (this can be replaced with store bought garam masala). Stir until fragrant. Add onions, garlic and sweat. Mix in the tomato puree, as well as the dry spice powders (red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder). Cook for about 7-8 minutes till the flavors come together. Add the ground chicken and cook until the color of the meat starts to change. Add green peas, garam masala and salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Assemble the samosas as shown here.
In a big frying pan add oil, bring the heat to medium, once the oil is hot gently slide in the samosas. Now reduce the heat and fry till puffy and golden brown on all the sides. Once done, lift it from the oil and drain on paper towels. This ground chicken samosa dipped in tamarind chutney is simply divine.
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Ground Chicken Samosa
Ingredients
CRUST
- 1-1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Oil
- half cup Water
- Salt to taste
FILLING
- 1 pound Ground Chicken
- 1 cup Green Peas
- 1 medium Onion finely chopped
- Bay Leaf-1 Green cardamom whole-3, cloves-4, cinnamon stick-1. OR store bought garam masala- 2 tsp OR Whole Garam Masala
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Red Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala: 1
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder:
- 2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 3 tbsp Tomato Puree
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- Salt to taste
Instructions
CRUST
- In a bowl mix all-purpose flour and salt. Add 2 tbsp oil and mix until all the oil is well incorporated into the flour. Add water and knead into smooth firm dough. Cover it with moist towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
FILLING
- Heat oil in a medium non-stick pan.
- Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, green cardamom and cloves (Add store bought garam masala instead at the end) . Stir until just fragrant.
- Add onions, garlic and cook until onions turn brown.
- Add tomato puree,red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix well, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir a few times and continue to cook until oil starts to separate from the mixture.
- Add the ground chicken. Mix well and cook until the color of the meat starts to change.
- Add green peas, garam masala and salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Keep aside to cool to room temperature.
SAMOSA ASSEMBLY & FRYING
- Divide the dough into equal portions. Roll into a disc and cut at the center to make two halfs and apply water on the edges. Shape the dough into cones and stuff the ground chicken mixture into the cone. Brush water around the top edge and seal shut.
- In a big frying pan add oil, bring the heat to medium, once the oil is hot gently slide the samosa, now reduce the heat and fry till puffy and golden brown on all the sides. Once done, lift it from the oil and drain on paper towels.
