Chickpea Samosas

By ngteller

Ingredients

• 225 g Plain Flour, For Pastry
• 1 ½ tsp Fine Salt, For Pastry
• 1 Tbsp Melted Butter, For Pastry
• 6 Tbsp Warm Water, For Pastry
• 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp Curry Powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• ½ tsp Cumin , ground
• ½ tsp Turmeric, ground
• 1 Small Onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 inch Ginger Root, peeled and grated
• 1 Green Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 can (15 ounces) Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 200 ml Water
• ½ tsp Salt
• 100 g Peas, thawed if frozen, blanched if fresh
• ½ Lemon, juiced

Preparation

Step 1

To make the pastry, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the melted butter and 5 tbsp warm water. Mix with a round-bladed knife to form a dough, adding another 1 - 3 tsp water if the mixture seems too dry. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 - 10 mins to a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in a cool part of the kitchen for at least 30 mins.

For the filling, heat the oil in a wide frying pan or wok. Add the curry powder, garam masala, cumin and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Next, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook until the onion is softened and the spices are fragrant, about 4 - 5 mins. Tip in the chickpeas, then add the water and salt. Cook, stirring gently, until most of the water has been absorbed, then take off the heat. Stir in the peas and lemon juice to taste. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.

Divide the pastry into 6 or 7 equal pieces. Now roll out the pastry and shape the samosas following my guide (on the preceding pages).

Heat a 6cm depth of oil in a deep heavy-based saucepan or wok over a medium heat to 180 - 190ºC. To test, drop a bread cube into the oil; it should sizzle on contact. Deep-fry the samosas in batches until golden brown and crisp, 6 - 8 mins. Drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven while cooking the rest. Serve hot or warm.