3000 miles 'til dinner.

An all time favorite, any time night or day, these little savory golden packages are easy to prepare and cook at home. In India  Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, South Asia as well as other parts of the world, you will find this snack variation sold in shops and street booths. Ingredients for the filling can really be anything you choose, whether it be meat, poultry or vegetable, so it’s a chance to get very creative.

Prep  & fry time:  

  *cooking mung bean or  dal: 30 minutes

  *making filling & assembling samosas: 30-45 minutes minutes

  *deep frying samosas: 15 minutes

Servings:   6  (7 samosas each)

♥PANTRY, FRIDGE, MARKET♥♥

1/2  C. dried mug bean or dal; when cooked equals 1 1/4 C. cooked

1 pkg. won ton or gyoza wraps (approx 45 wraps), fresh or frozen

3-4 C. vegetable oil of choice, for frying

1 serranos pepper or 1/2 t. hot chili pepper flakes

3 medium to large  cloves garlic

1/2 C. roasted cashews

1/2 C. raisins 

1 t. garam masala

1 t. fennel powder

1 t. cumin

1 t. coriander

1 t. cardamom

1 1/2 T mild chili powder

1 T. lemon or lime juice

1 t. sea salt

1/2  t. black pepper

♥PREP

Cooking mung bean or dal: Put  in pot, cover with water, bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 20-30  minutes until soft, adding more water if needed. When beans are soft, pour off excess water and reserve.

In a small skillet, dry roast the spices: garam masala, fennel, cumin, coriander, cardamom. 

In a food processor with steel blade, pulse garlic, serranos, raisins  and cashews until finely chopped.  Add mung bean/dal, 3 T. saved liquid or water, roasted spices, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse until you have a dry crumbly coarse mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

♥ASSEMBLE:  have ready a small bowl of water + pastry brush + cookie sheet

Lay 10-15 wraps out on a dry surface. Place approx. 1 t. filling in the center of each wrap. Because the filling is crumbly, it may “scatter” so tuck the little crumbs back into the center.  Brush the edges of 5 wraps,  pull sides of each one up into a package and pinch together so all sides are sealed. Option: fold into a half-moon shape.

Place in a single layer on cookie  sheet. Continue the process until all are assembled. Note: if packages start to open, simply pinch classed, adding a little water with your finger tips if needed.

♥FRY: have ready a heavy “non-stick” pan or wok, cookie sheet lined with several layers of paper towels + long handled slotted spoon

Pour oil into the pan so it is approximately 3” deep. Heat  to 350 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, test the temperature of the oil by dropping in a cube of bread. It should sizzle and brown in 50 seconds.  

When oil is hot, drop in samosas, one at a time, until a single layer (not crowded) is floating in the oil. They will brown quickly, so using the slotted spoon, turn as they fry and remove when crisp and brown. Add fresh samosas each time you remove a cooked one.  (see helpful hints below)  Place fried samosas on cookie sheet lined with paper towels.

♥TO SERVE: these snacks are delicious eaten hot or room temperature. 

♥♥ WAYS TO “just wing it” ♥♥               consider or substitute

*substitute for mung bean/dal: : potatoes,  green or yellow split peas, dry beans such as pinto, black, navy or garbonzo

*non-vegetarian substitute for mug bean/dal: raw, ground beef, chicken, turkey or pork

*substitute for cashews: almonds or peanuts

*consider: a larger samosa by using an entire egg roll wrap; spoon 2-3 T filling onto each wrap, moisten edges and pull up around the filling to make a 2”x2” square.

♥ Helpful Hints♥

*mung bean - a member of the pea family

*dal - dried lentils, peas or beans that have been stripped of their outer hulls and split

*frying tips: It is important to rotate in fresh samosas as cooked ones are removed to maintain the constant frying temperature. If at any time the oil seems too cool, let it heat up without adding any samosas. If it seems too hot, turn heat down for 5 minutes or soon. 

*samosas can be assembled and refrigerated a day ahead, as long as they aren’t stacked AND edges don’t touch

*samosas can be fried a few hours ahead and either re-heated in the oven or eaten at room temperature, but they are the best eaten directly after frying

*unused Gyoza wraps can be frozen/re-frozen

*extra filling can be frozen

*filled wraps can be frozen in single layers with parchment, plastic or waxed paper between the layers, edges not touching. Do not thaw before frying. Be careful as bits of frost on the wraps may cause the grease to splatter.

(MIL post)