Name: Crispy Vegetable Samosas with Tamarind Chutney
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 6 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for frying; 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds), crushed; 1 tsp salt; About ½ cup cold water; 1½ lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 1 tbsp ginger, grated; 2 green chiles, minced; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 cup frozen peas; 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp ground coriander; ½ tsp turmeric; 1 tbsp lemon juice; ¼ cup cilantro, chopped; To finish tamarind chutney

Crispy Vegetable Samosas with Tamarind Chutney

Hand-folded pastry cones packed with spiced potato and pea, fried low and slow until the shell shatters without a raw streak inside.

Serves

Prep

45 min

Cook

30 min

Written

August 4, 2026

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

6 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for frying

1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds), crushed

1 tsp salt

About ½ cup cold water

1½ lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger, grated

2 green chiles, minced

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup frozen peas

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp turmeric

1 tbsp lemon juice

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

To finish tamarind chutney

Method

Combine the flour, ajwain, and salt, then rub in the oil with your fingers until the mixture holds together when pinched.

Add the cold water a little at a time, kneading to a stiff, smooth dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.

Boil the potatoes until fork-tender, drain, and roughly mash, leaving some chunks.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil and toast the cumin seeds until they pop, then add the onion, ginger, and chiles and cook until the onion is soft and golden.

Stir in the peas, garam masala, coriander, and turmeric and cook until the peas are heated through and the spices smell toasted.

Fold in the mashed potatoes, lemon juice, cilantro, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, until the filling holds together, then spread it out to cool completely.

Divide the dough into 8 balls. Roll each into a thin oval, cut in half, and form each half into a cone, sealing the straight edge with a dab of water.

Fill each cone with a heaping tablespoon of cooled filling, then pleat and seal the top edge shut.

Heat 2 inches of oil to 325°F. Fry the samosas in batches, turning occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, until deep golden and blistered.

Drain on a rack and serve hot with tamarind chutney.

Notes

Fry these slower and cooler than instinct says to — 325°F, not the usual 350–375°F. A hotter oil browns the shell before the raw dough at the center has cooked through, which is the single way this goes wrong. The low, patient fry is what gets you a shell that shatters clean instead of one with a doughy interior.

Let the filling go completely cold before you fill the cones. Warm filling sweats, and that moisture is enough to soften the dough and blow out a seam in the oil. No deep fryer needed — a heavy pot with a thermometer clipped to the side works fine, and a spider or slotted spoon does the rest.