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Samosas Aloo Aur Matar Samosae
    At Café Spice we make more than 10,000 handmade samosas a day! The samosa is a quintessential Indian snack and is probably the most common snack served when you have unexpected visitors. Every neighborhood in India has at least one vendor selling these delicious triangular fritters. Although the standard stuffing for samosas is potato, you can be very innovative and use ingredients like leftover lentils, vegetables, or even minced meat for the filling. The preparation is simple—if you can consistently form triangle shapes, you can make samosas. Various machines and equipment have been tried to form the perfect swollen triangle from the dough, but to date, the best samosas are still made by hand. At the Café Spice kitchen, we have a dedicated samosa room and employ skilled “samosa girls” who have mastered the art of consistently churning out these perfect triangle shapes.
    Serves 4
    Prep time: 30 minutes
    Cook time: 15 minutes
    SAMOSA PASTRY
    2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
    ½ teaspoon salt
    ¼ teaspoon nigella seeds (optional)
    4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon oil
    4 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
    POTATO AND PEAS FILLING
    4 tablespoons oil
    1 teaspoon mustard seeds
    1 onion (about 5 oz/150 g), diced
    1 teaspoon ground coriander
    1 teaspoon Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper
    1 teaspoon salt
    ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
    2 potatoes (about 1¼ lbs/600 g), peeled and diced
    1 cup (130 g) green peas, fresh or frozen (shelled from 1 lb/500 g fresh pea pods)
    To make the Samosa Pastry: Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the nigella seeds (if using) and 4 tablespoons of oil and rub the ingredients in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Slowly add about 4 tablespoons water and form the dough into a stiff ball, adding more water if needed.
    Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5–7 minutes, until smooth, and make a ball. Rub the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil on the surface of the dough ball and set it aside for at least 30 minutes, making sure it is tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. While the Samosa Pastry is resting, make the samosa filling.
    To make the Potato and Peas Filling: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, and when they start to pop, add the onion and fry until soft. Add the ground coriander, Asian red chili powder or cayenne pepper, salt, and ground turmeric and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Add the potatoes and green peas. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside.
    When you are ready to fill the samosas, divide the Samosa Pastry into 8 balls. It is important to work with one ball of dough at time and to keep the other dough balls covered to prevent drying. Take a ball and roll it out into a 7-in (18-cm) circle. Cut it in half with a sharp knife. Working with one of the half-circles, with the straight edge positioned at the top, fold one of the sides inward to the center. With your finger, rub a little water on the top of folded edge. Now take the other side and fold it inward, overlapping the moistened dough edge to form a cone. Press the two edges together. Fill the cone with about 2 tablespoons of the filling of your choice. Do not over fill the samosa. It is very important that there is at least a ¼-in (6-mm)-wide border of dough along the top to make sure the filling does not come out while frying. With your finger, rub a little water along the inside edge of the dough at the top of the cone. Close the top of the cone by firmly pressing the open edges together. Press the top seam down with back side of the fork, or flute it with your fingers. Fill the rest of the samosas.
    Heat 2 inches (5 cm) of oil in a kadhai, small wok, or large saucepan over medium heat to 325°F (160°C) on a deep-fry or candy thermometer. To gauge the temperature of the oil without a thermometer, drop a piece of bread about