Vegetable Samosas With Mozzarella & Basil

Samosas, the deliciously crispy fried pastries with a bubbly texture and a tasty vegetable filling are a favorite street food all over India. These babies have always held their own, even amidst non-vegetarians, and have evolved over time into a recipe that is cherished by all. The traditional variety comes with a simple potato-peas filling, but variety is the spice of life, and so you’ll find several forms of Samosas adorning the Indian food scene. Paneer samosas, Chinese samosas, cheese samosas, are all variants of the basic recipe described below. I love experimenting with flavors, so I chose to throw in 2 of my favorite ingredients in the mix – Basil and Mozzarella Cheese!

You can’t go much wrong with a classic combination of vegetables, cheese and herbs. The savory goodness mixed with the stretchy melted cheese that you grab in one big bite is enough to scintillate all of your taste buds! Fresh basil adds a distinct flavor to the mix, but you can omit it if you like. Serve the Samosas as an Appetizer or Snacks with a side of Chutneys; but be sure you make a lot of these, b’coz everyone in your party is going to love them!

Vegetable Samosas with Mozzarella & Basil

Ingredients
Makes about 10-15 medium samosas

For the Filling
3 large potatoes – boiled and mashed
3/4 cup peas – boiled
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup onions – chopped finely
3-4 tbsp coriander – chopped finely
2 tbsp fresh basil leaves – chopped finely
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt add to your taste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp oil

For the Shell
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp fine semolina
2 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp oil
warm water for kneading the dough
Oil for frying

Method
For the filling, set a pan on medium heat, warm some oil and add the cumin seeds. As they splutter, add the garlic paste and onions and saute for a minute. Then add the remaining ingredients (except cheese) and mix well. Keep aside.

For the shell, mix the salt, semolina and flour together and add the oil to it. Mix well so that the entire flour is oiled and forms crumbles. Now knead the dough (not too thin or soft, just pliable enough) using warm water. This helps make the crust more crispier. Use very little water at a time so that you do not make the dough too watery. Cover with a wet cloth and leave aside for 10-15 mins.

Making the Samosas
Now take a small portion of dough, roll into a ball and use a rolling pin and some extra flour to form a large 5″x5″ circular shaped Puri. Cut into 2 semi-spheres using a knife.

Fill 2 tbsp of the filling in the center of one portion, sprinkle a bit of mozzarella cheese, then roll the 2 sides/edges over the filling to form a triangle.

Use light oil and water mixture on the edges to seal them properly on all 3 sides and form a triangle pastry (or you can use egg wash, if you like). Make all the samosas in this way and refrigerate for about 10 mins.

Frying the Samosas
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan on medium flame. When the oil gets hot enough, drop 2 samosas in the frying pan at a time and fry on both sides at low-to-medium flame till they turn into a light golden color (about 1 min). Do not over-fry.

Remove and drain them on a tissue paper. Finish with the remaining samosas.

Serve them immediately with some Imli ki Chutney. You can even store them ahead of time for a few hours. Just re-fry them on low heat to make them crispier, if you like, or re-heat them in the oven for a healthier alternative.

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