Quoting the much quoted Bernard Shaw quote : “There is no love sincerer than the love of food“.

Indeed! And can there be any love sincerer than the love of a good samosa?

Vancouver truly is in love with samosas, and they’re everywhere! In the many Indian restaurants and sweet shops, of course, but also ready-to-eat at supermarket delis, or ready-to-cook, in the frozen food sections. You’ll find them in more unexpected places too. Like on the menu of the restaurant on the ski slopes of Grouse Mountain, (Après-ski samosa, anyone?) or fuelling a craving at the gas station.

For a time, they were even available at the concession of one of the neighbourhood Cineplexes. Who wants popcorn when you can eat hot samosas instead? The most popular stall at any Food event is almost certainly the one selling samosas, whether the large Punjabi style flaky pastry cones, or the crisp, papery Ismaili style samosas with mincemeat filling. Take samosas to a  potluck and you can be sure it’ll be the first platter to be picked clean!

While growing up in Delhi and Punjab, hearty samosas were as good as a staple food in my diet. Every tea or birthday party menu featured  giant samosas, deep fried in ghee, too heavy for the flimsy paper plate, which buckled and warped as you chased the chutney or tomato sauce. I couldn’t get enough of that melting pastry and soft, spicy potato filling.Thanks to the large and vibrant community of Punjabi Indo-Canadians in Greater Vancouver, I can still get to indulge that passion.

Sharing the love this Valentine’s Day, here’s a family favourite recipe for rather more delicately proportioned “love at first bite- sized” samosas. Try them, and fall in love. 🙂

Samosas

For the filling:

• 250 gm boiled potato, not too finely mashed
• 75 gm onion, finely diced
• 2 green chillis (or to taste) deseeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup boiled green peas
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
• Salt to taste
• A small bunch each of mint (leaves only) and fresh coriander (include stems), coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• Oil for deep frying

For the pastry:

• Remember the half portion of dough you set aside here?

Divide it into 10 equal parts and roll them out into even elliptical shapes, like in the picture.

Stack them up, then slice through the smaller radius to make 20 pieces..

Place one on the palm of your hand, straight edge on top. Bring down the corners, all the way to the curved side, overlap them to form a cone and press the layers together to seal. Use a little water to moisten the surface and help it stick.

Flip the cone over, and fill it with a generous spoonful of the potato filling.

Using your thumb, press the wrapper in over the filled portion from the middle of one side, creating  two parallel folds. Pinch down to seal. (Again, use a little water to help it stick.) Pinch the remaining open side together, then gently set the samosa down on the folded base.

Repeat, until you have lined up twenty wobbly pyramids fit to give the pharaohs an uneasy afterlife.

Heat the oil in a kadhai or wok and fry gently for about 7 minutes, or until golden brown.

For perfect crispness, dredge the samosas halfway through frying and hold them out of the oil for a minute, before returning them to the heat. Drain on absorbent paper.

With that lesson in geometry done, all that remains is to figure out the best angle of attack. Be still, my beating heart.

Makes 20 bite-sized samosas. Serve these up anytime!