Tandoori chicken samosas
Samosas make a great little starter with endless variations on fillings to suit your tastes.
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 250g/9oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 free-range egg, separated
- 135ml/4¾fl oz warm water
For the filling
- 1 tbsp ready-made tandoori curry paste
- 1 tbsp yoghurt
- 2 skinless chicken breasts
- 2 potatoes, peeled
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, peeled, finely chopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
- 10 curry leaves, finely chopped
- 75g/2½oz frozen peas
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- vegetable oil, for deep frying
To serve
Method
For the pastry, mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add the oil and egg yolk and mix until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Gradually mix in the warm water, until the mixture forms a smooth and elastic dough (you may not need all of the water). Roll the dough into a ball, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge until needed.
For the filling, mix the tandoori paste and the yoghurt together in a bowl. Add the chicken breasts and turn several times to coat the chicken in the mixture. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside to marinate in the fridge for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 180C/360F/Gas 4.
Place the chicken into a roasting tray and cook in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through (the chicken is cooked if the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced at the thickest part). Set aside to cool, then chop into small cubes.
Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool. When cooled, finely chop the potatoes.
Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onion for 3-4 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the ground turmeric, garam masala, mustard seeds, salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for a minute, stirring well. (CAUTION: the mustard seeds may start to pop. Keep the pan well away from your face and eyes.)
Add the garlic and chillies and fry for 2-3 minutes, then add the curry leaves to the pan and cook for a further minute. Add the chopped potato and mix gently into the spices. Cook over a low heat for a further ten minutes, then stir in the peas and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the peas are tender.
Gently fold in the chopped chicken, add the lemon juice and chopped coriander. Check for seasoning, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
To make the samosas, roll out the pastry on a floured work surface to about 3mm thick. Cut out 15cm/6in rounds with a pastry cutter.
Cut each round in half to give two semicircles. Take each semicircle and wrap into a cone, brushing the edges with the reserved egg white and sealing together. Spoon the samosa filling into each cone so that they are just over half-full (do not overfill them or it will be difficult to seal). Brush the top of the pastry cone with egg white and seal the open ends of the cone together. Repeat the procedure with the remaining pastry and filling.
Half-fill a deep, heavy-based pan with the vegetable oil and heat until a cube of bread dropped in sizzles and turns golden-brown in 30 seconds (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended). Fry the samosas in small batches, for 4-5 minutes each time, or until golden-brown and crisp. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
Serve the samosas with small bowls of chutney and raita alongside.