These layered samosa puffs called the Warqhi Samosas are a traditional snack amongst the South Indian Muslim community in India. They are crunchy as well as flaky like puff pastry and are so enjoyable as a snack. They are not made from puff pastry dough but the same dough for samosas. Their technique of making and frying is different from the regular samosas. They are layered and shaped like puffs and after frying them on low heat they become crunchy like samosas and flaky like a puff pastry. There is a special technique of frying them by flapping the oil over the folds on low heat in a gently fashion. This opens up the layers which slowly turn crunchy and flaky. These can also be baked with good results.
Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients for the dough:
4 cups white flour – 4 cups
1/4 cup + 2 tbs vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 2 tbs baking powder
1 tsp salt
Water as needed
Chicken filling Ingredients:
1 lb chicken mince
2 medium size onions
1tsp ginger garlic paste
2- 4 small green Chillies
1 cup cilantro
2 Cloves
1/2 an inch dark cinnamon bark
2 green cardamoms
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tbs ghee
2 – 3 cup vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions:
1. Make the chicken mince using a mincer using clean and dry chicken breast cut into cubes. Keep the mince aside.
2. Chop the small onion (1/2 cup). Heat 2 tbs vegetable oil in a pan Add whole cinnamon bark, cloves and green cardamoms followed by the chopped onion. Fry till golden brown.
3. Add ginger garlic paste, Kitchen king masala, chopped green chillies and turmeric. Mix and cook well.
4. Add sliced onions chopped green chillies (optional) and cilantro, close the lid. Do not stir or mix.
5. Once the meat is cooked, remove and allow it to cool.
6. Remove all the whole spices (cloves, cinnamon & cardamoms) that were added as you don’t want to bite into them when you are eating the samosa puffs. They are only added for flavouring the dish.
For the dough:
7. Take 4 cups of flour, add salt and baking powder. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and process it in a food processor. Add water little by little through the tube and pulse it again and again till it forms into a soft and pliable dough. It should not stick to your hands. Pulse it more and when it starts to spin it is time to remove it. Cover with a moist tea towel and set aside.
8. Roll the dough on a pastry board to a 1cm thickness
9. Cut into strips 3″ x 3″. Brush with ghee or vegetable oil and dust with flour.
10. Pile the strips one on top of the other – the dry side on top of the greasy side.
11. Cut into squares. Take each piled square piece and roll on each side to a slightly bigger square neither too thick nor too thin.
12. Add the filling in the centre. Brush the two sides of the square with flour paste (flour mixed with water to form a spreadable paste or you can use beaten egg white). Flip the other two sides on the sticky sides to form a triangle as shown in the picture above and press on the sides a little away from the edge. This helps in making the edges flaky on frying.
13. Fry them in moderately hot oil by gently pushing the oil towards the edges in a rowing motion so that the edges open up a bit and look flaky. Turn over and fry till they turn crispy and golden brown. Drain them on paper towels. The Samosa puffs are now ready.
14. Alternatively you could bake them in an oven preheated at 350° F for 25 – 30 minutes till they are golden and crispy as in the picture above.
15. Serve them hot with chutney or ketchup. Mint chutney, tamarind chutney and chilli garlic sauce are good accompaniments.
Notes:
You can make fillings of your choice such as chicken filling, shrimp mushroom filling, lamb/beef filling, potato paneer filling or potato peas filling.
You can omit the green chillies if you don’t want it spicy or just use one. But they give a good flavour to the filling. Slitting them and removing the seeds also lessens the heat)
Drain the samosa puffs very well before placing them on paper towels to prevent them from becoming oily.
You have to be very careful when splashing oil on the samosa edges while deep frying. Splash on the side away from you.
Recipe
Layered Samosa Puffs (Warqhi Samosas)
Ingredients
Ingredients for the dough:
- White flour - 4 cups
- Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup + 2 tbs
- Baking powder - 1/2 a tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Water as needed
Chicken Filling Ingredients:
- 1 lb chicken mince
- 2 medium size onions
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2- 4 Green Chillies small
- 1 cup cilantro
- 2 Cloves
- 1/2 inch cinnamon stick (cassia)
- 2 green Cardamoms
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 2 - 3 cups vegetable oil for deep frying the samosas.
Instructions
- Instructions:
- Make the chicken mince using a mincer using clean and dry chicken breast cut into cubes. Keep the mince aside.
- Chop the small onion (1/2 cup). Heat 2 tbs vegetable oil in a pan Add whole cinnamon bark, cloves and green cardamoms followed by the chopped onion. Fry till golden brown.
- Add ginger garlic paste, Kitchen king masala, chopped green chillies and turmeric. Mix and cook well.
- Add sliced onions chopped green chillies (optional) and cilantro, close the lid. Do not stir or mix.
- Once the meat is cooked, remove and allow it to cool.
- Remove all the whole spices (cloves, cinnamon & cardamoms) that were added as you don't want to bite into them when you are eating the samosa puffs. They are only added for flavouring the dish.
- For the dough:
- Take 4 cups of flour, add salt and baking powder. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and process it in a food processor. Add water little by little through the tube and pulse it again and again till it forms into a soft and pliable dough. It should not stick to your hands. Pulse it more and when it starts to spin it is time to remove it. Cover with a moist tea towel and set aside.
- Roll the dough on a pastry board to a 1cm thickness
- Cut into strips 3" x 3". Brush with vegetable oil and dust with flour.
- Pile the strips one on top of the other - the dry side on top of the greasy side.
- Cut into squares. Take each piled square piece and roll on each side to a slightly bigger square neither too thick nor too thin. Add the filling in the centre. Brush the two sides of the square with flour paste (flour mixed with water to form a spreadable paste or you can use beaten egg white). Flip the other two sides on the sticky sides to form a triangle and press on the sides a little away from the edge. This helps in making the edges flaky on frying.
- Fry them in moderately hot oil by gently pushing the oil towards the edges in a rowing motion so that the edges open up a bit and look flaky. Turn over and fry till they turn crispy and golden brown. Drain them on paper towels. The Samosa puffs are now ready.
- Alternatively you could bake them in an oven preheated at 350° F for 25 - 30 minutes till they are golden and crispy.
- Serve them hot with chutney or ketchup. Mint chutney, tamarind chutney and chilli garlic sauce are good accompaniments.
Notes
You can make fillings of your choice such as chicken filling, shrimp mushroom filling, lamb/beef filling, potato paneer filling or potato peas filling. You can omit the green chillies if you don't want it spicy or just use one. But they give a good flavour to the filling. Slitting them and removing the seeds also lessens the heat) Drain the samosa puffs very well before placing them on paper towels to prevent them from becoming oily. You have to be very careful when splashing oil on the samosa edges while deep frying. Splash on the side away from you.
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