Frugal Food...Samosas...scrumptious penny pinching fuel for snowy days...



Mmmmm...go on, you know you want to...

What's hot, crispy, will make you the envy of your friends, and costs pennies to make? 

Yeah. 

Samosas.

Really, stupidly, easy to make, a batch of 16 can be made for about $1.50.  Yup, I said one dollar & fifty cents...or under 10 cents each. 

I generally riff off this recipe on the wonderful Mamta's Kitchen website (Samosa recipe)

varying spices etc to taste. 

But the basics remain the same: dough for 16 samosas requires 2 cups of flour ($0.18 cents), a few teaspoons of oil, a pinch of salt and some water. The filling requires about 1.5 lbs russet type potatoes ($0.45), a cup of frozen peas and some spices. Then there's the oil for frying...that's probably the most expensive bit of the recipe.

If you had the good sense, when you were preparing last night's dinner, to cook a few extra potatoes, being careful not to let them get waterlogged and mushy, you can put these together in about  thirty minutes. 

Prepare the dough first and let it rest covered so it doesn't dry out.

Dice up your potatoes, add peas and spices, assemble rolling pin, a little flour, a little water...good to go.

Dough semi-circle ready for filling...

Divide dough into eight balls.  Roll each out into the size of a small plate. Slice each circle in half.  Now, taking one semi-circle at a time, dab a little water along the long straight edge, then fold each side into the middle, overlapping slightly, to form a triangle. Press to seal the seam. Hold your left thumb and forefinger as if you were holding an ice-cream cone. With your right hand, pick up your triangle with the pointy end downwards, teasing the dough pocket open, and rest it in the thumb/finger cradle of your left hand. Now fill the cone with a few teaspoons of the potato mixture, then wet the top edge of your dough and pinch to seal. They're now ready to be deep fried...a deep skillet or small wok works just fine.  Much harder to describe than to make, honest.  For a video demo I highly recommend checking out the incomparable Manjula Jain.

These have become our go-to lunch on ski days. A couple of these, a little spicey chutney, and a thermos of homemade lentil soup, and we're well set. And while, after a morning of vigorous snow shredding, Firstborn is snarfing his less than fifty cent homemade lunch, his buds are "enjoying" a congealing plate of Poutine at $7.00. Told you they'd make you the envy of your friends!

Have a go...surprise yourself!