Every culture has its own favorite fried dumpling. This is India’s.  Samosas are typically stuffed with spiced potatoes.  It makes a great snack, and for me, a good breakfast, too.  Especially with a hot cup of sweet chai.

Chef’s tip: You will need to make the dough fresh to make it easier to fold the samosa.  Using a food processor to make the dough makes it really easy.  Some folks use wonton skin or phyllo dough to avoid making the dough.  I think it’s more fool proof when you make it from scratch.  Really.

Cilantro-Mint Chutney:
1 bunch cilantro leaves
1 bunch mint leaves
1 Jalapeno, seeded
1 Tablespoon ginger, peeled, grated
1 Tablespoon tamarind or lime juice
1 Tablespoon shallot, chopped
1/2 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 – 1/2 cup water, enough to blend easily

Dough
4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons ghee
3/4 – 1 cup ice water (more or less, enough to make a pliable dough)

Flour for kneading

Spice
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon tumeric powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 teaspoon ajman seeds (or a mixture of thyme and oregano)

Filling
2 Russet potatoes, about 1½ lb
2 Tablespoons ghee
½ small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
1 Serrano chile, deseeded, chopped finely
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

6 cups canola oil

Making the chutney
1. Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse till smooth.  Set aside.

Preparing the dough:
2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt to mix.  Add the ghee and pulse till breadcrumbs form.  Add water, a little at a time, until the dough comes together as a ball.  Transfer the mixture into a floured surface and knead dough for 5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Preparing the filling:
3. Boil potatoes in their skin until tender, about 15 minutes. Peel and cut into small cubes.  Let cool slightly.
4. In a saucepan, heat the ghee under low heat, add the cumin and coriander seed and fry for 15 seconds.
5. Add the chopped onion and ginger fry till golden.  Add the remaining spices, peas, Serrano chile, salt and potatoes.  Remove from heat, and stir in the chopped cilantro and lemon juice.  Mix well.  Let cool.

Assembly:

6. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 1 minute. Divide into 2 equal portions and roll each into a 1/2-inch thick rope. Cut each into 8 equal parts and roll into smooth balls. Place each ball on the floured surface and roll into a thin circle, about 6-inches in diameter. Cut each circle in half (2 semi-circles).
7. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each semi-circle. Brush the edges with water and fold the dough over the filling. Press the edges together to seal. Place on a baking sheet.

Frying the samosas:
8. Heat the oil 350F.  Deep fry the samosas until golden brown.  Drain on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet.
9. Serve with chutney.

Serves: 32 pieces

I first tasted Aushak at the Salang Pass restaurant in Fremont, a city where a lot of Afghan immigrants have settled. Aushak is proof that Marco Polo made his way through that part of the world (I mean through the Hindu Kush, not Fremont!) enroute back from China. Aushak is traditionally made with beef – it’s the Afghan version of ravioli with a meat sugo sauce, except that the Afghans use spices such as cardamon, sumac, coriander etc instead of herbs like oregano and basil.
I prefer the vegetarian version of Aushak, and instead of a flat dumpling, I make a “tortellini” shaped dumpling that can hold the sauce better.

Chef’s tip: In line with Mr. Polo’s “Chinese” influence, I recommend using wonton skin to make the dumplings. I think Marco Polo will agree.

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce:
3 tablespoon Oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon ginger, peeled, grated
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
4 Cardamom pods, ripped opened but intact
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups water

Yogurt sauce:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon fresh mint
1/4 teaspoon salt

Leek filling:
3 leeks (about 4 cups chopped)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup finely chopped cilantro

Ravioli:
48 pieces square wonton wrappers
Some mint, chiffonade

Preparing the tomato sauce:
1.    Heat oil in a pan set over medium heat.  Add chopped onions, and sauté until translucent about 3 minutes.  Add minced garlic, ginger and cumin and sauté, 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until seeds are browned and oil is fragrant.
2.    Add tomatoes,  cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, sumac, salt, pepper and water.
3.    Simmer gently over low heat until sauce is redued by half and is thick.  Keep warn until aushaks are ready to serve.
Preparing the yogurt sauce:
4.    Mix all the ingredients together and adjust seasoning to taste.
Preparing the ravioli:
5.    Cut off the dark green hard leaves from the leek. Keeping the roots to hold the leeks together, halve lengthwise.  Fan out the leeks and rinse under the faucet to remove sand.  Slice finely cross, wise, discard the root..
6.    Microwave leeks until soft, about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7.    Combine leeks with salt, cilantro and let it cool.
8.    Folding the dumplings: On a clean surface lightly dusted with cornstarch, brush edges of the wonton wrapper with a little water (just slightly damp).  Mound about 1 Tablespoon of the filling in the center of each wrapper.  Bring opposite corners together to make a triangle and press to seal, making sure to remove any air from the filling.  Make sure seams are well-sealed. Next bring the two corners along the long edge of the triangle to meet together and overlap them.  Press the two corners together to fuse them.  Place on a tray dusted with cornstarch.
9.    Bring a pot of water to boil.  Drop in about 12 dumplings in at a time, give it a stir so that the dumplings do not stick to the bottom.  Wait 2-3 minutes or until the dumplings float up.  Remove with a slotted spoon.
10.    Place dumplings in a plate, ladle over tomato sauce and drizzle with yogurt sauce.  Garnish with mint.
Serves 6