Samosa Chaat with Quick Chole, Tamarind & Green Chutney

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A whole paper-bowl street snack built from scratch: blistered, flaky potato-pea samosas crushed under a ladle of quick chickpea chole, then buried in whipped yogurt, sweet-sour date-tamarind chutney, sharp mint-coriander chutney, raw onion and a snowdrift of sev. Every component is doable in a normal kitchen, and the samosas fry low-then-hot for that pale, bubbled, shatter-crisp shell you only get from a good cart.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 g), plus more for rolling
• 1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds), lightly crushed
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup ghee or neutral oil, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup cold water, approximately

• 1 1/4 lb russet potatoes (about 2 large)
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 serrano chile, minced
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3/4 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne or Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro

• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (or 2 cloves garlic plus 1 tbsp grated ginger)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 3/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
• 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp kala namak (black salt), or fine salt to taste

• 1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates (about 6), torn
• 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate (thick paste)
• 3 tbsp grated jaggery or dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp kala namak (black salt)
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

• 2 cups packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1 cup packed mint leaves
• 1 serrano chile, stemmed
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tbsp ice water

• 4 cups neutral oil, for frying
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 cup nylon sev (fine chickpea-flour noodles)
• 2 tsp chaat masala
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Make the dough first so it can rest: whisk the flour, ajwain and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, add the ghee and rub it in with your fingers for a full minute until the flour looks like damp sand and holds its shape when squeezed. Add the cold water 2 tablespoons at a time, tossing, until you have a stiff, slightly shaggy dough — you may not need all the water. Knead 2 minutes into a tight, smooth ball, wrap in plastic and rest at room temperature 30 minutes to 2 hours. The dough should feel firmer than pizza dough; a soft dough gives bubbly, greasy samosas.
2. Boil the potatoes: cover whole unpeeled potatoes with salted water, bring to a boil and simmer 25-30 minutes until a knife slides in with no resistance. Drain, cool 10 minutes, peel, then crumble by hand into rough 1/2-inch pieces — do not mash smooth.
3. Cook the filling: heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle 20 seconds. Add the ginger and serrano and fry 30 seconds, then the peas, coriander, garam masala, amchur, cayenne and 1 tsp salt. Stir 1 minute, add the crumbled potatoes and cook 3-4 minutes, pressing and folding, until everything is coated and dry-looking. Stir in the cilantro, taste for salt and tang, and cool completely.
4. Make the date-tamarind chutney: simmer the dates, tamarind concentrate, jaggery and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan over medium-low for 12 minutes, until the dates collapse. Blend smooth, then return to the pan with the roasted cumin, black salt, ground ginger and cayenne and simmer 3-5 minutes more to the consistency of thin honey — it thickens as it cools. Cool; thin with water if needed.
5. Make the green chutney: blend the cilantro, mint, serrano, garlic, lime juice, roasted cumin, sugar, salt and ice water until smooth and vivid green, scraping down and adding a splash more water only if the blender stalls. Refrigerate.
6. Make the chole: heat 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium, sizzle the cumin seeds 20 seconds, then add the onion and cook 6-8 minutes to deep golden. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook 1 minute, then the tomato paste, coriander, garam masala and turmeric; fry 2 minutes until the paste darkens and the oil separates at the edges.
7. Add the chickpeas and 1 1/2 cups water, bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered 15 minutes. Mash about a quarter of the chickpeas against the side of the pan to thicken the gravy, stir in the amchur and black salt, and keep warm and loose — it should be ladle-able, not stiff. Add a splash of water before serving if it tightens.
8. Shape the samosas: divide the rested dough into 6 balls. Roll one into a 7-inch oval about 1/16 inch thick, cut it in half across the middle, and brush the straight cut edge with water. Fold the two corners of the straight edge over each other to form a cone, pressing the seam hard to seal (pinch out any air gap).
9. Fill the cone with about 3 tablespoons of filling, leaving 1/2 inch at the top. Brush the open rim with water, pinch it flat and press the seam closed, then fold or crimp the sealed edge for insurance. Set on a tray, seam side up, and repeat for 12 samosas. Keep the shaped ones covered with a towel so they don't dry out.
10. Fry low first: heat the 4 cups oil in a deep pot or wok to 275°F (135°C). Slip in 4-6 samosas — they should barely bubble — and fry 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the shells are set, pale blond and blistered. Lift onto a rack. Repeat with the rest, keeping the oil at 275°F.
11. Fry hot to finish: raise the oil to 350°F (175°C) and return the samosas in batches for 2-3 minutes, turning, until deep golden and audibly crisp. Drain on the rack, never on paper towels flat, or the bottoms steam soft.
12. Whisk the yogurt with the sugar and a pinch of salt until pourable like heavy cream, adding 1-2 tbsp water if it's thick. Set out the chutneys, onion, sev, chaat masala, cilantro and pomegranate — assembly goes fast and must be eaten immediately.
13. For each bowl: put 2 hot samosas in a paper bowl or shallow dish and smash them open with the back of a spoon so the potato spills. Ladle over 3/4 cup of the hot chole, then spoon on 3 tbsp whipped yogurt, 2 tbsp tamarind chutney and 1-2 tsp green chutney.
14. Shower with diced red onion, a generous handful of sev, 1/2 tsp chaat masala, cilantro and pomegranate. Add a lime wedge and serve at once, while the samosa edges are still crunching under the gravy.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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