Paneer Samosa Recipe : A Snack for Samosa and Paneer Lovers!

Paneer Samosa

• Author: Chandni Agrawal
• Recipe Category: Snacks
• Cuisine: Indian

Description: The Samosa is most well-known street snack which is commonly available everywhere. The famous stuffing for this popular Indian snack is of the spicy mashed potato along with peas and some dry fruits. This delectable snack dish with fabulous potato stuffing gets a makeover of paneer.

Ingredients Required for Paneer Samosa Recipe:

The Paneer samosa is made from Paneer as its core element of stuffing. The ingredients for the dough of samosa pastry are the same as regular Punjabi samosa. Whereas all the other veggies and spices for the samosa stuffing are also similar. The only change in the ingredient is potatoes which is replaced by paneer. All these ingredients required for making the samosa are commonly available in everyone’s kitchen.

For Paneer Samosa Pastry Dough:

• Maida ( all-purpose flour) – 2 cups (250 grams)
• Carom Seeds (ajwain seeds) – ½ tsp.
• Water – 5 tbsp.
• Salt – as per taste
• Oil :
  • For mixing in dough – 2 tsp.
  • For deep frying – 4 tbsp.

Note: You may less or more water depending on quality of the flour. Use the water it the required amount to bind the flour properly. The substitute of oil can be ghee (patanjali cow ghee). The salt can be added as per your taste. If you do not know how much salt to add then keep the proportion of salt around ¾ tsp. The water for binding the dough must be warm or at room temperature. The substitute of Ajwain Seeds are Cumin Seeds.

For Paneer Samosa Stuffing:

• Paneer (grated/ chopped) – 1 cup
• Peas (fresh/frozen) – ½ cup
• Cumin Seeds (Jeera Seeds) – ½ tsp.
• Garam Masala – ¾ tsp.
• Hing / Asafoetida – a pinch
• Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp. (optional)
• Fennel Powder (Saunf Powder) – 1 tsp.
• Capsicum (finely chopped)– ¼ cup
• Onions (finely chopped)– ¼ cup
• Coriander Seeds (Dhania Seeds) – ½ tsp.
• Coriander Leaves – 2 tbsp.
• Dry Mango Powder (Amchur Powder) – ½ tsp.
• Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp.
• Green Chillies – 2 pieces
• Lime Juice – ¼ tsp.
• Cashew – 7 to 8 pieces (optional)
• Raisins – 7 to 8 pieces (optional)
• Salt – as per taste
• Oil

• For apply on edges -1 tbsp.
• For deep frying – 3 tbsp.

Note: You may buy the paneer from the store, but it is recommended to use fresh homemade paneer. (Check here if you want to know how to make paneer at home).

You can also crush ½ inch ginger and 4 cloves of garlic to the make the coarse paste. The ginger garlic paste is optional, add only if you want. Prepare the green chilli paste.

The peas can be frozen, fresh or dry. The packet of spice powder is available in the market but it’s always better to use homemade Garam Masala.

Method of Making Paneer Samosa Recipe:

The whole procedure for the preparation of Paneer Samosa Recipe has four main parts. The first step is to make the dough for the Paneer Samosa Pastry. Knead the dough and let it rest. Second is to make the paneer-pea vegetable stuffing for the samosa. Then is the tricky step, where you have to roll samosa dough and make it the shape of Samosa Patti. Finally, stuff these samosa one by one and then fry them in batches.

Preparation of Paneer Samosa Dough:

• Take a mixing bowl of large or medium size.
• Add 2 cups of Maida in it along with carom seeds in it.
• Pour the oil/ghee in this bowl.
• Sprinkle approximately ¾ tsp. salt and mix it with the rest of ingredients.
• Properly mix the ghee in the flour. Mix everything with your palms.
• Prepare the dough and pour the 2 tbsp. of water.
• Knead the dough and keep adding water as required.
• Make the firm dough which is not sticky (It should not stick to your hands).
• With a wet cloth, cover the dough.
• Keep the dough to rest and start to prepare paneer stuffing.

Note: The dough should become one mass. It must clamp on joining together. You must rub the flour with oil between your fingertips to get the consistency similar to breadcrumb.

Mix the oil very well with the flour. To get the flakiness and crispness in your samosa, you must properly mix fat with flour.

Preparation of Paneer Samosa Stuffing:

• Grate/Chop Paneer: Take the paneer and dry with clean cloth. Chop the paneer into small chunks. Mash or crumble these chunks in a bowl of warm water. (You can even grate the paneer) Wait till it becomes the even mixture. Keep this aside.
• Boil Pea: Clean and wash the peas. Boil or steam them in the prestige pressure cooker. Boil till the peas are soft and tender. Drain the peas and add to bowl. You can mash the peas if you want.
• Heat the oil in a pan over a medium flame.
• After that, add cumin seeds and crackle them in heated oil.
• Fry the cumin seeds and then add the coriander seeds.
• Add the Hing and fry it as well. Give a gentle stir.
• To this pan, add the finely chopped onions.
• Saute and fry these onions till they change the color and become light brown.
• Now, add the finely chopped green chillies and fry them. (If you are using ginger-garlic paste then add at this point.)
• Now, add the chopped capsicum and fry them till they are cooked.
• Sprinkle the various spice powders you are using. Lower the flame.
• If you are using any dry fruits, then add at this point and let them fry for a while.
• Now add the grated paneer (or the chopped paneer) along with the boiled and mashed peas in this mixture.
• Sprinkle the salt in the mixture.
• Check the taste of salt and all the spice powders.
• Add more of salt, red chilli powder, dry mango powder or Garam masala if you feel.
• Saute the mixture for 4-5 minutes.
• Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and stir the mixture.
• Mix well and add lime juice.
• Switch off the flame.
• Transfer the mixture from the pan to the bowl.
• Let the paneer-peas stuffing cool down.

Note: If the peas are frozen, then you must thaw them before boiling. It is optional to boil the frozen peas. But, it is compulsory to boil the fresh green peas. The dry peas has to be soaked in water before boiling.

Method of Making Paneer Samosas Stuffing:

• Uncover the samosa dough, take it out from the bowl.
• Spread it on the rolling area and knead it once.
• Take small portions of the dough and this way divide the whole dough into small pieces. (Make small portions to roll small size balls.)
• Roll these small portions one by one between your palms and make small balls. They should be smooth, so grease your palms before rolling.
• Now, apply little oil on the rolling area and roll these small balls in oval shape. (You can roll with the help of rolling pin.)
• Keep the size approximately around 6” × 3” and they should have proper thickness.
• Cut these rolled oval shaped samosa pastry or Patti into two portions. (Place the cut in the center of the samosa pastry.)
• You can use knife or pastry cutter for keeping the cut.
• Make the shape of cone from them. Apply water to the straight edge and join the two edges. Keep the watered edge on top of the plain edge.
• Properly seal the edges such that they don’t break or open. To seal them well, you must apply a little bit of pressure on these edges.
• Now, take the paneer-peas stuffing you prepared and add it in the samosa cone.
• Again, with your fingertips or brush apply water on the edge of the round samosa cone. Properly seal the edges and apply the water around the circumference of the cone.
• Straighten the bottom edge to make the samosa stand.
• Check if there is any edge open or broken. Scan for the crack in the edges.
• Gently apply the pressure on both the edges.
• No stuffing should come out of the samosa when you are frying them. Properly seal each and every edge of the samosa triangle.
• In a similar manner, make the samosa pastry, give the shape of cone and stuff with the paneer filling.
• Do this for this way for the remaining samosa pieces.
• Cover the prepared and stuffed samosa with the moist or damp cloth so that they don’t dry.

Note: You can apply the little water on the straight edge of the sliced pastry, with the brush. You can use your fingertips as well.

Frying the Stuffed Samosa:

• Keep oil to heat in the pan or non-stick kadai over a medium flame.
• After the oil is sufficiently hot to fry the samosa, slide the stuffed paneer samosa in the frying pan.
• On the medium flame, fry the Samosas till their texture becomes crispy and their color changes to golden brown. (You can also fry on low flame.)
• To fry the samosas evenly, you must flip them.
• Fry them till you their outer layer is crispy and crunchy. (If you want to double-fry the samosa, then take out when they are lightly fried.)
• Once fried, keep the samosa in the plate with an oil absorbent paper. (It is very important to remove excess oil.)
• Repeat the same frying procedure for the remaining pieces of samosa.
• Once again, before sliding the new samosa, turn the flame high. Then fry the samosa on medium flame.
• Do this until all the stuffed paneer samosa are fried.
• Double fry these samosas, if you want crunchier and crispier outer layer.

And the delicious Paneer Samosa are ready to eat!

Note: Be careful about the temperature of the oil while you frying samosa in more than one batch. Initially, when you slide the new samosa to fry in oil, the flame has to be high. But while frying the samosa you must lower the flame.

Additional Information:

• Calories: 800 calories
• Total Time: PT45M
• Serves: 4
• Date Published: 2016-07-19