Shingara, the Bengali Samosa

Shingara is the snack which is liked by almost all Bengalis. Specially in the winter when it is stuffed with cauliflower and green peas. I often make shingara at home but my dear husband always misses the crispy outer crust which we get from the stores in Kolkata. So this time we did apply a trick which somewhat gave us that kind of a crust.

Ingredients for the dough: (Shingara, the Bengali Samosa)

• Half cup of All Purpose Flour or Maida
• Pinch of Baking Soda
• One drop of lemon juice
• 2tbsp of oil
• Salt to taste
• Warm water

Ingredients to make the stuffing:

• 1 medium sized potato cut into bite size pieces
• Half cup of cauliflower florets
• 1 tbsp of green peas
• 1 tbsp of peanuts
• 1 tsp of Jeera
• 1 tsp of Roasted Jeera Powder
• Turmeric powder
• Salt to taste

I started by making the stuffing. Heat a pan and add little bit of oil. Add the whole jeera and let it sizzle. Then add the potatoes and start frying. After a few minutes add the Cauliflower florets, peas and all other spices and cover and cook. When almost done add the peanuts, mine was salted so adjust the salt accordingly.

Its best if you can knead the dough while the stuffing is cooked. To make the dough, take the flour, a pinch of baking soda, add a drop of lemon juice on the baking soda and then add salt and oil. Mix them well with your hand till you see the maida crumbles. To get a crisp and flaky crust the oil needs to be mixed very well. Then start kneading the dough using a little bit of warm water at a time till you get a soft dough. Divide them into small balls. I could typically make about 6 Shingara from this.

Take a ball and roll into a round shape and then cut from the middle. Shape as a triangle using one half and add water to seal the sides and put stuffing inside.

Seal all the edges and shape it as a triangle.

Now when you are frying, heat the oil and then lower the heat and then slowly add the Shingara. The oil should not be too hot because then the crust will not be crunchy. Fry them slowly and gently.