Delicious Curry Pouch Samosas

Indian curry pouches are delicious -- let's make them even better! Take 45 minutes to turn this boxed food into a show-stopper.

For the filling you will need:

• 2 Indian curry pouches (10 oz each)
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• a sprig of cilantro

For the dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 Tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp thyme
• salt

For the chutney:

• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 hot green pepper (serrano or jalapeño)
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

And for the frying:

• 1 quart canola oil

Materials:

• all-purpose flour
• thyme
• ghee
• salt

1. Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp thyme, and a pinch of salt (about 1/4 tsp) in a large mixing bowl. Hand mix until thoroughly combined.
2. Add 6 Tbsp melted ghee. Initially, it will clumpy. Break up these clumps by rubbing them between your hands until they are smaller than peas.
3. Add 1/2 cup water and knead. The dough should barely come together to a ball (photo 2). If it does not form a ball, add 1 Tbsp of water at a time until it does. It should be a very firm dough, not soft or droopy.
4. Cover with a cloth and let rest while you complete the remaining steps.

Now for the fun part! Making this from scratch would take 25 minutes but we'll do it in 4.

Materials:

• olive oil
• freshly grated ginger
• curry packets
• cilantro

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add 2 tsp of freshly grated ginger and cook just until it is aromatic, about 1 minute.
3. Empty the contents of the 2 curry pouches into the saucepan, followed by a handful of chopped cilantro.
4. Leave on low heat until you are ready to assemble samosas.

Materials:

• 1 bunch cilantro coarsely chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 hot green pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup yogurt

1. Blend above ingredients together until you achieve your desired consistency. Add water 1 Tbsp at a time if the ingredients aren't combining well in the blender.
2. Set aside to be served with samosas.

Materials:

• the dough from Step 2
• the filling from Step 3

1. Divide your dough into 6 evenly sized balls.
2. Roll out each ball into an oval, approximately 6 inches by 8 inches. You want the dough to be just thick enough to contain the filling without breaking. If it's any thicker, it will take too long to cook in the oil.
3. Slice an oval in half through the narrower diameter. Each half-oval (photo 3) will be a samosa.
4. Bring the corners of your half-oval together (photo 4) and pinch them together. Continue pinching the two straight edges together until they are entirely sealed together (photo 5). You should now have an open cone. If simply pinching the dough edges together does not create a tight seal, add a couple drops of water to one edge and pinch the wet and dry edges together.
5. Add the filling and pinch the cone closed so that the samosa is entirely sealed shut.

Materials:

• 1 quart canola oil
• assembled samosas from Step 5

1. Fill a stock pot with 3 inches of canola oil. Heat the oil to 325 degrees F (medium-low on my stove).
2. Add samosas 2-3 at a time, depending on how large your pot is. Adding too many at once will cause the oil to cool down.
3. Fry each samosa for 7 minutes on each side or until a golden brown color is achieved.
4. When a samosa is done frying, remove it with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper-towel lined plate to absorb extra oil.

Serve with the chutney from Step 4. Thank you for embarking on this culinary journey with me. Cheers!