Easy Chicken Keema Samosas and Cooking Therapy
I spent most of the day running around cooking and food shopping. It is my all time favorite thing to do to unwind. Part of today’s cooking included an online cooking class. Among other things, I made these easy Chicken Keema Samosas. Crisp and gently spiced, I used egg roll wrappers to make these. They can be done with egg roll wrappers, cut into half and folded. Or they can be done with wonton wrappers. Naturally the latter is even quicker and easier. I however prefer the egg roll wrapper version, as it makes for a sturdier and crisper samosa. However, you can decide what you want to do.
My Keema Samosa Story
For the wrappers I have used wonton wrappers. They are easier, but also closer to traditional keema samosa wrappers. Keema samosas are usually made with thinner wrappers and are found on Indian Muslim tables. Very popular as a part of the Ramadhan fast breaking Iftar parties. Other samosa variations on this site include my air fryer samosas and family favorite Bengali Samosas.
A little on these samosas. While vegetable usually potato samosas are more popular. This chicken based version is found in many parts of India. It is also one of my go to snacks to pick up in Bangladeshi hole in the wall restaurants. One of my favorite ones is in the Bronx is Curry and Kebab.
Meat based samosas traditionally have thin crisp wrappers, thus the wonton or egg rolls skins are a perfect quick fix for these samosas. I keep the filling simple, and serve with tamarind chutney and any kind of salad. Perfect for your favorite party. And perfect for cooking therapy. There is something quite amazingly good about biting into these crispy bites of perfection.
As a general note, I have tried air fryer and pan frying these beauties and they both work out very well. You get a little more of the uniform golden color with the pan frying. But as they say its all good. I did not find a whole load of difference in the taste.
Some Tips and Tips about these Keema Samosas
A few tips in terms of the samosas,
- The potato in the filling is a good idea as it gives the filling a softer texture, making it easier to stuff.
- As with homemade samosa dough, make sure that you seal all edges of the samosa.
- The samosas keep well upto 3 to 4 days in the refridgerator once assembled.
Air frying or pan frying, it is important to get the maximum crispness from your samosa. For this you want to cook them on low heat. With the air frying, spray the samosas every 3-4 minutes to get that uniform golden color. See the version on the white plate.
If you are staying indoors, and doing cozy things tomorrow, make yourself a large batch of these. I plan on doing just that.
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A quicker take on flavorful chicken samosas, made with quick wonton or egg roll wrappers.
Ingredients
- For the Filling
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/2 pound ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 1 large potato peeled and cubed
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garam masala powder
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 3/4 cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
- 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup water
- 1tablespoon cornstarch
- 20 wonton wrappers or 10 egg roll wrappers
- 1 cup oil for pan frying or cooking spray for air frying
- Tamarind chutney, ketchup and other condiments to serve
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil and add in the red onion and saute well for about 3 to 4 minutes Add in the minced ginger and cook for a minute. Add in the chicken and stir well.
- Add in the salt, turmeric, red cayenne pepper, cubed potato, garam masala and chopped tomatoes and stir well and cook for about 2 minutes on high heat. Lower the flame and cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the cover and make sure the potato is very soft. Continue cooking to dry out any residual liquid and mash the potato into the mixture.
- Stir in the frozen peas, lime juice and chopped cilantro. Allow the mixture to cool. If needed mash the potato in with a fork, the mixture should have a soft binding and uniform texture.
- Prepare a slurry with the water and cornstarch.
- If you are using the egg roll wrappers, cut in half, roll the first triangle and fold over, seal with slurry. Fold over once more and seal with slurry. You will have a pocket and an open flap. Fill the pocket comfortably with the filling. Line the remaining flap with the slurry and seal. This will not come all the way through, that is ok. Crimp and pinch the sides to seal.
- If using the wonton wrapper, line the sides with the slurry, place about a tablespoon of the filling in the center and fold over and seal. Crimp the sides and let it seal over.
- One all the samosas are done you can either fry or air fry them
- To fry them heat 1 cup of oil in a large skillet, turn the heat on low, and gently cook the samosas until golden brown about 3 minutes, and turn and brown the second side. Drain on paper towels and serve.
- To air fry, spray well with cooking spray. Cook at 375 degrees for 8 minutes, spraying once in between. Turn and cook for another 8 minutes.
- Enjoy with your favorite condiment.