Singharas, the Bengali version of samosas, are little parcels served at every Indian wedding or festival as well as being a popular tiffin dish. Samosas are semi-circular in shape while Singharas are triangular. The vegetable filling from the samosas can be used.
Ingredients: (Makes 24)
For the pastry:
- 250 g/9 oz/2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
- 2 tablespoons ghee
For the meat filling:
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons ghee or oil
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 cloves
- 1 cardamom pod
- 3 green chilies, chopped
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3-4 curry leaves
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 5 cm/2 inch piece of ginger, grated
- 500 g/1 lb 2 oz ground (minced) lamb
- 150 g/5½ oz/1 cup peas
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- Oil for deep-frying
Method:
To make the pastry, sift the all-purpose flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Rub in the ghee until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 125 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup warm water, a little at a time, to make a pliable dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes. Do not refrigerate or the ghee will harden.
To make the meat filling, score a cross in the top of each tomato. Plunge into boiling water for 20 seconds, drain and peel away from the cross,
then roughly chop, discarding the cores and seeds and reserving any juices. Heat the ghee or oil in a karhai or large saucepan over low heat and fry the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and chilli. Add the onion, curry leaves, garlic, turmeric and ginger and fry for 5 minutes, or until the onion is brown. Add the lamb and fry until brown. Then add the tomato and cover with a tight lid. Cook gently, stirring occasionally until the lamb is tender. Add the peas, cover and cook for 5 minutes. If there is any liquid left, turn up the heat and let it evaporate. Remove the whole spices. Season with salt, to taste, and sprinkle with garam masala.
Divide the dough into 12 portions, roll out each to a 12 cm (5 inch) circle, then cut each circle in half. Take one piece and form a hollow cone by folding the dough in half and sealing the two edges of the cut side together. It is easiest to wet one edge and make a small overlap. Fill three-quarters full with filling. Don’t overfill. Seal the top edges, then pinch to give a fluted finish. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Fill a karhai or heavy-based saucepan one-third full with oil and heat to 180°C/350°F, or until a cube of bread browns in 15 seconds. Deep-fry the singharas in batches until well browned. Drain on a wire rack and keep them warm in a low oven.