TIP: If you're making both the dough and the filling, start by boiling the potatoes (for the filling), then start making the dough. Combine the rest of the ingredients for the filling while the dough is resting.
How to make the filling:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove.
2. Peel the potatoes and dice them in into 1/2 inch cubes.
3. Boil the potatoes until fork-tender (about 7-10 minutes). Don't overcook.
4. Strain the potatoes and set aside.
5. Heat up extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat.
6. Sauté white onion, carrot and minced garlic until vegetables are tender (about 3 minutes)
7. Add in the potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add in the ginger, cumin, turmeric, fennel seed, garam masala, coriander, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper. Stir in the spices gently. While doing this, gently mash some of the potatoes, but leave about half of the chunks intact.
8. Stir in the lemon juice, frozen peas, fresh cilantro, and 2tbsp water. Simmer at a low heat until all of the water evaporates (should only take about a minute or two).
9. Set aside until cooled
How to make samosa dough and prepare samosas:
1. In a large mixing bowl, pour in the flour, salt, ajwain seeds and extra virgin olive oil. Massage with your hands for about 2-3 minutes until it's crumbly. Pick up a handful and squeeze it. After releasing your hands, if most of the crumbly mixture stays intact, it's the perfect consistency.
2. Add in 1/3 of the water and knead it in. Add in another 1/3 once it's mixed, and then the other. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, until you can form a stiff ball of dough.
3. Cover in a damp towel and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, unwrap the dough and knead it gently for a couple of minutes. Separate the dough into 10 equal size balls. You can do this by ripping off chunks of dough by hand. Work with one piece at a time and cover the rest with the wet towel.
5. Preheat 2-3 inches of canola oil in a deep saucepan on the stove. Start making the samosas (steps 6-11) while the oil is heating. It should reach 350F/180C (or a drop a small piece of samosa dough in the oil and see if it bubbles rapidly). After making about 5 samosas, start frying them while preparing the rest. For baking instructions, see the recipe notes.
6. On a cutting board, drizzle some olive oil and spread it across the cutting board with your hands to give it a light coat.
7. Put a little bit of olive oil on top of the reserved dough ball. Roll it out to about 9x6 inches. Hold one edge of the dough while rolling it out away from you. This will help to stretch it.
8. Cut the stretched out piece of dough in half. Take one of the corners along the straight edge and fold it over gently in a triangle-shape, to the middle of the piece.
9. Do the same with the other corner and slightly overlap the two folded pieces at the middle. You can use samosa glue to help bind these two folded edges together. Pinch along the overlapped edge down the middle from the inside to form a cone shape. Pinch the bottom corner of the cone as well.
10. Fill the cone with samosa filling until it is about 3/4 full. Now, form the cone into a triangle by taking 2 opposing edges of the cone and pinching them together. You could use samosa glue around the rim to help seal it.
OPTIONAL: To make standing samosas, fold in one of the corners that you just pressed together. Fold the bottom edge towards the folded piece and gently press that edge down on the cutting board.
11. Repeat steps 6-9 with the rest of the dough.
12. After finishing 5-7 samosas (however many would fit in your pan without touching), start frying them. Use a slotted spoon to gently drop them into the oil. Allow them to fry for about 7 minutes on each side. While they're frying, continue to prepare the rest of the samosas. They should reach a golden brown colour before you remove them from the oil. Remove them with the slotted spoon and place them on paper towels to absorb excess oil. Continue to fry them as you prepare them.
13. Serve with your favourite sauce. See "Creamy Mint Sauce" recipe below.
Enjoy :)
Notes
You can bake the samosas in a preheated oven at 375F/190C for 35-40 minutes. Flip halfway through cooking time.
Optional samosa "glue":
3 tbsp cornstarch, 6 tbsp water
Creamy Mint Sauce Recipe:
Combine 1/2 cup vegan mayo, 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp salt, pinch of cayenne pepper (optional) in a small bowl.