When it comes to Indian appetizers, samosas seem to be at the top of everyone's list. Eating these crispy, golden triangular-shaped patties is no doubt a treat. But do you know how to make samosas at home? Making them can be a challenge for home cooks. That is, until today. We've got the ultimate guide to how to make samosas like a native chef.

What are samosas?

Samosas hail from North India and there are countless ways to prepare them – some people favour meat or chicken fillings, but the most popular samosas, by far, are the ones with a potato and green pea filling (click here for the full potato samosa recipe). In India, you'll find samosas being sold on street corners, at roadside shacks or fancy restaurants, and prepared for family gatherings where they are commonly enjoyed with a nice cup of masala chai.

How to make samosas: the basics

Before learning how to make samosas it is imperative to make sure you have all the ingredients on hand. The traditional recipe calls for white flour – not whole-wheat, spelt or buckwheat four. That's because white flour yields a soft pliable dough that results in flaky samosas. Who wouldn't want to bite into that? You can, of course, use a mix of whole-wheat and white flour, but it won't yield the ultimate tender crust.

You'll also need to have a few spices on hand, such as turmeric, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and garam masala (that’s just covering the basics!). Can you do without one or two of those? Sure, but if your aim to is get that authentic Indian flavour you're better off taking a trip to the nearest spice shop.

How to make samosas: Plan of action

Most chefs will agree that the best plan of action is to divide the work into two sections.

A great tip is to make the filling the day before you intend to serve the samosas so making them will be a breeze. If time doesn't always allow for that you can always make the filling while the samosa dough is resting (ideally, you'd boil the potatoes ahead of time).

Once you learn how to make samosas, you'll see that it's not as complicated as you thought. The biggest challenge in the entire process is mastering the triangular shape. Below is a step-by-step guide that will help you learn how to fold samosas once and for all. It's fair to point out there are many other ways to fold samosas, but the method below is the traditional one used in the region of Punjab (and the one I favour).

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