Veggie Samosas

To make the pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl, and then add salt, 3 tsp ghee and ajwain seeds. Rub the oil into the flour with your hands so it’s well combined with the flour and there are no lumps. Gently add water to bring the flour to a dough consistency. Bring the dough together and knead until it forms into a bowl – it should be smooth now. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to rest at room temperature for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Next, in a small bowl add all the spices and salt and mix together. Peel and dice the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Then add them to baking tray. Sprinkle the mixed spices, chopped chillies, dried pomegranate seeds and salt over the potatoes and sweet potatoes. Pour over the ghee or oil and mix everything. Place the tray in the oven and cook for 12 mins.

Add the frozen peas to a bowl with hot water. After 5 mins drain the water, and set aside.

Once the potatoes are soft, remove them from the oven and add them to the bowl with the peas. Stir until all of them are well coated.

When you’re ready to start making the samosas, heat a frying pan on a low heat. While the pan is heating, divide the dough into 10 equal-sized balls. Roll each into a circle on a lightly floured work surface to approximately 15cm diameter. Place the dough discs into the frying pan and warm both sides (don't cook them completely). Remove immediately from the pan, and cut them in half to create semi circles.

Brush the edges with water using your fingers, and then fold the semi-circle in half, bringing the straight edges together to make into a cone shape. Fill the cone with the filling. Apply water again to the inside of the cone, pinch and seal the open edge and then push with a fork. Repeat until all the remaining dough balls are made into samosas.

Once all the samosas are made, heat a heavy-based pan, half filled with ghee or vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 180°C. Deep fry in batches for 3-4 mins, until light brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon. Put them on the plate lined with kitchen paper to drain excess oil. Serve hot with tomato ketchup or Pudina (mint) chutney.