Air Fryer Recipe
Samosas
Samosas are a crispy and savoury snack, traditionally deep-fried, but can be made healthier using an air fryer.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Water as needed
- 3 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
- 1 cup peas, boiled
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped
Method
- Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
- Add vegetable oil and rub into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.
- Gradually add water to form a firm dough, cover, and rest for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, then potatoes and peas.
- Mix in coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, red chili powder, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Finish with fresh coriander and let cool.
- Divide dough into portions, roll into balls, flatten into discs, and roll into ovals.
- Cut ovals in half, form cones, fill with potato mixture, and seal edges with water.
- Preheat air fryer to 180°C, brush samosas with oil, and arrange in basket.
- Cook for 15-18 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown.
Why this works in an air fryer
Rubbing oil into the flour shortens gluten strands, giving a crisp, flaky shell rather than a bready one. A firm, rested dough seals cleanly, while a cool, fairly dry potato filling prevents steam blow-outs. The air fryer’s fast convection browns the oiled surface, so dryness and spacing matter more than deep-fryer buoyancy.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket holding about 6 medium samosas in one layer with gaps; in a single-drawer model cook in batches on the centre of the basket, while dual-zone drawers usually run slightly cooler when both sides are active, so swap sides or add 2–3 minutes if browning is uneven.
Common pitfalls
- Pale, floury patches after 12 minutes mean the surface oil was too light or uneven; brush again very thinly, especially along folds, and continue for 3–5 minutes.
- Cracked seams with filling leaking out signal hot or wet filling, or dry edges; cool the filling fully, mash it drier, and use a small smear of water-flour paste rather than water alone for sealing.
- Hard, blistered edges but a pale centre means the dough was rolled too thick at the fold; roll ovals evenly to about 2 mm and avoid overlapping heavy seams on the base.
- Soggy undersides at the flip point show overcrowding or trapped steam; leave clear gaps, cook fewer at once, and stand them seam-side up for the second half.
Variations & substitutions
- Use plain flour in place of all-purpose flour; it behaves similarly, but add water gradually as UK plain flour can hydrate a little differently by brand.
- Swap half the potato for cooked cauliflower or carrot cut small; the filling will be wetter, so cook it in the pan until visibly dry before shaping.
- Add paneer cubes to the cooled filling; keep them small so they heat through without tearing the cone, and expect slightly softer centres.
- For a wholemeal version, replace up to one third of the flour with chapati flour; add a splash more water and expect a nuttier shell that browns faster.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooked samosas chilled for up to 3 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 170°C for 5–7 minutes from chilled, or 8–10 minutes from frozen, until the pastry is crisp and the filling is hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
