Pinwheel Samosa is an easy to make appetizer that is perfect for any occasion, be it as a tea-time snack, after school treat or a large party. This is an interesting twist to the traditional samosas.
Announcement – Pakashastra has been selected as one the of Top 200 Indian Food Blogs!!!
Time for a big announcement! Pakashastra has been selected as one of the Top 200 Indian Food Blogs on the web!!! Click here to see the Top 200 Indian Food Blogs. With this happiness comes greater responsibility too! Over to the recipe…
WHAT EXACTLY IS A PINWHEEL SAMOSA?
Pinwheel Samosa is the traditional samosa in the shape of a pinwheel. It has the same potato stuffing and the dough but assembled or shaped by rolling the flour dough flat, spreading a layer of spicy potato mixture and then rolling it tightly like a mat. The rolled stuff is then cut into thin discs which are can be deep fried, air fried or baked. This crispy samosa is flavorful and delicious making it a perfect appetizer.
HOW IS PINWHEEL SAMOSA MADE?
In this recipe, I have used Whole Wheat Flour and All-Purpose Flour for making the dough of the rolled crust. The dough is rolled flat, a spicy stuffing made of potatoes, onion and spices is layered on top and tightly rolled like a swiss roll or a mat. The roll is then cut into thin slices and then air-fried until crisp.
Typically, samosas are deep-fried. However, with the increase in awareness and consciousness about deep-frying food, I have air-fried these Pinwheel Samosas. These samosas can be deep-fried or baked too.
These Pinwheel Samosas refrigerate well for at least 1-2 days. If you want to prep them much ahead of time for any large party or serve them to kids as snacks, you can freeze the discs before frying them. Since I have used 2:1 whole wheat flour to all-purpose flour and air-fried them, they are healthier too.
WHAT IS THE BEST MODE OF COOKING?
Though the Samosas are traditionally deep-fried, I preferred the air-fried version of these Pinwheel Samosas. They had perfect texture with crispy crust with soft stuffing. I basted some oil over the cut slices and then air-fried them at 375F for about 12 minutes. I have not tried to bake them, but if you would like to try, you might need a higher temperature and slightly longer time. Or if you want to indulge in a deep-fried snack, go ahead.
Chutney Recipes for Pinwheel Samosas:
Notes:
- I have used only potato and onion stuffing as I wanted a smooth stuffing. Leaving chunky vegetable pieces or not mashing the stuffing into smooth paste, may not give neat pinwheel shapes.
- You can use only all-purpose flour if you wish to.
- Refrigerating the cut slices before air-drying or deep-frying certainly helps them hold shape better.
- If you choose to air-fry, note that every air-fryer is different. Hence you may have to adjust the temperature or time accordingly.
- If you have frozen these pre-cooked slices, there is no need to thaw them before frying. Just dip them in slurry and fry.
Ingredients
FOR STUFFING:
Potato - 6, medium sized
Coriander Seeds - 2 tablespoons
Saunf/Fennel Seeds - 2 teaspoons
Cooking Oil - 1 tablespoon
Onion - 1, medium sized
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chili Powder - 1 1/2 teaspoons (adjust according to taste)
Salt - to taste
Cumin Powder - 2 teaspoons
Amchur/Dry Mango Powder - 2 teaspoons
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tablespoon
Coriander Leaves, chopped - 1/4 cup Â
FOR DOUGH:
Whole Wheat Flour - 2 cups
All-Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 cup
Semolina/Fine Rava - 6 tablespoons
Cooking Oil - 6 tablespoons
Ajwain/Caraway Seeds - 1 tablespoon
Water - 1 1/4 cups Salt to taste
FOR SLURRY:
All-Purpose Flour/Maida - 3 tablespoons
Water - 6 tablespoons
Instructions
PREPARING STUFFING:
- Boil the potatoes or pressure cook them. Peel and finely mash them. Set aside.
- Chop the onion.
- Dry roast coriander seeds and fennel seeds separately. Pound them coarsely and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Add chopped onion and saute until they are soft and translucent in color.
- Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, cumin powder, dry mango powder and garam masala powder. Mix in the coarsely ground coriander seeds and fennel seeds too. Saute for a minute until the spices are roasted and a nice aroma comes out. Roast on low to medium flame taking care not to burn the spices. If you feel the mixture is too try and the spices are sticking to the pan, sprinkle 4-5 drops of water.
- Mix in mashed potato and chopped coriander leaves. Mix until well combined. Turn off the flame and let it cool down.
PREPARING DOUGH:
- Take whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and semolina in a mixing bowl.
- Add oil and add salt.
- Crush the caraway seeds between your palms, add them to the flour mixture. Crushing them between your palms activates their flavor.
- Mix it thoroughly until the flour is crumbly in texture. Hold a fist full of the mixture tightly, when you open your fist, the mixture should hold shape.
- Pour water, little by little. Knead it into a tight and stiff dough. Wrap the dough in a moist cloth and set it aside for 20 minutes
PREPARING SLURRY:
- Mix all-purpose flour and water in a small bowl. Set it aside.
PREPARING PINWHEELS:
- Divide the dough and stuffing into 3 portions each.
- Roll a portion of the dough into a think round, around 3-4mm thick.
- Spread a portion of stuffing of the mixture evenly on top of the rolled dough round. Leave 1/4 cm of gap on one end of the rolled dough.
- From the opposite end, tightly roll it like a mat or a swiss roll until you reach the gap without stuffing.
- Smear little water on the gap and stick the dough to the rolled side to form a cylindrical shape. Ensure it is tightly sealed. Adjust the uneven open sides by pushing them slightly inwards.
- Cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices. Repeat the same for the remaining two portions.
- Refrigerate the cut slices for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the air-fryer for 5 minutes at 375F.
- Dip each slice in prepared slurry, place them in air-fryer basket. Do not over-crowd, leave an inch of space around each pinwheel. Air-fry for about 5 minutes. You can deep-fry or bake them instead.
- Baste some oil on either sides of the pinwheels, continue air-frying for another 5 minutes.
- Now flip the side of each pinwheel and air-fry for another 2-3 minutes until the crust turns golden brown. The time taken might vary depending on the air-fry you use.
- Serve hot with green chutney, tomato sauce and dates-tamarind chutney.
