The Samosa Party, Dubai

So, when I confirmed to Dina that I would be flying out to see her and enjoy her hospitality in her home, she casually asked me if I could make Samosas. Apparently, her punjabi flatmate, Aneesh had been craving fresh, homemade samosas and wondered if I, as a fellow punjabi, was able to indulge him. Now, it would have been incorrect for me to say that I couldn't make them, as essentially, the actual recipe is very simple. However, the humble, much loved samosa is not really an 'instant' snack, easy to throw together, in the way a pakora is, for example. No. The samosa is usually made in bulk, in stages, and made as part of a group activity, usually for a special event and usually well in advance of whatever event that may be. Well, at least that's how it is in my family! So, although I have made them many times in the company of my mum, sisters and aunts, I have never actually made them all on my own.

But I wasnt going to admit to that! So, can I make Samosas?! 'Of course I can', I said. 'Can we have a Samosa Party when you get here then Raj?' Err....ok then..... (nervous cough)...

SO, shortly after confirming that I would have to batch cook samosa's for the party, I was in the kitchen with my mum, cooking up a 'dry run'. She whipped out the samosa rotis she had prepared earlier from the freezer (as you do), defrosted them, instructed me on how to properly prepare the filling, and we had knocked up a batch of fresh, delicious samosas before you could say 'get me to the world's biggest mall'.

I must admit, I was more than a little nervous on the morning of the party. The enormity of the task dawned on me. What if i got the seasoning all wrong? (I never use enough salt, apparently...) What if they were too greasy? What if they tasted awful? What if they tasted great, but I didn't make enough? That wouldn't be much of a samosa party. What if I couldn't work out how to make triangles from the strip pastry we had found in the supermarket?! I had only ever used the semi-circle home-made rotis, not the shop bought ones...Yup, I was worried. It seemed like there were too many variables that could screw up!

Of course, we got asked the obvious question many times: 'Why don't you just buy them?'

That's the thing with Dubai, you don't really need to do anything for yourself, cos you can 'just buy' anything and have it delivered to your door.  Sure, there's nothing wrong with that, but no one knows how to make anything anymore, and I think without the labour of love that comes with making it yourself, you miss something really special. Anyway, it's precisely because you CAN get anything you want pretty much instantly in Dubai made me want to NOT buy. The act of 'making' here is being lost to the act of 'purchasing' in a way that feels more exaggerated than in other places. The making of these babies from scratch started to feel a bit like a political statement in my mind! Not quite the Great Salt March, but I'm feeling the Ghandian principles!

Drama aside, to be fair, I wasn't really alone in this task. I had my trusty helpers, Dina and Aneesh to hand! Together, we made it happen.

First, the labour intensive task of cutting all those potatoes…

Followed by cooking up the filling. I went for a classic potato and peas combo, flavoured with mustard seeds, salt, chilli powder and coriander powder. Once the mixture is cooled, I add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the top.

I worked out the best way to shape the pastry strips into the right type of cone shape, and before long Aneesh had that technique locked down pretty quick:

Dina perfected the Punjabi Filling and Sticking Maneuver:

At one point, we feared we wouldnt have enough samosas to make a party. This minor panic let to Aneesh's genius idea of topping up the remaining filling with cheese:

Once fried, these would be the stars of the batch!

Not long after the frying had commenced, the guests started to arrive. Unsurprisingly, the Germans got there first. Or should I say, on time! 

Here are the boys on the balcony:

The samosas seemed to get the loving I had hoped they would:

Overall, the whole thing seemed to turn out pretty damn well!

It was great to come back to Dubai, see some great faces from the past, and stay with dear friends from the present. Not to mention, there is something very satisfying about all that deep fat frying! Especially when you get to serve it up to friends. Thanks for having me people. Can't wait to see you again. xx