Samosa Pie
- Total Time
- 2½ hours, plus cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 5tablespoons olive oil
- 1small white onion, finely chopped (1 heaping cup)
- Kosher salt
- 1teaspoon ground ginger
- 1tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1tablespoon cumin seeds
- 2teaspoons red-pepper flakes
- 1pound ground lamb
- 1pound red or gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1cup frozen peas
- 2tablespoons cornstarch whisked into ¼ cup cold water
- ¾cup loosely packed, finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2⅓cups/325 grams all-purpose flour (see Tip)
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅓cup/65 grams vegetable shortening
- 1large egg, beaten, for glazing the top
For the Samosa Filling
For the Dough
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
543 calories; 31 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 48 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 485 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Make the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1½ teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, cumin and red-pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, a minute or two. Add the lamb and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking into small pieces, until it is just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and let everything steam, stirring once halfway through, until the potatoes are just soft, about 20 minutes.
- Step 2
Uncover, stir in the peas and cook until just heated through, a minute or two. Stir in the cornstarch slurry, then turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season to taste with salt, and let cool completely before building the pie.
- Step 3
When the filling has cooled, arrange an oven rack in the lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 4
Make the pastry: Whisk the flour, salt and turmeric in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Create a small well in the center.
- Step 5
In a small pot, bring ⅔ cup plus 1 tablespoon/165 grams water and the shortening to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the shortening has melted completely into the boiling water, pour the mixture into the well in the flour. Use a wooden spoon to quickly stir the hot water into the flour, making sure everything gets wet. As soon as it is cool enough to handle, knead the dough with your hands in the bowl or on a clean work surface until it comes together in a smooth ball.
- Step 6
Wrap a third of the dough in plastic wrap and set aside. Roll the remaining dough into an 11-inch circle (about ⅛-inch thick) between two large pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Remove one piece of wrap or paper and flip the pastry into an 8-inch springform pan, centering it and using your hands to gently press it into the bottom and against the sides. The dough should be supple and smooth enough that, if you tear it, you can easily patch any holes. Discard the wrap or paper. Add the filling and use the back of a spoon to press it in and level the surface. There should be a ½-inch rim of dough above the filling. Brush it with the beaten egg.
- Step 7
Roll the reserved dough into a 9-inch circle (about ⅛-inch thick) between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Remove one piece of wrap or paper and flip the pastry over the filling, centering it and pushing it down so that it fits snugly. The edge of the top crust will overlap the edge of the bottom crust. Press these two edges together gently against the side of the pan. Using a knife, trim the top of the combined edges to create an even border around the pan, then use your fingers to crimp that bit of dough back down into the pie, sealing the edges.
- Step 8
Cut a hole in the center of the pie to allow air to escape, brush the top with egg and bake until the top is deep golden brown and firm, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Let cool in the pan on a rack for at least 1½ hours before unmolding and serving.
Tip
- The original recipe calls for 2 cups/265 grams all-purpose flour and ⅓ cup/55 grams bread flour. If you have both on hand, you can use them, but this dough works just as well with only all-purpose flour.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Vera
I am wondering about making this vegetarian with lentils subbing for lamb. Could also use fake meat, but would prefer a less processed ingredient. Would this work?
Muffy Duffy
I used to makes shepherds pie with tofu, it was a recipe from one of the moose wood vegetarian cookbooks. You freeze a block of tofu, the defrosted and crumble. You then use in the recipe just and you would ground beef or lamb. You also added some finely chopped walnuts. Use a little soy sauce for added umami. This gives you texture and protein. It was really delicious and I think you could use it in this recipe just as well.
Sarah
I tend to read “shortening” as shorthand for Crisco, which I try to avoid. Has anyone made this with butter? I have made other hot water crusts with butter, but they were for pasties and therefore did not require quite the same rigidity to stand up tall like this. Any advice? (Or should I just use the darn crisco?)
Christine C
Made this today and it was amazing! I made it meatless with lentils and mushrooms. I added in a cup of dry lentils with the potatoes. Then added some chicken stock at the same time and then a bit more during the steaming step - A scant cup overall. Very important to let the filling cool, I spread it on a quarter sheet pan and put it in the fridge, turning it every so often to get it all cooled. Let the cooked pie cool and you will be rewarded. #shesturdy!
Prakash Nadkarni
RE: Substituting butter for shortening: Vegetable shortening was invented as a cheap substitute for butter or lard, so by all means use the real thing. Lard, which David Chang calls culinary gold, is sadly underused today. The fat left over from cooking bacon, pork shoulder, and sausages was traditionally saved for later use rather than poured down the sink, as far too many recipes (including some in the NYT) advise. Traditional Mexican cooking uses lard in tortillas & refried beans.
Matt
In all sorts of pies which include peas as an ingredient I think that overcooking them should be avoided. I presume most people making this would use frozen peas. I suggest that when making the filling add the peas ( STILL FROZEN ) at the last moment. Surely baking the pie for 60 or 75 minutes will be sufficient to cook the peas. And they might even remain green.
Prakash Nadkarni
RE: Vegetarian with peas and potatoes only: Absolutely. This combination is the basis for the vegetarian pastry-dough-wrapper "Punjabi" samosa.
Keith
Great recipe. Fabulous. Awesome filling flavor and texture. A little heart from the red pepper flakes but not too much. And the crust came out wonderfully. I only have a 9" spring form pan so I plussed everything up by 1.5x and it was perfect. I also added 15 minutes to the baking time but that wasn't necessary and probably make the bottom crust a little overly robust. I've been wanting to do something with a hot water crust for a while so this was timely. And tasty.
ellen sandler
forget crisco. i have made this recipe twice using unsalted butter as my shortening. it comes out very sturdy and tastes great!!
Rupa
In India in the eastern parts shingara (local name for samosa) there is a specific type made with cauliflower, chopped in 1/2'' pieces, and lot of fresh chopped ginger and hot chillies, which you can easily omit.
Chris
For vegetarian versions, try making it with a quinoa/walnut blend (google "Quinoa or Millet Crumbles"), which I have found to be an excellent sub for ground beef or lamb in many dishes. Basically walnuts or cashews are ground fine, then boiled together with quinoa, and then slow baked to become clumpy. The quinoa adds protein and texture, the nuts add flavor and healthy fat. A bit of a process, but make a bunch & freeze, use in tacos or spaghetti sauce or lazagna. I think it would work here.
Sujana
Some spices to add for a more authentic Indian flavor: fennel seeds, coriander powder, garam masala
Dave
Here's a vegetarian version using roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. It's wonderful. And I make 1.5x the crust and put it in a 12" pie plate for more crust per bite. Cilantro chutney on the side is great. The filling: 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked, cooked 1 large cauliflower, chopped, roasted 5 Tbsp canola oil 1 Tbsp cumin seeds 1-2 tsp red-pepper flakes 1 heaping cup onion 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger 2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic 1.5 tsp salt 2 Tbsp cornstarch in 1/4 cup water 3/4 chopped cilantro
Mike in NC
I think if you used cooked lentils that were well drained and well seasoned it would be a hit. Great Northern or other beans seem like they would be tasty as well. Report back with you findings!
Sara
Sarah, an alternative to lard is coconut oil. I use Dr. Bonner, and recently found an organic one at Costco. I cannot have diary, and will not use lard or Crisco. I use coconut oil in my pies, cookies, etc. and you cannot discern any coconut flavor when baked. Coconut oil has similar consistency to Crisco.
MsG
I love samosas and this pie is all the things I love about them. The well seasoned soft potatoes and pop of the peas marries with the seasoned lamb beautifully. I am lazy so I tray baked the onions and then added the lamb and spices and covered with foil to steam. I took some suggestions and used real ginger and garlic. I also took a shortcut and used vadovan curry in place of the turmeric and salt in the crust since it includes both. I added a bit of smoked paprika, Garam masala, vadovan curry, sumac (a rounded tsp-ish) and a pinch of ground bay in the filling. I used a 10 in springform pan and placed that on a sheet pan. I went 1.3 x filling (extra potatoes and peas) and pie shell but could have used 1.5x the crust and used salted butter for the crust. Absolutely delicious.
Molly
This was incredible, made as-is except subbed butter for shortening. First attempt at dough got binned (misread #s) but second came together beautifully and plan to use it as a base for future recipes. My 3 and 5 year old loved it and the 5 year old keeps requesting it again so we are repeating <1 month later. The main limitation for us is it needs to be done on a day off or a weekend - lots of cooling steps needed.
k
1/3 c butter 1/3 lentils partially cooked Add more than 2tbs water at the end
Molly
This was fantastic! Made it as written except subbed unsalted butter for shortening and my 5 yo, my husband and I loved it. Will probably cut back on the red pepper flakes and add more cumin next time (3 yo was not a fan). The hot water paste crust was easy and came together really well, will use this as a base for other fillings.
Krishna Saha
It would be great if you could show via video the preparation of British pie crusts. Perhaps, do a series on pie crusts. Everything went all. Till I hit the crust which turned out too soft to stand up. Not sure where I went wrong. The apartment smells awfully. Thanks.
Jonas
Crust was much easier to make and work with than I expected. BUT after 1:15 at 400 on the bottom rack, sides were still terribly underbaked. Of course, you don't see that until the thing has cooled and you pull the cuff off. Will cook longer next time and tent the top in tin foil. Made vegetarian with 2 cans of cooked lentils. Good flavor. Lentils kept it from being too mushy (which seems an unappealing side effect of making a giant samosa).
Sarah
Next time I’d use more of the spices and serve with tamarind sauce or a mint chutney. However I also loved it as written. Hot water crust was very easy. Definite do-again.
Racheal Tycoles
Can you make the dough with ghee?
Worth the work!
I substituted ground turkey for the lamb and used turnips (which I oven roasted first) instead of potatoes. I have only a nine inch spring form pan, so I took the advice of another comment and increased the ingredients by one quarter. It is a beautiful finished dish that tastes as good as it looks.
ECM
Great recipe. First time trying hot water crust pastry, and it went great! Potatoes took a little longer to get tender than the recipe called for. I also assembled the pie ahead of time, stuck it in the fridge, and baked the following day, and it worked perfectly. Spice level is mellow—it could handle a lot more if you enjoy spice. I also found recipes for tamarind sauce and mint chutney to serve with the pie—STRONGLY recommend doing this! Takes it from very good to *extremely* tasty.
James
2nd time made-- really liked it! Tastes like a samosa. I added some garam masala and glad to have. Also, carrots to the ground lamb for more veggies. Maybe a little more salt to the crust-- the crust was kind of hard and kind of bland. Pepper!
CooksFish
Great. ~82g butter. Doubled (at least) all spices except salt & red pepper. Added coriander, garam masala, curry, carrots, chick peas. Didn't heat green peas or chickpeas. Don't work the crust seam so much next time. Foil underneath in oven to catch small amount of oil drips right around 1:15.
CooksFish
Delicious--huge hit. Note that it needs to cool 1.5 hr after baking. Crust was easy; next time I'll not work the top-side seam so much (made a tough ridge, but the rest was fine). Despite the fact that recipe reviews that go, "I made it exactly as written except I swapped chocolate for everything and red wine for the egg wash" drive me nuts...I used 83g butter, doubled spices except salt & red pepper, added coriander, curry, carrots & chickpeas. Added green peas & cilantro off the heat.
Up the spice
Needs more spice to appeal to traditional palettes. As a compromise, I served this with chutneys.
Kate
I've started using this recipe to use of masses of this and that from the garden. Just brought in my greens before our first real freeze so I used the spices and crust from the recipe but a pile of chard and turnip greens, a not-quite-fully-mature squash, a few stray sweet potatoes, and whatever else came to hand. Put two extra quarts of filling in the freezer and I'm looking forward to easy dinners using this crust!
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