Mes amis, today we celebrate coriander! The cilantro in our garden has already gone to seed, so I’m hoping to harvest some coriander berries and either dry them or pickle them  (or both). Today, I used coriander in a meat-filled samosa from the lovely Made in India by Meera Sodha. The samosa dough comes from Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni.

Chicken Coriander Samosas 

2 tbs canola oil

1 large onion, diced

1 tbs crushed coriander seeds

1 fresh red chili, diced

1 lb ground chicken

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp salt

1 medium bunch of cilantro, chopped

First heat a large pan and add the oil. cook the onion for about 8 minutes, until it begins to get translucent. Add the coriander, chili and chicken. Cook for about 10 minutes then add the cumin, chili powder and garam masala. Lastly, add the ginger, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Continue to cook until the chicken turns brown. Remove from heat and let it cool for a bit, then add the cilantro. Taste to see if it needs any extra salt.

For the dough:

1 1/2 cup of flour

1 tsp kosher salt

4 tbs vegetable shortening

6-7 tsp cold water

In a food processor, add the flour and salt and pulse a few times. Add the shortening and pulse until the shortening is blended into the flour. Ad the water and pulse until the dough forms on the blades. Remove from the food processor and gather into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes while the filling cools. After 30 minutes, remove the dough and on a floured work surface, divide the dough in two. Keep one half wrapped in plastic as you work with the first. Divide the first half in to 8 equal parts. Roll the first piece into a 6-inch circle, then cut the circle in half. Each semicircle will make one samosa. Moisten half of one semi-circle and press the dough together to make a cone shape. Add a teaspoon of filling to the cone and moisten the top and close the samosa. Heat peanut, safflower, or other frying oil in a steep-sided pot until 350 on the stove top. When you’ve made 8 to 10 samosas, drop them in to the oil with a spider or slotted spoon. Fry until both sides are golden brown and then remove. Enjoy!