Cheese Corn Samosa
Samosa is one of the most favourite tea-time snack for Indians and Punjabi Samosa with a spicy potato filling is unarguably the common pick. There are numerous other variations like Irani style Onion Samosa which is also popularly called as Railway Samosa (as it is sold in trains), mince samosa for the non-veg lovers. Nowadays we even get to see Chinese version of Samosa with noodles filling in it!
However, in this post we are going to see a very unique South African style samosa which is made of Sweetcorn and a mixture of cheese. This samosa has it’s origin from Durban in South Africa which has one of the largest Indian community outside India. Durban is known for some famous food items like Bunny Chow, Durban style beans curry and of course the Cheese Sweetcorn Samosa. I stayed in Durban for close to 3 years and it is one of my most memorable stay outside India. I learnt all these wonderful dishes from the beautiful people there.
This Samosa is quite unique in terms of the taste as well as flavours. We normally tend to imagine samosa as a hot and spicy snack, however to the contrary this Cheese Sweetcorn Samosa is mildly spiced and does not have any masalas except some cumin powder and pepper powder.
This Cheese Corn Samosa is normally made with a blend of cheese like Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese along with some fresh sweetcorn and onions. There is a hint of chilli (either green chillies or chilli flakes), so overall this samosa is mildly spiced. The cheese in the filling becomes stringy and gooey after deep-frying and is a delight to eat. This samosa is a favourite among the kids too for obvious reasons that it contains plenty of cheese and deep-fried 🙂
It is important to note that this Samosa is made using the readymade Samosa Patti sheets (which is used in making Irani Onion Samosa) and is super crispy and very easy to make as well. So for those who dread to make the traditional Punjabi Samosa with fresh dough, this recipe is a winner. Also this samosa can be prepared in advance and stored in freezer for long and deep-fried when required. So this recipe is a blessing for serving snacks when there are sudden guests at home.
For those who are wondering where can the readymade Samosa Sheets be found, it is commonly available in the frozen section of large supermarkets. One of the most popular brand for this Samosa Patti is Switz and this is the one I regularly use. It is also available in online grocery portals like Big Basket. I have given the image of this brand in the recipe below. If you do not have these sheets, you can also make use of homemade fresh Samosa Patti.
Here are few tips that will help while making this recipe:
- The frozen samosa sheets need to be thawed well before they can folded. It is a challenge to re-freeze the thawed sheets if it is a large pack, as it might get spoilt. So if you wish to use only part of the samosa sheets in the pack, thaw the sheets partially by moving the pack from freezer to the regular fridge section and after couple of hours, it will be soft and can be separated. Separate the required sheets and you can thaw the sheets for another 45 minutes at room temperature before using them. Re-freeze the remaining sheets.
- The folding technique for this samosa is important. If there are any gaps, oil could get into the filling while frying and it would spoil the samosa. So a flour paste is used to seal this patti samosa. Detailed instruction for folding the samosa is given in the video below.
- Mix couple of spoons of plain flour to the grated cheese to keep it lump-free.
- Cool the sweetcorn and onion mix thoroughly after cooking and only then mix the grated cheese, else the cheese could melt and stuffing it could be difficult.
- Unlike the Punjabi samosa which is fried in low flame, samosa made using samosa patti sheets should be fried in medium heat oil. If this samosa is fried in low heat, it shall absorb more oil.
Serving Suggestion
This samosa tastes best when served hot with sweet chilli sauce. Tomato ketchup pairs well too as a dipping sauce. A hot cup of tea makes along with this samosa makes it a perfect evening snack especially on a rainy day.
Cheese Corn Samosa
Ingredients
- 15 Frozen Samosa Patti Sheets
- 1 American Sweetcorn
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- ¾ cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese
- ½ cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Green Chillies finely chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 tsp Cumin or Jeera
- ½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
- ½ tsp Cumin Powder
- 3 tsp Oil and for deep frying
- 3-4 tbsp Plain Flour
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves finely chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- This is the Frozen Samosa Patti Sheets that I am using for this recipe. You could use any other brand as well.
- Thaw the required number of samosa sheets by first transferring to the regular fridge section from freezer for couple of hours and then keeping it at room temperature for around 45 minutes.
- Remove the corn kernels from one American sweetcorn and boil with some salt in hot water for 5 minutes. Drain the water completely.
- In a pan, heat 2 to 3 teaspoon of oil, add the cumin seeds. Once it crackles, add the onions, green chillies and 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste. Mix well.
- The onions need to be cooked only till they start sweating. Now add the cooked sweetcorn and and add salt to taste, cumin powder and pepper powder. Mix well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Finally add the chopped coriander leaves and let it cool completely.
- In a separate bowl, mix the grated Mozzarella and cheddar cheese along with 2 to 3 teaspoon of plain flour.
- Now mix this cheese to the cooked sweetcorn mixture. The filling is ready.
- In a small bowl, take 2 to 3 tablespoon of plain flour or maida and add little water to make a thick paste. This will be used to glue the samosa sheets.
- For making the samosa, take one samosa patti and fold one of the corner to the opposite end to form a triangle, seal the remaining part with the flour paste. This will form a cone. Fill roughly 2 tablespoon of the filling in the cone and fold over the remaining edges by applying some flour paste in repeating way. Make sure that the corners are sealed well. Refer the below video for detailed instruction on folding the samosa.
- Repeat the process and prepare all the remaining samosas.
- Heat oil in a kadai. Add the samosa in batches and deep fry them on medium heat while turning in between.
- Remove the samosas once golden brown in colour. Fry the remaining samosas. Serve hot with sweet chilli sauce.
Video
Notes
- Thaw the frozen samosa sheets thoroughly before rolling them, else they could be brittle and break.
- You could also add chilli flakes instead of chopped green chillies.
- Grate the cheese in the largest setting of the grater, and add couple of spoons of plain flour to make it lump-free.
- Cool the onion and sweetcorn mixture completely before mixing the grated cheese, else the cheese could melt.
- Seal the ends and corners well while folding the samosa, else oil could get into the filling.
- Make sure NOT to deep fry this samosa on low heat unlike the Punjabi samosa, as frying on low flame could make the samosa sheet absorb more oil.
- You can also freeze the prepared samosas and fry them after thawing.
