Singara Recipe | Bengali Shingara

Preparation

1. Rinse and then cauliflower in tiny or small florets. You will need 1.5 cups chopped small cauliflower florets.
2. Rinse fresh green peas with water a few times and keep aside.
3. Rinse, peel and chop the potatoes in small cubes. You will need 1.25 cups chopped small potato cubes.

Making vegetable filling

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add ½ teaspoon panch phoron.
2. On a low heat, let the spices become aromatic and splutter.
3. Now add finely chopped onions. Stir and saute till the onions soften and turn translucent.
4. Then add ginger paste. Mix and sauté fo a few seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger goes away.
5. Then add turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix very well and saute for a few seconds on low heat.
6. Add the chopped potatoes. Mix and sauté for 1 minute.
7. Then add the chopped cauliflower and green peas. Season with salt as per taste. Mix very well.
8. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons water and mix again.
9. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the veggies on a low to medium-low heat.
10. In between do check and if the veggies start sticking to the pan, then add a few more tablespoons of water.
11. Simmer till the veggies are tender and cooked. Then turn off the heat. Just cook the veggies till fork tender. Do not make them mushy or overcook them.
12. Then add roasted peanuts or salted peanuts. Also add sugar.
13. Mix well and let this aloo phulkopir stuffing cool at room temperature.

Making singara dough

1. In a large parat (plate) or a bowl take all-purpose flour (maida). Add 4 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon salt or add as required.
2. Mix the oil in the flour with your fingertips till you get a bread crumb like consistency in the flour.
3. When you press a portion of the mixture in your palm, it should hold together and not crumble.
4. Now add ½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required. Add water in parts.
5. Knead to a smooth dough. The dough should be smooth but firm or tight. It should not be soft.
6. Cover the dough with a moist cloth or kitchen napkin and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
7. After 30 minutes, lightly knead the dough again and make a log. Cut the dough log in 7 equal pieces.
8. Cover the pieces with a moist cloth or kitchen napkin.

Stuffing and shaping singara

1. Take one dough piece and roll in a ball. Flatten and keep on the rolling board.
2. With a rolling pin roll to a 7 to 8 inches round.
3. Cut the rolled dough from the center. Now with your fingertip or with a small brush spread water on the edges of one of the cut dough.
4. Bring together the straight edge with one of its end overlapping a bit the other end. Press and seal the edges. Press the edges well, so that they get sealed. It will look like a cone.
5. Now with a small spoon, stuff the potato filling in the samosa cone.
6. Pinch a part in the edge and press both the sides. This helps the singara to stand when placed on a tray.
7. Make sure there are no cracks. The edges should be joined very well.
8. Make all singara this way. Cover them with a moist cloth or kitchen napkin before you begin to fry them.

Frying singara

1. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai on medium flame. Add a small piece of the dough and it should come up gradually and steadily.
2. Now gently add the singara in the moderately hot oil. Add 2 to 3 or 4 shingara depending on the size of the kadai.
3. Once all the singaras are added, then lower the heat. Begin to fry them on a low to medium-low heat.
4. When one side is light golden then turn over each singara.
5. Continue to fry and when the second side is light golden, turn over again.
6. This way keep on turning them and fry till they have a nice golden crust.
7. Remove with a slotted spoon draining the extra oil.
8. Place them on kitchen paper towels to absorb extra oil. While frying other batches of shingara, slightly increase the heat. Add singara and again reduce the heat.
9. Serve Aloo Phulkopir Singara hot or warm with some fried salted green chilis, tamarind chutney or coriander chutney or mint chutney or green chutney.