Thursday, January 10, 2013

Alu - Phulkopir Singara



It was almost a daily routine for us while in Kolkata to have 2 singaras with a cup of tea or coffee 

in the evening. In Bangalore, not that too often but at least once a week, we would hop on to Hal 

Market to buy our share of bliss - singara, mochar chop, alur chop and the like. Each morsel of 

piping hot singaras were pure pleasure, one of the reasons why I found losing weight so difficult 

that time. Not that I am not struggling with weight still, a tad overweight is a byproduct of being 

foody after all  :)



Regarding the recipe, the filling of singara is very easy in preparation especially if you are
conversant with Bengali way of cooking. The filling varies a lot from one region to another; the
singaras sold in Kolkata differ a lot in taste from the rest of India. But more or less, the preparation
technique of putting the filling inside a pastry sheet and deep frying is similar everywhere. In case
you are not comfortable with kneading you may buy the readymade spring roll pastry sheet readily
available in the market. In fact readymade singaras are also available in packets. You just need to
bring them home and deep fry. So you may either grab the readymade pastry sheet or you may
knead pastry dough mixing together all-purpose flour, salt, a pinch of cooking soda or baking soda
 with required amount of water, the discretion is yours. For the convenience of time, I always prefer
 the first option over the other.



Ingredients :( 8-10 singaras)                                        Cooking time: 45minutes - 1 hr
ü  1 large potato (chopped into tiny cubes)
ü  1/2 cup of cauliflower (cut into small size florets)
ü  1-2 tbsp peanuts
ü  1 tbsp raisins
ü  Salt to taste
ü  1 tsp turmeric powder
ü  1 tsp cumin powder
ü  Salt to taste
ü  1 tsp sugar
ü  1 tsp kalo jeera or nigella seeds
ü  White oil
ü  4-5 Spring roll pastry sheets, depending on the number of singaras you want to make
Method:
 1) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet. When oil turns hot, add kalo jeera or nigella seeds and allow sizzling. Next toss the potatoes in. Stir awhile for 2 minutes and add cauliflower. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
2) Add peanuts, raisins, cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Mix in well.
3) Add 2 tbsp of water and cook covered until potatoes and cauliflowers are tender. Turn off the heat when the gravy, if there is even a small amount, dries up. (In between, if you feel the need of adding water, you may add some in small measure just enough to keep the moist in.)
4) Now comes the most crucial part of the entire process of Singara. Cut one pastry sheet in half (Bring it down to room temperature before beginning to work on it.) Put a tablespoon of the potato filling in the middle of one corner of the pastry sheet and pull the edges to seal. (Apply a bit of water around the edges to seal firmly. Please be careful that the folds should not unwrap during frying.)



5) Make few folds as shown in the pics, all the while sticking the edges down, till the pastry sheet comes to its end and you seal the edges for one final time. Singara is almost ready with only one final step remaining.



6) Heat oil in wok and deep fry the singara on medium low heat till they are golden brown in color.
7) Serve hot with tomato sauce.

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