Dal Samosa (Maharaj Na Dal Samosa with Readymade Patti)
Spiced split chana dal filling cooked until dry, folded in frozen samosa patti, and deep-fried until crisp. Includes Maharaj-style mint-cilantro-dal chutney with date-tamarind.
Equipment
- Pressure cooker or Instant Pot
- Wide nonstick or heavy kadai / skillet
- Kadai or Dutch oven for deep frying
- Slotted spoon
- Small blender or chutney jar
Ingredients
For the chana dal filling
- ¾ cup split chana dal split Bengal gram; rinsed well
- 2 cups water for pressure cooking adjust if your cooker runs dry
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt ½ for cooking dal, ½ for masala; adjust to taste; divided
- 2 tbsp oil neutral or peanut
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp fennel seeds optional; lightly crushed
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1–2 green chilies deseed for mild; finely chopped
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp garam masala
- ¼ tsp red chili powder optional
- 1–2 tsp jaggery or sugar grated or powdered
- 1 tsp amchur dry mango powder; or 1 tbsp lemon juice after cooling
- 2 tbsp roasted gram flour besan; optional
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro optional
For assembly and frying
- 1 pack frozen samosa patti about 20–25 sheets; thawed per package directions
- 3 tbsp maida mixed with 4–5 tbsp water into thick sealing paste all-purpose flour
- Oil for deep frying
For Maharaj style chutney
- ½ cup packed plain cooked chana dal reserved before tempering the filling
- ½ cup lightly packed mint leaves
- ½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1–2 green chilies deseed one for milder
- 2 tbsp lime juice about 1 lime; plus more to taste
- 2–4 tbsp water only if needed to blend
- Fine salt, to taste
- ¼ –1 tsp sugar or powdered jaggery to taste
- 3–4 tbsp date and tamarind chutney imli-khajur
Instructions
Cook the dal
- Soak chana dal 30–60 minutes if you have time; drain.
- In a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, combine dal, water, turmeric, and ½ tsp salt. Pressure cook until very soft (about 3–4 whistles stovetop or roughly 8–10 minutes at pressure in an IP), then natural release 10 minutes. Dal should mash easily between fingers.
- Drain excess water into a bowl and reserve. Before seasoning, remove about ½ cup packed plain cooked dal and set aside for chutney. Coarsely mash the remaining dal with a potato masher or spoon (texture, not complete purée).
Dry and season the filling
- Heat oil in a wide kadai on medium. Add cumin; when it splutters, add fennel (if using), ginger, and green chili. Sauté about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add mashed dal. Cook on medium-high, stirring often, 8–12 minutes, until thick and pulling away from the pan. If it sticks before it dries, splash in 1–2 tbsp reserved cooking water, then keep reducing.
- Stir in coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, chili powder (if using), remaining ½ tsp salt, and jaggery or sugar. Cook 2–3 minutes.
- If still sticky or loose, sprinkle besan and cook 2–3 minutes more, stirring, until no raw besan smell. Turn off heat. Stir in amchur or cool and use lemon juice. Fold in cilantro. Spread on a plate and cool completely.
Fold with readymade patti
- Whisk maida and water into thick sealing paste.
- Form cones from patti sheets using paste on edges; fill three-quarters with cooled filling; seal well. Keep unused patti covered.
Fry
- Heat oil to medium (about 175–180°C / 350°F). Fry a few samosas at a time until evenly golden and hollow-sounding when tapped, usually 4–7 minutes. Drain on a rack or paper. Serve hot with Maharaj style chutney.
Maharaj style chutney
- In a blender, combine about ⅓ cup reserved plain dal, mint, cilantro, green chilies, and lime juice. Blend to a smooth paste; add water 1 tbsp at a time only if blades stall.
- Scrape into a bowl. Stir in remaining reserved dal for texture; mash lightly if desired.
- Season with salt and sugar or jaggery. Fold in date and tamarind chutney; swirl or mix evenly. Rest 10–15 minutes, taste again, and adjust lime, salt, or sweetness.
Notes
Reserve plain dal before you temper the rest; that plain dal powers the chutney without competing spices.
Filling must be dry and fully cool before folding or patti will soften and burst.
Tuvar (split pigeon peas) is a common swap; reserve plain cooked tuvar for the chutney if you use tuvar in the filling.
Freeze uncooked samosas in a single layer, then bag airtight; fry from frozen on slightly lower heat at first.
Fried samosas keep in the fridge up to 2 days; reheat in an oven or air fryer for best crispness.
Chutney keeps in the refrigerator up to 2 days in an airtight container; stir before serving.
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