Phulkopir Singara .. (Cauliflower Stuffed Indian Pie)

Bengali people are born food lovers... বাঙালি মানেই খাদ্য রসিক। Bengali food includes all types of koftas, kormas, kosha and ofcourse dalna.. Another important thing for a Bengali is adda (আড্ডা ).. They discuss all types of topics from politics to poro ninda poro chorcha... And this adda goes well with a evening tea and snacks.

              For me , the dull rainy and windy evenings in Galway are the perfect time to have hot tea and singara.. গরম আদা চা  আর ফুলকোপি সিঙ্গাড়া। .. Singara is a conical shaped stuffed pies where the inside stuffing varies from potato, peanuts, cauliflower, peas or minced meat. In kolkata singara is available in amost all sweet shops. And during evening the customers wait eagerly for the batches of  hot fried singara . During winter the fulkopir singara is a must for all the singara lovers but all year round you will get spicy potato filled singara.

Today I went to visit my friend AC . Her in -laws are here to visit her. My parents are also here in Ireland to visit me this summer. I and AC are neighbours . Hence we decided to meet up for a adda.. and adda for bangali without some cha -singara is incomplete..

              So, here I am sharing my Phulkopir Singara recipe-

For the outer layer --

             All Purpose Flour (ময়দা) -1 & 1/2 cup

             Whole wheat flour (আটা) - 1/4 Cup

             Salt- 1/2 tsp

             Oil (ময়েন ) - 2 tbsp

             Ajwain (জোয়ান ) -  1/4 tsp

             Water as required (approx 3/4 cup)

Take the the flour, ajwain, salt and oil together in a bowl. Mix them together to get a crumbly texture. I add ajwain to the mixture because it gives a beautiful flavour to it. To this slowly add the water to make the dough.

The dough should be smooth but stiff. After this let it rest covered for around 30 min.

For the inside stuffing --

           Oil - 1 tbsp

           Panchphoron - 1tsp (The name literary means "Five Spices". Typically it consists of fenugreek seed, nigella seed, cumin seed, black mustard seed and fennel seed in equal parts.)

Ginger paste - 1tbsp

          Potato - 3 to 4 medium sized chopped in small cubes

          Cauliflowe florets  -  1 cup chopped in small pieces

          Green peas - 1/4 cup

          Turmeric  - 1/2 tsp

          Cumin Seeds -  1 tsp

          Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

          Bhaja Moshla - 1  & 1/2 tsp ( dry roast cumin seeds, fennel seeds and dry red chilli)

          Dry red chilli - 1or 2 as per your choice.

          Unsalted dry raw peanuts - 1 & 1/2 tbsp

          Oil for deep frying

Process -

          Heat the oil and fry the peanuts till it becomes light brown in color. Keep them in a bowl. Next temper the oil with panchphoron and wait till the spices crackle.  Add the potatos and fry covered for 3 mins.

Next add the cauliflower florets and peas. Saute them together. Add the ginger paste and again mix and fry them. During this time add the turmeric powder and salt.

Add little water to the mixture and cook it covered until the vegetables are soft. After 5-6 min in high heat add the bhaja moshla to the mixture. Cook the mixture of potato , cauliflower and peas till its dry. After the stuffing is ready take it out in bowl and let it cool down until the temperature is low enough to handle.

  Break into lime sized pieces of the dough, roll out to a circle about 1/4 cm thick, Cut into half and fold to shape like a cone. Fill with about 1 tbsp of the filling. 

Carefully seal the cone, to form a pyramid. You want the singara to be well filled, but do not overstuff it. It is very important to effectively seal the base otherwise it will pop open once in the oil for frying. I personally place these singara in fridge for 10 min. I feel this gives the stuffing and the dough enough time to settle.

In a pan, heat 2 or 3 cups of oil for deep frying the singaras. The temperature of the gas should be low. Add 3 to 4 of the singaras at a time and carefully fry them until golden brown. Remember not to over crowd them in the pan.

They need to be fried at an even medium low temperature to allow them to be nice and crisp. Frying in low heat takes time so have patience. Before placing the second batch of singara to fry remember to cool down the oil a bit.

Remove  the singaras  from oil and drain on paper towels and serve hot. 

Njoy গরম গরম সিঙ্গাড়া। ..  😄