Learn how to make crispy Onion Samosa recipe with detailed step by step pictures. Hyderabadi onion samosa recipe, Irani samosa recipe, Irani onion samosa recipe – best with hot cup of chai!

Onion Samosa is a crispy fried snack made using homemade samosa patty sheets filled with spicy onion-based stuffing. Very popular across India, this Irani onion samosa is quite famous in Hyderabad and is also called Hyderabadi onion samosa. We find different versions and variations of this crispy samosa across South India and one such version that is sold in local trains in Chennai is quite close to me. Anyone who has had a chance to travel by the local electric trains will remember hawkers selling piping hot, crispy samosas filled with spicy onions. The flavor of onions and curry leaves and hot oil wafts through the air and the fragrance is quite nostalgic. I tried to re-create the magic in my kitchen recently and it was a huge hit.

Irani Samosa

Onion Samosa also known as Irani Samosa is a crispy fried pastry filled with spicy onion stuffing. Usually, samosas are made with potatoes, peas or even meat. In this recipe of Irani Onion Samosa, only finely chopped onions and flattened beaten rice (poha) is used along with the spice powders. The patty sheets for making onion samosa are homemade too and work best for making ahead. Instead of making the samosa patty sheets semi-circle from fresh dough for aloo samosa, in this recipe we use semi cooked patty sheets that are cut to a rectangular shape. The extra thin samosa patty sheet is folded 2-3 times making it quite crisp when fried in hot oil.

Homemade Samosa Patty Sheets

There are two ways of making patty sheets for samosa at home. I shared the recipe for a rich, flaky and crispy pastry dough in my Punjabi Samosa recipe. In this onion samosa recipe, I make pastry sheet differently by cooking it as a flat bread first. The process is similar to that of rolling rumali roti, so that the pastry sheet can be as thin as possible. The sheet is cooked quickly on both sides, separated when hot to make thin, ready-to-use samosa patty sheets. Cut them to uniform sized rectangles and store them in freezer for upto 2 months. All it needs is thawing and bringing to room temperature before the samosa can be fried.

Tips & Important Notes for Making Hyderabadi Onion Samosa

Onion Samosa is a technical recipe that is both effort and time consuming. With practice and following of few important tips, it can be made at home easily.

Samosa patty sheets should be rolled as thin as possible. This helps in yielding crispier outer pastry when the samosa is fried.

Cook the patty sheet just enough, for a few seconds each side. It should neither change color nor develop deep gold spots. This helps it keep manageable while also getting crispy exterior when fried.

The pastry sheet after filling with the onion stuffing must be sealed properly with a mixture of flour and water else the samosa opens up when frying and stuffing might spill, spoiling the oil.

The temperature of the oil is very important to get crispy and golden samosas that are cooked all the way through. If the temperature of the oil is too low, the samosas absorb a lot of oil and if the temperature is too hot, the samosas change color quickly without retaining the crispness or not getting cooked through out. Make sure the oil is hot and then keep it on low flame, maintaining the temperature for each batch of frying.

Serving Suggestions

Irani Samosa pairs best with hot tea as well as coffee. It works best as a snack, any time of the day. They are best served hot, straight off the fry pan. The samosas can be stored forever a day outside in room temperature but can lose the crispness after a few hours. Either fry again for a brief time in hot oil or reheat in an air fryer.

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Onion Samosa Recipe with Step by Step Pictures

To prepare the dough, mix ½ cup whole wheat flour with ½ cup all purpose flour, 2 teaspoon hot oil, salt as needed. Mix well until the oil is incorporated and add water little by little. Knead into a smooth dough that is pliable. Rest it for 10 mins. Make equal sized balls from the dough.

Meanwhile prepare the stuffing by adding 1 large onion finely chopped with ¼ cup poha, ½ tablespoon Kashmiri red chilli powder, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder, salt as needed and 3 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves.

Mix well and let it rest until the patty sheets are prepared. Poha helps remove the moisture from onions.

Roll two balls of dough to a medium sized roti. On one roti, spread a thin layer of oil and sprinkle flour generously and place the other roti on top.

Roll together until the roti is as thin as possible.

Heat a pan on medium flame and place the prepared roti. Cook for 10-15 secs on each side. Make sure not to cook longer until it develops spots.

Remove from heat and gently separate both the rotis from one edge.

Repeat this with rest of the dough and cool down all the rotis.

Stack all the prepared rotis, cut off from all 4 sides to get square shaped patty sheets.

Now cut at the center to make rectangular samosa patty sheets. The sheet should be about 10-12cm long and 5-6cm wide. These sheets can be stored in airtight container or ziplock bag in fridge for about 4-5 days or in freezer for upto 2 months.

Prepare the paste to seal the samosa patty by mixing 1 tablespoon all purpose flour with 1 tablespoon water. It should be thick enough to hold the samosa patty intact.

To prepare the samosa, take a patty sheet, place the cooked side facing up and fold it into a triangle from one end. Make two more folds and there should be a triangular cavity to fill the stuffing.

Place 1-2 tablespoon of prepared onion stuffing. Along the edges, apply the prepared paste to seal the edges. Close the samosa and make sure all edges are tightly sealed. Repeat this with all the samosa patties.

Meanwhile heat oil in a fry pan and once hot, reduce the flame to low. Drop 2-3 samosa into the oil.

Fry on low- medium flame until the the samosa are golden brown and crispy.

Remove from oil and drain off extra oil on a kitchen tissue. Repeat this with rest of the samosa. Finally, fry some curry leaves and some green chillies (slit across) and place on top of the samosas.

Serve hot with ginger tea, masala tea or filter coffee as a snack!

Recipe Notes

The size of the samosa depends on how wide the samosa patty sheets are. Don’t cut them too narrow.
Maintain the temperature of the oil at all times and don’t overcrowd with many samosas at once.
Store the samosas in an airtight box once cooled down, it can be stored upto a day at room temperature.
Poha is optional and is used for removing the moisture from onions. Slice the onions thin if skipping poha.

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Onion Samosa | Irani Samosa | Hyderabadi Onion Samosa