How to Cook Frozen Samosas So They Stay Crispy at Home

How do you cook frozen samosas so they stay crispy?

Cook them straight from frozen and keep the heat up. Deep fry RNK Foods samosas at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes, bake them at 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes, or air fry them at 380 to 390°F for 12 to 16 minutes with a light brush of oil and a flip halfway. That is the whole secret behind the crisp, hand-folded samosas that families in Artesia, Anaheim and the rest of Southern California pull out of our packs.

RNK Foods is the frozen-food line of the family behind the Ribs 'n' Kabobs restaurant at 18925 Norwalk Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701. Our Beef Samosas, Chicken Samosas and Spicy Potato Veggie Samosas come in packs of 20, hand-folded in a thin pastry shell and flash-frozen. The recipes date from 1999. Flash-freezing locks in the texture, and the thin shell is exactly why they crisp so well, as long as you follow a few simple rules.

Why do frozen samosas go soggy?

Almost every soggy samosa comes down to one of three mistakes.

• Thawing first. A thawed samosa shell soaks up moisture from the filling and oil from the fryer. It turns limp before it browns. Cook from frozen, always.
• Oil that is too cool. If the oil is under 350°F, or you drop in too many samosas at once and the temperature crashes, the pastry absorbs oil instead of sealing. The result is greasy and pale.
• Crowding. In a fryer, an oven or an air fryer basket, samosas that touch each other steam where they touch. Leave space, and cook in batches if you have to. Batches are also how a Thanksgiving appetizer tray stays crisp while the oven is busy.

A fourth, smaller one: stacking hot samosas in a covered dish. Steam collects under the lid and softens the shell. Rest them on a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towel, uncovered, until you serve.

Which cooking method is best for frozen samosas?

Method	Temperature	Time from frozen	Result
Deep fry	350°F oil	5 to 8 minutes, turning	Crispiest, classic golden shell
Air fryer	380 to 390°F	12 to 16 minutes, flip halfway	Crisp with very little oil
Oven	400°F	15 to 18 minutes	Easiest for a full pack of 20

Deep frying is the way our restaurant kitchen does it, and it gives the most even, blistered crust. The air fryer is the choice for a weeknight snack with less oil. The oven wins when you need 20 samosas ready at the same time for guests.

How do you deep fry frozen samosas?

1. Heat oil in a deep pan or fryer to 350°F. A thermometer takes the guesswork out. If you do not have one, a tiny piece of pastry should sizzle right away without burning.
2. Lower in the frozen samosas a few at a time. Do not crowd the pan.
3. Fry for 5 to 8 minutes, turning occasionally, until the shell is deep golden and the filling is steaming hot.
4. Lift onto a wire rack or paper towel. Let the oil come back to temperature before the next batch.

Keep the heat steady. If the oil starts smoking, turn it down slightly. If the samosas are taking much longer than 8 minutes, it is too cool.

How do you cook frozen samosas in an air fryer?

1. Preheat the air fryer to 380 to 390°F.
2. Brush the frozen samosas lightly with oil on both sides. This is what gives the shell its color.
3. Lay them in the basket in a single layer with space between them.
4. Air fry for 12 to 16 minutes, flipping halfway through for even crispiness.
5. Check that the filling is hot in the center before serving.

Air fryer baskets vary a lot in size. Most hold six to eight samosas comfortably, so a full pack takes about three rounds.

How do you bake frozen samosas in the oven?

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place the frozen samosas on a baking sheet in a single layer. Lining it with parchment helps.
3. Brush or spray lightly with oil for a browner shell.
4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once halfway through, until golden and hot inside.

The oven gives a slightly drier, crackly shell rather than the blistered fried one, and it is the simplest way to cook all 20 at once for a gathering in Norwalk, Lakewood or anywhere in Orange County.

Do you thaw samosas before frying?

No. Never thaw RNK Foods samosas. Every time above is from frozen, and thawing is the fastest route to a soggy shell and a filling that leaks into the oil. Store the pack at 0°F or lower, take out only what you plan to cook, and seal the rest. Once cooked, samosas are best eaten within the hour. If you must hold them, keep them uncovered in a warm oven rather than under a lid.

What do you serve with samosas?

Samosas want something sharp and cool next to them.

• Green chutney, the mint and cilantro kind, is the classic.
• Tamarind chutney for a sweet and sour pairing, especially with the spicy potato samosas.
• Plain yogurt or raita to calm the heat of the spicy veggie samosas.
• Chai in the afternoon. Beef or chicken samosas with hot chai is the classic pairing in most Pakistani homes.
• A squeeze of lemon and sliced onions if you want to keep it simple.

For a party, set out all three fillings so there is a beef, a chicken and a vegetarian option on the table. Our guide on how many samosas and kabobs to plan per guest helps you work out how many packs to order, and for 50 or more guests the catering packages may be the easier route.

Where can you get them in Southern California?

Order the packs online and we ship in insulated packaging to California addresses with ZIP codes starting 900 to 935, which covers Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial and Ventura counties. See the shipping policy for the free-shipping threshold. Or pick up at the restaurant in Artesia. All three samosas are made in the same 100% Zabiha halal kitchen as the Ribs 'n' Kabobs menu, verified by HFSAA, with no pork and no alcohol on site.