Chef Maneet Chauhan, The Sun Wine & Food Fest 2025, Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT, USA

If you watch Food Network shows, you have seen Chef Maneet Chauhan as a top competitor as well as a judge. A passionate, culinary dynamo, Maneet Chauhan is an award-winning chef, cookbook author, television personality and competitor, and a restauranteur. Attendees at The Sun Wine & Food Fest 2025 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut had the opportunity to watch Chef Maneet Chauhan in action as she demoed how to make Samosas. After having attended her demo where she demystified how to make Samosas, we cannot wait to make these crispy filled savory pastries at home.

Chef Maneet Chauhan

On January 25, 2025, we attended The Sun Wine & Food Fest at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. The annual 4-day festival draws foodies who come to enjoy food, wine, and spirits excellence, along with meeting their favorite Celebrity Chefs at special events and culinary demos, which are always a highlight of the event. We especially love to attend chef demos as we always learn to make new recipes, as well as pick up some great tips and techniques.

Elena Besser & Chef Maneet Chauhan

A graduate of the prestigious culinary school, The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Chef Maneet Chauhan brings her passion for cooking into everything she makes. Her passion comes through whether watching her on television or meeting her in person and watching her demos.

For her demo during the Grand Tasting for The Sun Wine & Food Fest, she made Samosas and explained that her first job was to make Samosas for a banquet restaurant in Indian. Samosas are traditional Indian crispy, flaky, savory pastries that are served with chutney. Served warm, they are rich, flavorful, and very tasty.

Chef Maneet Chauhan

Chef Maneet Chauhan – Samosas

Chef Maneet Chauhan noted that every culture has pan fried pastries, and Samosas are nice, flavorful crispy, flaky pastry that can be filled with a variety of ingredients. The traditional filling is mashed potatoes with peas seasoned with a spice blend, however she noted that you can give them your own signature.

Chef Maneet Chauhan – Samosas Pastry Ingredients:

Flour
Salt
Sugar
Oil
Very Cold Water

Chef Maneet Notes: You want the dough to be stiff, do not add too much water, or the dough will not hold together when you fill it and put it in the deep fryer. You can mix the dough by hand or in a standing mixer. Once you make the dough, put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to relax the gluten and to create a crispy pastry.

Chef Maneet Chauhan

Method for the Dough: Mix the flour, salt, sugar, and oil together in a bowl and mix by hand or use a standing mixer to mix the dough. When the dough starts to be crumbly, add a small amount of very cold water. When the dough comes together, put the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to relax the gluten and create a crispy pastry.

Samosas Filling Ingredients:

Fenugreek
Fennel seeds
Coriander seeds
Fresh Ginger
Lemon Juice
Garlic
Red Chili Powder
Cumin
Coriander Powder
Garam Masala
Anata Seeds (dehydrated pomegranate seeds)
Salt
Mashed Potatoes
Peas

Chef Maneet Spice Notes: She uses whole spices as well as powdered spices to give the filling both flavor and texture.

Method for the Filling: Heat the pan, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds, to the pan and let them dance and sing in the pan. Then add the mashed potatoes and peas. Add the rest of the spices, lemon juice, grated garlic, and grated ginger.

You can also put your own signature on the spice blend, and the filling. Chill. Make sure your filling is cold before you put it in the pastry. If the filling is still warm it will make the pastry soggy when it goes into the deep fryer.

Chef Maneet Chauhan

Assembling the Samosas: Have your chilled filling ready on the counter.

To make traditional cone-shaped samosas, roll the dough into balls. Dust your surface with flour. Roll each dough ball out in a circle. Make sure they are nice and thin. Cut each circle in half. Put water around the edge of the dough and seal, to make a cone shape.

Add some filling to the dough “cone” then seal the edge with water and fold it over so it can stand up. Do not overfill the “cones” or the filling will leak out when they go into the deep fryer. Once you have filled the samosas, place them in a deep fryer and fry them until golden brown.

Mango Mint Chutney Ingredients:

Mango puree
Fresh Mint
Fresh Cilantro
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Ginger, grated
Fresh Lemon Juice

Method for the Mango Mint Chutney: Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Garnish Ingredients:

Pomegranate seeds

Method to Remove Pomegranate Seeds: Cut it in half, then hold it over a bowl and tap on the outer shell with a spoon and the seeds will easily come out.

Garnish and Plating: Spoon some Mango Mint Chutney on a plate, add a samosa, and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

More Pro Tips from Chef Maneet: Use the edge of a spoon to easily peel ginger. The next time you are marinating meat, marinate the meat with a ginger and garlic, and salt and pepper blend.

Chef Maneet Chauhan & Debra C. Argen

Until next time, Bon Appetit!

Chef Maneet Chauhan
Website: https://www.maneetchauhan.com/about.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chefmaneetchauhan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maneetchauhan/  @maneetchauhan

Read more about The Sun, Wine & Food Fest in the following sections: Chefs’ Recipes section: Chef Antonia Lofaso, Chef Scott Conant, Chef Leah Cohen, and Chef Michele Ragussis.

For more information on The Sun, Wine & Food Fest at Mohegan Sun 2026 or one of their other upcoming events and concerts, please visit the website: www.mohegansun.com.

Mohegan Sun
1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard
Uncasville, CT 06382
United States
General Information: 1-888-226-7711
Hotel Reservations: 1-888-777-7922
Website: www.mohegansun.com
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