VEGETABLE SAMOSAS

Samosas make an excellent appetizer. Serve with a spicy mango pickle, a mint cucumber dip, or spicy carrot salad

Tasty so very tasty

Makes 16 Samosas

INGREDIENTS

for the pastry

225g plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
4-6 tablespoons water

for the stuffing

750g potatoes
1 onion, diced finely
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 handful coriander, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced (or grated)
175gr fresh or frozen peas
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon garam masala
water as needed
olive oil and vegetable oil

METHOD

Start with the pastry. Mix the flour and salt together Add the olive oil and rub it with your fingers to form a crumbly mixture. Add in the water and mix to form a stiff dough. Add a little more water as needed so that the dough sticks together. Knead the dough on a clean counter until it is nice and smooth. A few minutes. Put in a plastic bag and set aside.

Boil the potatoes until just tender. Let cool and then peel and dice.

Heat up olive oil in a heavy frying pan and fry the onion, garlic and chilli gently until very soft. Add the spices, the diced potato, coriander and peas. (Fresh peas will need longer cooking time.) Add a little water to the potato mixture so that it doesn’t dry out or stick to the bottom.

Cook gently for a few minutes until all the flavours are combined. Add lemon juice, taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Might need a little more salt if too bland or water if too dry.

Back to the dough. By this time it should be softer and more pliable. Knead for a couple minutes and divide into 8 balls. Roll each one out very thinly–about as thin as a tortilla–and cut in half.

Pick up one half and make into a cone shape, make a 5mm overlapping flap. Glue with a little water. Fill the cone with 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture. Close the top of the cone with water. Press the seam down with a prong of a fork. Continue with the rest of the pastry and filling until you have 16 samosas.

In a heavy frying pan, add about 4 to 5 cm of vegetable oil, and set over a medium heat. When hot put in as many samosas as the pan will hold in a single layer. FRY slowly turning frequently until golden brown and crisp.

Drain on kitchen paper.

Original recipe Madur Jaffrey Indian Cookery BBC