Indian vegie feast #8 – potato and pea samosas

potato and pea samosas

This is the last of March’s Indian Vegie Feast series. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, but much more I hope I’ve inspired you to cook some delicious vegetables, Indian style.

When I was first introduced to Charmaine Solomon’s classic “The Complete Asian Cookbook” in the 1980s, I was immediately excited by what was then, for me, new ingredients and flavours. The book is a little dated now as Australian’s have become accustomed to eating chilli and spice on a daily basis and grocery lines from Asia abound on our supermarket shelves, but I still turn to Solomon’s delicious recipes to use as the basis for many dishes I prepare. This samosa filling is  inspired by her recipe for Dry Potato and Pea Curry.

There was a high demand for my potato and pea samosas when I was cooking for a caterer. I never tired of making them. I found the process of rolling and folding samosas a meditative headspace in the midst a busy kitchen. I still enjoy seeing the lines of uniform folded half moon pastries grow as the ingredients diminish.

My choice of samosa dough recipes has changed over the years. The latest change is intolerance driven, but to be perfectly honest I think I’ve stumbled on the best samosa dough formula I’ve ever used. When fried it was super crisp and light, it absorbed very little oil.

The constructed samosas freeze brilliantly uncooked with no residual telltale freezer signs when fried from frozen before serving.

The quantities given in these recipes makes about 4 dozen samosa. Some for now, some for another day.

Those on the FODMAP diet should limit a serving size to six pastries.

Samosa Pastry

550g white spelt flour

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

160 g butter warm, not hot

160g natural yoghurt

Water

Measure the flour, salt and cumin seeds into a bowl and mix to combine.

Add the butter, yoghurt and 1/4 cup water.

Mix to a stiff dough, adding extra water if necessary.

Knead the dough until smooth and flexible.

Return the dough to the bowl, cover and set aside,

Potato and Pea Samosa Filling

2 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil*

1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

600g waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm dice

1 cup frozen peas

2 green spring onion tops, sliced

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced ( or to taste)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon garam masala

Heat the oil in a wide shallow pan and fry the seeds until they sizzle and pop.

Add the potatoes, peas, ginger coriander, onion greens, chilli, turmeric, salt and water.

Stir to thoroughly combine then as soon as the pan comes to the boil, reduce the heat, cover tightly and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Add a little extra water if necessary.

Add the garam masala, stir it through the potatoes and cook for another couple of minutes uncovered to ensure all the moisture has evaporated.

Remove the pan from the heat then roughly crush the potatoes with the back of a spoon.

Spread the hot potato mixture on a tray to quickly cool.

to construct the samosas:

Lightly dust the bench with spelt flour.

Divide the dough into four, then working with one piece at a time roll the dough out thinly.

Cut circles of pastry with using 9cm round fluted cookie cutter.

Dampen the pastry edges with water, spoon a heaped teaspoon of cooled curry into the pastry then fold in half and pinch the edges together to seal.

Place the finished pastries on a baking paper lined tray.

Continue rolling and folding until all the filling is used.

Chill for 30 minutes before deep frying until golden.

*you can use plain vegetable oil or ghee and add 2 crushed cloves of garlic with the potatoes if you prefer.

About ladyredspecs

I live in sunny Brisbane, Australia. My love of good food drives me as a cook, a reader, a traveller, an artist and but mostly as an eater. I cooked professionally for many years but have no formal training. Simply guided by a love of eating good food, respect for ingredients and an abhorrence of artificial additives, I cook instinctively applying the technical know how acquired by experience. I hope you enjoy what I share Sandra AKA ladyredspecs

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