Quick Vegetable Samosa

Tasty and Quick Vegetable Samosa. Savory Potato and Green Peas filling, using ready-to-use Samosa pastry sheets.

Total time is not inclusive of defrosting the sheets, cooling the filling.

The Recipe Intro↓ has , more info, step wise pics on samosa pastry folding as well as Complete Recipe Video. Don’t forget to check it out.

Ingredients:

Potatoes ( I use US Russet potatoes)		600 gms
Frozen Green Peas		100 - 150 gms
Cooking Oil		3 Tbsp plus enough for frying the samosas
Thick coconut cream		1 ¼ Tbsp
Coriander /Cilantro, finely chopped		3 Tbsp
Samosa wrappers or spring roll wrapper / shells (frozen)		1 packet - 30 sheets
Plain flour ( mixed in water to make a loose 'glue' )		1 Tbsp

To be ground together to a paste:

Dried Red Chillies, the shriveled milder variety (kashmir)		3
Shallots		7-8
Garlic		4 large cloves
Ginger		3 tsp
Cumin seeds		¼ tsp
Fennel seeds ( Aniseed /Saunf )		½ tsp
Salt (to taste)		½ - ¾ tsp

Spices:

Coriander powder		1 ¼ Tbsp
Turmeric powder		¼ Tbsp
Chilli powder		½ tsp
Black Pepper powder		¼ tsp

Method:

1. Soak the dried chillies in boiled water for 30 minutes.
2. Take out the samosa pastry from the freezer and set the timer to defrost it. (Not more than indicated on the package, about 40 minutes).
3. Boil the potatoes till tender and mash-able but not completely mashed. You should be able to dice them.
4. Dice the potatoes.
5. Heat the frozen green peas in the microwave to defrost or place in hot water till thawed. Keep drained to remove moisture.
6. Remove the soaked dried chiles and squeeze gently.
7. Add the soaked dried red chillies, shallots, garlic and ginger cumin and green fennel to a small mixer/grinder.
8. Grind, without adding water – to a smooth paste.
9. Heat oil in a wide, non-stick pan/wok.
10. Add the ground paste and fry till fragrant, stirring continuously so that it doesn’t stick or burn.
11. Add the spice powders and fry briefly till aromatic again, sprinkling a little water to prevent scorching of the spices.
12. When the oil separates, add the diced potato. Also, add salt to taste.
13. Toss gently to coat evenly with the ground paste.
14. Add the thick coconut cream and mix gently. This adds depth of flavor and scent.
15. Next stir in the drained green peas and chopped coriander. Toss gently to mix.
16. Place the filling in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool as well as absorb all the curry/masala flavor.
17. Prepare the flour ‘glue’: Mix plain flour and water to make a loose white glue.
18. Remove the samosa/spring roll wrappers from the packaging and place on a tray/plate. Cover with a slightly dampened cloth, to prevent drying out. The cloth should not be too wet.
19. In the intro page, I show you the steps fold and fill the samosa pastry, step by step. Check it out.
20. These samosas can be frozen now for future use. Place in a tray, lined with wax/ baking paper and place a single layer. Cover with another layer of waxed paper and repeat. Once frozen, the samosas can be packed together in a plastic, food bag.
21. If you plan on using some right away, I still recommend freezing for at least half an hour.  They come out crisper without any tearing this way.
22. To Fry: Heat oil for shallow frying in a frying pan. There should be just an inch or inch and a half of oil.
23. As the oil heats up and before it is too hot, add one layer of samosa.
24. Turn heat down to low-medium and fry till golden and crisp on one side.
25. Flip gently and fry the other side. Make sure heat is not so high that the shell turns dark before the inside is heated through.
26. Drain on kitchen paper towel.
27. Serve with Ketchup etc.  My favorite is Thai sweet chili sauce.

 

Quick Vegetable Samosa

Notes:

• When defrosting the pastry, make sure not to thaw for more than 45 minutes, if too much moisture developed, the sheets will be difficult to separate.
• When frying the gourd paste or spices, make sure that at no point does the paste burn to the bottom. Keep stirring adjusting the heat and add a few drops of water. Scorched masala will ruin the taste.
• If you don’t have coconut cream you can use 1 Tbsp of thick coconut milk instead, make sure it gets absorbed by the potatoes.
• Seal each samosa with the flour glue as and when they are made. Don’t wait till the whole batch is ready to glue them, the extended portion will dry out and become brittle.
• Try to keep the corners tight while folding. Tiny gaps are okay.
• Use spring roll wrappers only if you can not find the samosa wrappers. If you do, cut the wrapper in half to make a rectangle similar to samosa wrapper and follow the same steps. The samosa will be smaller. Do not overlap the entire spring roll wrapper, it tends to be heavier and causes darkening.

Key Ingredients: Samosa Pastry, Potatoes, Peas,  Shallots, Garlic, Ginger, Seasoning, Spices.

EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried –  Quick Vegetable Samosa

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