Recipes, Bits on the sideAdam SmithJanuary 17, 2020Vegetarian, Indian, Samosa

Veggie Samosas

Recipes, Bits on the sideAdam SmithJanuary 17, 2020Vegetarian, Indian, Samosa

I really really love samosas. They are one of my favourite quick on the go snacks and they always put a smile on my face. Whilst my favourite filling is lamb and pea, I wanted to nail the pastry, so I opted to start with a simple but very veggie option to get them perfect.
I’ve made these before and whilst tasty, the pastry was a tad too thick so it needed another bash. This time success.

Watch this space for the meaty version coming soon!

This recipe was adapted from a staple on the shelf, the Curry Bible.

Step 1 - The Veg

Make sure your butter is out of the fridge.
Put a pan of salted water on high heat.
Put a large plate in the freezer or fridge to chill.
Peel and dice a carrot.
Peel and dice half a sweet potato.
Measure out about 100g of frozen peas.
Cook the carrots for 4 minutes.
Then add the potato and cook for another 4 minutes.
Then add the peas and cook for a final 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and drain.

Step 2 - The Spice

In a frying pan, add some ghee (or butter and oil if you don’t have ghee) and put over medium heat.
Chop an onion and add to the pan.
Add the garlic and ginger pastes, spices and finally the lime juice.
Give it all a good stir and cook for a few minutes making sure it doesn’t catch, if it does, add a splash of water.
Add the drained veg then season well, cooking and stirring for another few minutes.
Remove from heat and spread out over the cold plate from the fridge or freezer, leaving for at least 10 minutes.
Whilst this is cooling, it’s time to make the dough.

Step 3 - The Pastry

In a bowl add the flour and butter and rub it to a crumb.
Warm the milk, pour it in and mix it up. If its a little loose add a touch more flour until you form a nice ball.
Cut the ball into 4 even portions.

Step 4 - Assemble the Samosa

On a well-floured surface, put one of the pastry balls and flour that too.
Roll it to about 15 cm then turn it and roll it very thin and long.
Make sure it’s well floured so it doesn’t stick, it will be thin and delicate so be bold but be careful.
Once done, cut it lengthways down the middle so you have two long rectangles.
Add a tablespoon full of the mixture to one end.
Fold it over in a triangle and repeat until there is the last turn left.
If there is excess left, trim the end to make it a triangle.
Brush the remaining triangle with milk, fold it over, making sure it’s sealed.
Crimp or nip any rough corners to make sure they are sealed and tidy.
Repeat until you are out of the pastry.

Step 5 - Deep fry

Heat up some vegetable or sunflower oil in a pan to 180-190C
With a slotted spoon, lower the samosas in batches (depending on your pan) so that they are fully covered in oil. They should take 3-4 minutes to crisp up and go golden brown.
Remove and put in a very low oven to keep warm, on some kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
Serve warm with some lime wedges and mango chutney.