samosa - gluten free and vegan

samosa - gluten-free and vegan

More for the deep fryer collection.  Samosas are a popular snack food, and very versatile as you can fill with any flavour filling ( I found myself wondering what banana and chocolate would be like).

I started by using pastry based on the recipe at http://www.samosa-recipe.com/Samosa_Pastry.html.  I didn't use their filling, as it needed cooking, so based mine on a recipe from http://www.indianfoodforever.com/snacks/samosa.html, just making it easier given what I had in the fridge and pantry.

dough

• 225 flour (40% urid, 40% tapioca, 20% cornmeal)
• 130ml warm water (approx - add enough to get good dough)
• 2tbsp veg oil
• salt if wanted

Mix salt with flour if using, make well in flour and put in oil and enough water to make a pliable dough.  Wrap and leave for half an hour for flour to absorb liquid.

samosa dough

filling

• potato cooked and mashed - I microwaved four smallish potatoes, slipped the skins off and chopped coarsely
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 inch of ginger, finely chopped
• chilli to taste.  I used a little green chilli
• garam massala 1 tsp
• 2 tsp korma or other curry paste, or your own spice mix.  I like Patak's.
• 1/2 tsp oil

If you mix all of these together while the peas are frozen you can stir quite hard, the potato mashes nicely, and the peas stay whole.

The filling is ready to eat as it is and only the pastry needs cooking.

This amount of filling only just did all the samosas.  Make more than you think you want, adjust the seasoning until you find it hard to resist (which is why I ran out, I think) then leave to cool.

Technique

Deep fryer set at 170C

Cut the dough into pieces - this amount will make 24 smallish samosas.  You won't be able to roll the pastry quite as thin as a wheat pastry, but it works pretty well.  Flour the board and your rolling pin well as you work and keep moving the pastry so it doesn't stick.  If you do find it sticks just squish it back together with a little extra water and put it back with the others for a moment.  Also, if you find the dough has dried out just do the same.  It seems quite forgiving, and the pastry that I re-squished several times seems to have worked the same as pieces that rolled perfectly first time.

Roll each portion into a circle and cut in half.

Working carefully, as the dough is fragile, brush a little water along the cut edge and roll into a cone, supporting with the thumb and forefinger of one hand. I just dipped a finger in water for this but you can use a small pastry brush.

Fill carefully - not right to the top.

You need enough pastry left over to be able to fold one side down, brush with water, then fold the other side so that it sticks.  If you get holes stick a scrap of pastry on with water.

Put on a floured tray or plate until you are ready to cook.  Place a few samosas in the fat at a time, shaking gently now and then.  As with all fried food don't overcrowd the fat.  Remove when they are a light golden brown all over.

frying at 170C

Drain on a cooling rack.

 I'll see how they respond to freezing and thawing later.  TT says they taste and feel pretty much like any other samosa he has had.

sorry about odd bits of formatting - Blogger is behaving strangely at the moment




Update;  tasted good and held together well after freezing.  Heated some in the oven until crisp, others were eaten cold after they had defrosted.  Both were good.  Definitely a good recipe to make for standby snacks from the freezer.