Indian Baked Samosas

Author: Kannamma Cooks

Link: https://www.kannammacooks.com/aarti-sequeira-lite-baked-samosas/

This is a great recipe as it is reliable and makes fantastic portable food that is low in oil and fat. These are super healthy, super convenient and did I say portable.

I used to make these when I worked away, I would batch them up on the weekend and these would be a great part of my food choices while I was on the road or in a small country town where vegan options might not be readily available.

You can get a meat pie in any town, truck stop or roadhouse in Australia. You can sometimes get a vegetarian option but it is still rare to get a vegan option. The chances are better if you’re on the major major routes but if you aren’t pounding up and down the tourist traps of the pacific highway then, no.

Ingredients

For the filling

• 1 tbsp vegetable stock
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 Russet potato – Boiled and coarsely mashed
• ½ cup peas – Boiled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon green chillies, minced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

For the homemade samosa pastry

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (maida)
• ¼ cup yogurt
• ¼ cup vegetable/ canola oil
• Big pinch salt
• ½ teaspoon ajwain seeds, optional

Method

1. When the pan is hot, dry fry the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and ginger.
2. Splash a small amount of vegetable stock in with the dry ingredients to prolong the toasting (this is instead of the oil the original recipe called for.
3. Toast for 2-3 minutes or until they start smoking. Then add the onions and saute till soft and translucent. When the onions are cooked add in half a teaspoon each of salt,turmeric and garam masala. Add in the green chillies if using. Saute briefly for half a minute.
4. Add in the boiled potatoes and peas and mix well.
5. Add the chopped coriander leaves/cilantro. Remove from heat and when the mixture is cool enough to handle, make 8 balls. Set aside.

For the Dough

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yogurt, oil, salt and ajwain seeds. Bring the ingredients together until a dough forms. Knead until it has softened a bit, about 5 minutes. Allow to rest, at room temperature, for 15 minutes.

Roll the dough into a short cylinder. Slice in half, then slice each half into 2 pieces, so you have 4 bits. Roll each bit into a ball.

Flatten the balls into discs then, on a floured surface, roll them into a 1/8-inch thick, 7-inch wide circles. Cut in half to form 2 semicircles.Put the filling in the center of a semicircle. Have a small bowl of water handy. Dip your finger in the water and run it along the edges of the semicircle. Arrange the samosas so the flat side is facing away from you. Grab the right corner and fold it over the dough in a triangular motion, so that this corner lands on the bottom left side of the filling. Do the same with the other corner. Squeeze bottom shut, and fold over, sealing with water. If you like, seal using a fork. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Arrange the 8 samosas on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, then turn heat down to 375 degrees F and bake for 10 more minutes.

Notes

After filling the dough with the potato mixture and sealing it, place it on a plate and keep in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Then transfer the raw samosas to zip tote bags and freeze them for up to a month.
Thaw them and bake as mentioned above.