Tuesday, August 6, 2013

homemade samosas with mint coconut chutney

Monica and I found an awesome new hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Ford Rd near canton called "Indian Flavors".  It's all vegetarian and run by the cutest old man and his family.  So, I'm posting my recipe for homemade samosas and chutney to give you a taste of Indian flavors if you don't have time to make it to the restaurant.

Samosa dough
1/4 C canola oil
2/3 C water
2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Whisk together the oil and water in a small bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until the dough is moistened and comes together in a ball. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute.  Wrap dough ball in plastic and let rest at room temp. for 1 hour.

Mix a couple tablespoon of cornstarch with enough water to make a thick paste for gluing the edges of the dough together later.

Samosa filling
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 white onion, diced
1 jalapeno or green chile, seeded & diced
1/3 C frozen green peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. coriander
2 T canola oil

Boil the cubed potatoes until soft, meanwhile, heat 2 T canola oil in a skillet and add all of the other ingredients.  Saute on medium high until very fragrant, then add the boiled potatoes and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes.  Remove from the heat and mash the potatoes a bit to really incorporate the spices and garlic.

Assembly & Finishing
Heat 3 Cups canola oil over medium heat in a heavy duty saucepot or cast iron skillet with high sides.
Lightly flour your work surface.
Roll out the dough by making a "snake" shape and cutting that into 8 equal pieces. then form a ball and roll out each into a circle. Put about 1/3 cup filling in the middle and brush the edges with cornstarch and water mixture.  
Fold three sides up to meet in the center and make a triangle shape. Make sure to seal all edges.

Pinch a bit of dough off and drop in the oil to see if it's hot enough before starting with the samosas, if it bubbles in the oil it's ready.

Fry each samosa until golden brown and keep warm on a sheet pan in the oven on 200F.

Coconut Mint Chutney
1 bunch mint
1/2 C shredded coconut
1/4 medium white onion, chopped
1 green chile or jalapeno, seeded
1 tsp. ground ginger
water
salt to taste

Put first 4 ingredients in blender on high and drizzle in water until desired a paste is formed, and water to desired thickness.  Add salt to taste & enjoy with your crispy homemade samosas!!!



put