Once you get the hang of folding these pillows of dough into triangles, making these samosas is a breeze.
The Indian-spiced potato and vegetable filling, surrounded by crisp phyllo, makes for a palate-pleasing appetizer.
It’s almost impossible to have just one. You may want to double the recipe. Make this delicious recipe for your next get together.
Satisfying Samosas
Ingredients:
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
• 1/2 cup diced carrots (1/4-inch pieces)
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon red chile powder
• 3/4 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt, to taste
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1-1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, boiled until soft and crushed into 14-inch lumps
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 (9-by-14-inch) packet phyllo dough (the Athens brand comes in a 1-pound box containing 2 packets)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for brushing dough
Directions:
Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick frying pan; fry mustard seeds 10-15 seconds, until they begin to splutter. Add onion and ginger; cook 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat. Lower heat to medium.
Add carrots; stir well. Add spices, lemon juice and salt. Cook 2 minutes. Add peas; stir well. Cook 1 minute. Add potatoes and coriander; cook 2-3 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Unroll dough and cover with a tea towel. Peel off one sheet and keep the rest covered so it doesn’t dry out. Lay sheet flat on a clean surface and brush with oil. Fold 1/3 of the sheet lengthwise toward the middle. Brush again with oil and fold the remaining third of the sheet over the top to make a long, triple-layered strip. Brush again with oil.
Place one rounded spoonful of filling at one end of the strip, leaving a 1-inch border. Lift the right corner of dough and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip. Brush the outer surface with oil. Place it on a baking sheet and cover while you make the rest of the samosas.
Bake in the center of a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden and crisp, turning halfway through the cooking time. Makes 18 pieces.
Approximate Nutrient Analysis per serving (not including salt to taste): 150 calories, 9 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 2 g protein Nutritional analysis provided by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., CNS.
