Happy New Year dear friends! I’m a tad bit late here (okay, I’m über late here), but I hope that the new year brings you all tremendous joys and endless positive vibes! I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, but this year I certainly hope to dedicate more time to this blog and to continue sharing my culinary adventures with you all.
In keeping with my resolution, as well as promising my baby brother to post this ASAP, today I’m sharing with you my recipe for baked, whole wheat aloo (potato) samosas. These puffy, little pockets of starchy, spicy goodness are the perfect snack anytime of day. I’m guilty of – but not entirely ashamed to admit – that I’ve devoured one or two for breakfast with a hot cup of inviting masala chai.
Traditionally, samosas are enjoyed as a popular deep fried street food snack. In an effort to cut down on the guilt factor, I bake my samosas and use whole wheat flour for the pastry dough. On occasion (read: very special occasions like Eid), I use unbleached all purpose flour for the pastry dough and deep fry my samosas. You can choose whichever method suits you, but I actually do prefer the taste of these baked. They’re perfectly crispy, and the whole wheat flour lends a nice, nutty taste and rustic look. And a bonus when baking these? There’s no vat of oil to cleanup and store afterwards – hoorah! Go ahead and give these not-so-guilty pleasures a try – I know you will love them too.
- 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp semolina flour
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 5 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 c. warm water
- 1 1/2 tsp flour
- 1 T warm water
- I lb. (about 3 medium sized) Yukon Gold potatoes; boiled and coarsely mashed
- 1 T canola oil
- 3/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 cup petite, frozen green peas
- 1 tsp crushed, toasted coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2 green chilies, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 tsp amchur (dried mango powder; easily found at most Indian grocery stores)
- salt (to taste; I used a scant teaspoon)
- 1/2 tsp anardana (dried pomegranate seeds; easily found at most Indian stores)
- 1/2 small onion, fine diced
- 2 T minced cilantro
- 2 T minced mint (optional)
- Mix the flour, semolina, caraway seeds, and salt together in a medium sized bowl.
- Make a well and add the olive oil. Stir together until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Add the warm water slowly and mix until the dough becomes soft. Note: you may not end up using all the water, or you may require a little more. The key is to get a soft dough.
- Knead the dough for a few minutes until it is smooth and pliable. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
- While the dough rests, heat canola oil in a heavy bottomed pot and add cumin seeds.
- Once the cumin seeds begin to crackle, add the crushed coriander seeds, garam masala, green chilies, and red chili flakes. Toast these for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in the peas and then add the potatoes and salt and stir fry this mixture for about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the amchur and off the heat. Give everything a good stir and allow this mixture to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Once the potato mixture has slightly cooled, mix in the anardana, onion, cilantro, and mint (if using).
- Preheat oven to 375°F. To make the pastry paste, mix the flour and water together in a small bowl and set aside (the mixture will be a thick paste). Line and grease a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roughly divide the pastry dough into 8 equal balls. Cover dough balls with a damp cloth.
- Working with one ball of dough at a time, roll dough into a 6 inch circle, then cut the circle in half.
- Spread a thin border of pastry paste along the outer edge of each semi-circle. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of each semicircle and then bring the edges together to form a cone.
- Pinch the edges to seal and repeat with the remaining balls of pastry dough.
- Place the samosas on the baking sheet and brush lightly with olive oil.
- Bake the samosas for 15 minutes until golden brown, making sure to flip halfway through baking.
- Serve with mint/coriander/tamarind chutney. Enjoy!
