Baked Samosa

Samosa. The crispy pastry filled with spicy potatoes, served with chutney, savoured everywhere and loved as an appetiser and snack by all. An Indian snack - the original recipe calls for deep frying the stuffed pastry, but if you know me, you know how averse I am to deep frying (and also quite stingy when using butter and oil). But how can I miss out on the good things in life? Samosa being one of them! It is easy to make if you use something like a puff pastry sheet, or wonton or a spring roll wrap. I made the dough myself, but for the sake of ease, let me just suggest you to buy one of those wraps. Also, samosas are so versatile, maybe in another version I'll share how I make the dough for the wrap. So here is how I make the samosas.

- 2 large potatoes - boiled and mashed.
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1 onion - finely chopped
- 1 or 2 green chillis - very finely chopped, and de-seeded if you don't like it hot.
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons oil


For the spices,
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder - freshly ground works beautifully
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mango powder.
- salt

In the hot oil, add cumin, and chillis and saute for a few seconds. Add in the ginger, and onions, and salt and fry for a few minutes. When the onions are golden brown, add in the peas and the remaining masala and let it cook for 8-10 minutes. Mix it all with the mashed potatoes. Let this mixture cool for a few minutes. This stuff is so tasty that I make a lot more than I need, and make sandwiches with it the next day!
For the wrap, choose a wrap of your choice. Puff pastry works well and is very easy to get too. Cut it into approximately 4" x 8" pieces. Place a small amount of the mixture at the bottom of the 4" side, and fold it to form a triangle. Fold it twice and seal the edges with water-flour mixture(Add a tablepoon of flour to about 3 tablespoons water). You could make any shape you like, and also create the traditional trianglular shape many ways. You could also cut squares from your rolled out dough, and fill the potato mixture diagonally and close it so it resembles a cone. Brush some oil on the samosa and bake it in a 350 C oven for about 20 minutes. I served mine with a coriander - mint chutney and a thai sweet chilli sauce. Share

Hash browns

Potatoes. Fried, baked ,boiled or mashed. Need I say more? Who doesn't love them. There are a few things that are quite as life saviours sometimes as potatoes, eggs and pasta! Always handy, easy and never disappoint even the most novice cook. You can't possibly go wrong in a recipe that uses nothing but potatoes. With a dash of butter! (Why am I hungry again?).
So a quick and easy dish that you could have for breakfast, or sometimes as a side, or just a snack is a Hash brown. The crispier the better. A nice starchy potato like a russet works best in a dish like this. So here is the recipe.

Peel about half a kilo (1 lb) of potatoes. Grate them, and press out the moisture either using paper towels, or a potato ricer or just squeeze between your palms. This is important as it will give you a hash brown that is crispy, not mushy. Although mushy hashbrowns are also yummy!



Heat up some oil in a pan. Now you can either layer some of the grated potato directly, or add some spice/flavour if you like. I put some cumin seeds, and then added the potatoes. Press them a bit so it all comes together. Make a thin layer so it cooks evenly. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. When it is slightly golden brown - turn and cook the other side. I sprinked some dried oregano, which is entirely optional. They go great with eggs - specially a half fry/sunny side up/bulls eye..whatever you like to call it. And a strip or two of bacon. Yum yum yum! Share