Oven Baked Indian Samosas

So I had a  random hunger for some authentic Indian samosas. I have always adored those spicy triangles of crispy goodness. The sad looking soft samosas you find in certain grocery stores just never do it for me though. The best thing you can do is bake them for a while in your oven and hope they eventually crisp up, and the flavours are never as satisfying as an authentic Indian samosa in the end.

With that in mind I put together a fairly guilt free, yet authentically pleasing vegetable samosa recipe for you all to try out. Instead of frying them to death in lots of oil I decided to bake my little babies in the oven as a healthier alternative. They are just as tasty and bursting with eastern flavours and that oh-so heavenly aroma!

Ingredients

Filling

•     1 cup green peas
•     ¼ cup chopped carrots
•     2 ½ cups water
•     3 medium russet potatoes
•     1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
•     1 tablespoon sea salt / kosher salt
•     1 medium red onion, chopped
•     1  teaspoons minced fresh ginger
•     2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds
•     1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
•     1 teaspoon garam masala
•     ½ teaspoon paprika
•     1 teaspoon turmeric
•     ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 
•      coriander/cilantro leaves, chopped
•      soya milk / diary milk
       1 egg, for egg wash

Dough

•     2 cups all-purpose flour
•    ½ teaspoon sea salt
•    ½ cup plain organic yogurt
•    ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

* If you don't have time or the needed ingredients you can use spring roll / potsticker pastry instead.

Method

In a medium saucepan add your peas and water. Bring them to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until peas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain peas in a colander, and set aside.
Peel potatoes and boil with 1 teaspoon salt until softened. Now drain your potatoes and mash them thoroughly. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy pan and add your chopped onions. Cook until translucent, then add your ginger and stir briefly. Add your ground and whole coriander seeds and leaves, garam masala, paprika, turmeric and salt stirring just under a minute, allowing the flavours to combine. Add your mashed potatoes, peas, chopped carrots, ground black pepper, a dash of soya milk and mix evenly. Set filling aside.

If making the dough, combine ingredients and mix until dough is firm and non-sticky. On a lightly floured surface roll out your dough into a large rectangle and cut into strips. Fold over into a triangle shape and seal down the ends with a flour and water based paste with your fingers. Scoop some of the filling into your triangle and fold over again and seal withe the flour paste. Cut away any excess dough if needed.
Here is a short, but good video I found showing how to fill your samosas if my directions aren't too clear for you... Folding and Filling Samosas.
If You have bought spring roll wrappers, use the same method mentioned.

Get a large baking tray and lightly grease with olive oil or olive oil spray oil.
Place your samosas evenly in the tray and brush the tops with egg wash made with 1 part egg, one part water. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 218°C ( 425°F / Gas mark 7) for roughly 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn your samosas over and lightly brush the underside with egg wash, turning  the heat down to 190°C ( 375°F / Gas mark 5). Cook for roughly another 10 minutes.
Serve alone or with a good Indian chutney.

notes

"If you like you can add some chicken to the filling mixture while cooking the onions for a meaty samosa!"

Yellow Thai Curry

Hello all. I always aim to provide easy, healthy and quick dishes, so I bring to you a delectable little recipe that just might tickle your taste buds the right way! This is one of my favourite curry recipes, because it is both so full of flavours and textures. Crunchy cashews and vegetables with silky soft tofu in a creamy tasteful sauce. If you are of the herbivore variety you'll be happy to add this gem to your vegan and/or vegetarian menu. Also note this will take you about 25 - 30 minutes to prepare. A little tip, if you are serving it with rice, make sure you put that on to cook first to cut down on your cooking time.

Ingredients

•     1 large red onion, chopped
•     3 medium garlic cloves, chopped
•     extra virgin olive oil
•     226g firm tofu, cut into small cubes
•     2-3 cups coconut milk
•     3-4 tablespoons high quality curry powder
•     1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt (or more to taste)
•     pak choi, chopped
•     asparagus' chopped
•     1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
•     water chestnuts, sliced
•     2 teaspoons cumin
•     ground black pepper
•     cashew nuts
•     1 teaspoon paprika
•     brown rice for serving

Method

Chop and slice all of your vegetables so they are ready to use and out of the way. Saute the onion and 2 of the garlic cloves in 1/2 teaspoon olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the curry powder and salt, stirring until combined.
Add the coconut milk to the onion mixture, bring to a simmer and work out any clumps. Stir in the tofu and cook for a few minutes until the tofu has absorbed most of the flavors. Simmer the liquid on low heat until it has cooked down slightly.
Meanwhile, in a large pan, saute the pak choi, asparagus, and bell pepper with 1 clove of chopped garlic over medium heat.
Add  the salt, paprika, and the remaining curry power and cumin to taste. Cook until veggies are crisp.
Tip your vegetables into the tofu/coconut milk mixture and stir to combine, adding some of the cashew nuts. Cook through for a few more minutes.
Serve with brown rice and sprinkle some of the remaining cashews on top.

Notes:

"You can add or change the vegetables for  your favourite selection as most vegetables taste great in this dish. Note that green and leafy veg are particularly good here."
"You can change the paprika for cayenne pepper or chili pepper powder for an extra kick of heat!"
"If you really can't help yourself and want to make this a dish for meat eaters, some skinless chicken breast will taste good in this dish. I don't recommend red meats though, the flavours don't merge well in my opinion"

Murgh Jalfrezi Curry

Hi there!

So I am sharing a yummy hot Indian Murgh Jalfrezi recipe with you! This has a nice heated kick to it so if you like hot spicy dishes this should suit your pallet perfectly. As an extra good gesture I added the recipes for the homemade Naan bread that accompanies this dish and my Jeera Chawal (Cumin Rice) with fennel seed too, as this dish goes very will with a good flat bread and/or rice.
The problem when you get a curry from a takeaway store is that they use a lot of oil to make up the flavours in the dish. It might be momentarily satisfying, but it will do nothing for your health! This dish however doesn't have a lot of oil, but is packed with aromatic spices that marry together perfectly and sizzle your taste buds on their own. Not to mention I add  luscious coconut cream instead of heavy cream to smooth out and lift the dish. It has a cooling soft after note that compliments the heat of the chilli and spices. Plus it actually isn't that hard to make, so I hope it is enjoyed!

Ingredients:

• 8  medium sized pieces (about 800  grams) of chicken
• 2  medium onions chopped / crushed
• 2  bell peppers cut into strips (yellow & green)
• 4  tablespoons tomato puree
• 1  green chilli
• 1  teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste or crushed garlic
• 1  teaspoon each of cumin, garam masala, and red chilli powder
• 1  teaspoon each of turmeric and ground black pepper
• 2  teaspoons lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons clarified butter (ghee) / butter / oil
• 1  cup coconut cream
• salt to taste (ground sea salt is best)
• finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
• light fresh cream to serve (optional)

Method:

Heat clarified butter (ghee) / butter / oil in a heavy-bottomed pan on medium heat and fry the onion, ginger, garlic along with the turmeric for about 2  minutes.
Add the chicken and all the other ingredients except for the coconut cream. Mix well and cook on medium heat for about 20  minutes or until the chicken is almost done.
Add the coconut cream. Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for about 5  minutes or until the chicken is fully tenderized.
Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with fresh cream.

Notes:
"The quantity of gravy can be increased if desired by adding more tomato puree and onion paste. "
"If the gravy is too thin add a little cornflour / corn starch to thicken"
"Serve hot with: Cumin Rice (Jeera Chawal), white rice or Indian bread (Roti)."