Week 4: Rogue Samosas

Cooking with Jane, Recipes, , , , ,

Ok so we generally aim for simple and straightforward recipes here and we will absolutely return to that! BUT. Sometimes one just wants to really get into a food project, and this is one of them.

We had a friend come to visit, which helped, because if you ever feel daunted in the kitchen, having a friend with the East Coast in their recent heritage and a can-do attitude will wipe that all away. She also helped us brainstorm the heck out of all of the options with these delicious veg and when we landed on samosas, we couldn’t turn back.

We are SO GLAD we stuck with it. I’m making it sound like an epic tale, but it’s really not. We’ve just never deep fried anything before! In the end, it was way less dramatic than we had feared, clean-up was quick and easy, and it was so worth it for how delicious these lil guys are!

Our filling recipe is loosely based on what we think samosas should taste like, with a little input from the Moosewood Cookbook, where we also found the recipe for the dough. The turnips and kohlrabi were a natural and the peas felt like the star of the show. As they should be. These shelling peas were the sweetest little nuggets, and we were hard pressed not to consume them all raw before we’d made the filling.

We spent a lot of time watching youtube videos on how to fold a samosa effectively, and landed on this method. That link starts at the 3rd method presented in that video, so if you have different shaped dough or different preferences, check out the rest of the video! We tried to describe it below but it definitely took some visual learning on our part, so definitely go check it out.

Another note we want to make is that if making a dough is a step too far, you could probably get away with making mini samosas out of some wonton wrappers, or using the multiply folded triangle method with some phyllo pastry. And if deep frying in a pot is too much, you could airfry or bake them! Maybe look into how other folks have baked samosas in the past to dial that in. Let us know if you try for any variations on the recipe below.

We had leftover dough that we fried in strips and rolled in sugar and cinnamon, and I highly recommend this!!!

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Rogue Samosas

The flavour and form of samosas, with all the Root Radical CSA veg goodness! A twist on traditional samosas, made with spring turnips (roots and leaves), shelling peas, kohlrabi, garlic scapes and green onions!

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1 kohlrabi, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 bunch spring turnips, washed and finely diced (keep greens and roots separate)
  • 2 garlic scapes, finely diced
  • 2 green onions, finely chopped, keeping whites and greens separate
  • 1 bag peas, shelled (roughly 1 cup peas)
  • 4 Tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp whole brown mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp chili flakes
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • salt, to taste
  • splash of lemon juice
  • *enough neutral oil for frying* (need about 3" deep in a saucepan)

Pastry (optional)

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup plain yogurt
  • water, as needed

Cilantro Yogurt Dip

  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Begin by making the pastry, if using (see note below). Mix together salt and flour, and then add the yogurt, butter, and enough water to bring the dough together. It will be stiff. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap tightly in beeswax wrap/plastic wrap and set aside.

  2. Make the filling. Start by heating 4 Tbsp neutral oil in a large skillet. Once hot, add the spices, ginger, the white parts of the green onion, and garlic scapes. Allow to cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in kohlrabi and turnip roots. Cook, covered, for about 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Then cook uncovered to allow moisture to cook off, about 5 – 10 minutes (again, stirring occasionally). Stir in peas, turnips greens, and onion greens. Take off heat and allow to cool.

  3. While filling is cooling, whip together the yogurt dip. Simply add all ingredients to a bowl, and set aside.

  4. Prepare to construct the samosas! Cut the dough ball into to quarters, so you can work on one section at a time. Roll out dough as thin as possible – ideally 1/4". Cut into roughly 4" rounds (we used a plastic yogurt lid to mark out the size, and a knife to cut the circles). Repeat process with all of the dough, getheirn the scraps an rerolling as needed. You should get about 12-14 circles.

  5. To fold the samosa, check out the technique at the above linked YouTube video. A flour paste (flour and water) is used to help seal the edges. Begin by putting the flour paste around the edge of the circle. Place 1-2 Tbsp of filling in the centre of the circle. Fold one third of the circle over, and repeat on the two other sides to create a triangle. Pinch the corners and seal well. Repeat until all samosas are ready, and cover with a damp kitchen towel.

  6. Heat the neutral oil in a non-reactive saucepan to 365 F. If you have a thermometer, use it! Once it's to temperature add in the samosas 2-4 at a time, depending on the size of your saucepan. You don't want to over-crowd the pot, as it will lower the temperature of your oil too quickly. Once they're golden brown and bubbly, remove them with tongs and place on a paper towel/clean rag lined wire rack set onto a sheet pan (this will help absorb excess oil).

  7. Once all are complete, serve with the yogurt cilantro dip and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

If you don’t want to make your own pastry, we think it would work pretty well to buy round wonton wrappers and use those instead. However, your samosas will be quite mini!