Baked Samosas

We love Indian food, especially anything served at Mayuri here in Memphis. Their samosas are one of the best appetizers around, and it's really not too difficult to try your hand at making some in your own kitchen. I looked up the traditional way to fold them, but then I decided to do something a little different. My (baked, not fried) version uses traditional filling, a thicker pie crust, and what I call a 'dumpling fold.'

Baked Samosas

3 new potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed

2 tbsp. ghee (can sub. in olive oil or butter if needed)

2 tbsp. hot curry powder

one jalapeno, finely diced

one onion, finely diced

one carrot, finely diced

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp. vinegar

3/4 cup English peas (frozen is fine)

sea salt and crushed pepper

Filling:

Peel and boil potatoes until they're soft. Set aside. Melt ghee in a large, heavy pot and add 2 tbsp. curry and the jalapeno. Cook for 3-4 minutes in order to toast the spices then add onion. Add carrot. Cook it for 3-4 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add potatoes, water, and vinegar. Stir to incorporate ingredients. Add peas. (At this point, the mixture should be thick and able to stand on its own without being soupy.) Add salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Now preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll your crust out thin. Using a pint glass, stamp out a circle. Mound about 2 tbsp. of filling into the center. Now make a 3-sided pyramid from the circle by folding two sides of the circle together and then bring the bottom side up to join it. Pinch dough together along the seams. Repeat until you run out of dough or filling, whichever happens first! Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. If you want them to be darker in color, brush the samosas with an egg wash (just a well-beaten egg + silicone brush) after 10 minutes of baking.

*To go with these, you also can make a quick raita with grated cucumber and Greek yogurt plus a squeeze of lime. A mango-ginger chutney works well, too; combine a diced mango, microplaned ginger, salt, and lemon juice.