East Indian Samosas - The Easy Way

We love vegetable samosas around here, but we are fully aware that the deep fried tasty goodness isn't necessarily great for your waistline or health.  I have tried baked samosas in the past, and even though they aren't as crispy as their well oiled cousins, their time in the oven alters the texture of the pastry giving them the taste of a spicy vegetable pot pie (and I love pot pies!).

An on-going problem with samosas (veggie or meat) is that they are too time-intensive to make from scratch.  Quite often we will buy them ready cooked.  Unfortunately, most store bought versions are deep fried (sometimes TWICE) and then frozen, until you take them home and warm them up in your oven (by which time, if there was any nutritional quality to begin with, they are completely depleted of any real value.

 Just last week these beauties arrived at the store!  The Kuhn Rikon Pocket Makers.  They come in a pack of three different shapes and are (suprisingly!) a lot larger than I thought.  According to the instructions in the package, they seemed pretty simple and straightforward to use, so I thought I would give them a go and try out a healthier version of our traditional Veggie Samosa, a baked version.  Here is my recipe---

BAKED VEGETABLE SAMOSA - 
MADE WITH THE KUHN RIKON POCKET MAKER SET
CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE RECIPE
 

 PASTRY:
2 cups Fresh Ground Whole Wheat Flour (Substitute all purpose, use less water)
4 T melted Ghee (this is clarified butter sold in South Asian stores) or substitute unsalted butter
1/4 t salt
5 - 6 T water

In your Bosch Universal Plus Mixer Slicer/Shredder attachment fitted with the Mini Dough Hook, place the flour, salt and ghee, mix on speed one until a crumbly dough has formed.  Add the water one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and the bowl sides are clean.  Knead for one minute on speed one. Remove the dough, wrap in plastic or parchment and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

FILLING:
1 T Olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. minced green chillies
1/2 tsp. garam marsala
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. turmeric
12 tsp. paprika (opt)
3 Tbsp. water
2 Cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup cooked finely diced carrots
1/2 cup cooked peas

In a large non-stick frying pan (I used my Swiss Diamond skillet) , sauté onions, over medium heat, until translucent, add ginger and garlic. Cook one minute. Add masala, salt, turmeric & paprika, mix thoroughly. Stir in water. Add carrots and peas, mix well, cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in mashed potatoes. Do not return to heat as this may dry the filling out. Cover and place to one side.

BAKE - Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F.
Sprinkle work surface with flour. Cut refrigerated dough portion in half. Roll out until1/8” thick. Dip Pocket Maker in flour before each use to prevent sticking to dough. Gently press the pocket maker in the dough to create an outline for where your filling needs to go. Add the samosa filling so that it is 1/2” from the edges and approximately 3/4” high. Use an egg, butter or water wash around the edge of the pocket to allow for a good seal. Place the second sheet of dough on top of the filling. Gently press down around the filling with your fingers so you can see where the Pocket Maker will go. Place the Pocket Maker over the filling, and press the button down firmly to seal the pocket. Button will release once the seal is created. Remove pockets from excess dough. Optional: Brush with egg wash

Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray and lay out samosas. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.   YUM, YUM, YUM!