Baked Samosa

Samosa is a popular Indian snack, triangular shaped, made with all purpose flour, stuffed with a spicy (veg/non-veg) filling and deep fried to a golden brown color. 'Deep frying', thats actually banned in my kitchen. I don't wish to give up on my favorite snacks just because its deep fried. So, i tried baking my samosas and they tasted really good. Whenever i think about samosas, i remember my school days, where in most of the evenings my dad buys me crispy vadas, bajjis and samosas, from a local guy around the corner of our house in chennai, who makes it really fresh and hot. I devour the samosa, savoring the spicy and hot filling, mmmm good ol' days. Okey-dokey, lets get to the recipe,

Ingredients:

For dough:

1 cup All purpose flour (maida)

1 pinch Ajwain seeds

1tsp Oil

Water

Salt

How to:

• In a bowl, mix together the flour, ajwain, salt and oil.

• Then slowly add the water(takes less than 1/2cup) and start kneading, resulting a slightly sticky dough. 

• Wrap it up and let rest aside.

For filling:

3 medium Potatoes

1/2tsp Cumin seeds

4-5 small Green chilli (finely chopped)

1tsp Ginger (minced)

1/2tsp Garlic (minced)

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

2tsp Coriander powder

1tsp Chilli powder

1tsp Cumin powder

1/2tsp Chaat masala powder

1tbsp Cilantro (chopped)

Salt

1tbsp Oil

How to:

• Boil and peel the skin of the potatoes. Also cut'em into small cubes and keep aside.
• Dissolve the coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder and chaat masala in 2tbsp water.
• Heat oil in a skillet, add cumin seeds, followed by ginger and garlic. Saute for a min.

• Add green chillies, continue sautéing, then add turmeric powder.

• Now pour the masala water and cook for a min (this way, the dry masala powders won't get burnt) followed by cilantro.

• Then add the cubed potatoes along with salt and cook for a couple more mins.

• Switch off and let it cool.

How to stuff:

• Divide the dough into for equal size balls. On a slightly flour dusted surface, place a ball and roll the dough in to a flat, thin, oval shaped chapathi. With a knife, cut the rolled dough into half.

•  On one moon-shaped half, apply water along the edges and make a cone out of it. Press the dough with watered edges to bind.

• Now, stuff about a tbsp filling and start bringing the edges together and seal'em with a fork.

• Stuff the remaining filling into each of the moon-shaped half and arrange it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with oil.

• Bake at 400 degrees for 15 mins, turn the other side and bake for another 5-6 mins or until browned.

Serve hot with ketchup, hot sauce or chutney.

Tips:

• Brush the samosa dough with egg wash(beat 1 egg with a tsp of water) just before baking for an even brown coloring.
• Bake for another 4-5 mins for extra crispier samosas.

Sending this dish to Guest hosting "Only" event with "Low Oil/Low Calorie" Theme
guest hosted by Priya, started by Pari (event announcement).

Garlic Hummus

From the day 1 of my visit to a neighborhood restaurant 'Aladdin Gyro-cery', i started having an affair with the gyros, falafel, pita breads, baba ghanoush and hummus. Did i say the whole menu? Looks like i did. Oops! missed the dessert, moist baklava and lovely basbousa. Me & Senthil love to dine there. They serve this awesome hummus with the falafel plate and pita breads. It tastes  so good, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sumac. Wondering what sumac is? 'Sumac' is a shrub, which produce sumac bobs,a dark-red fruit cluster with a seed at the center. They are ground and used as a spice to give a tangy, lemony taste. The chickpeas are a great source of protein and dietary fiber, totally healthy.

Coming to the recipe, i used few extra garlic pods to make hummus, garlicky. Also, I sprinkled paprika, as i didn't have sumac in my pantry. There are quite a number of add-ins along with other ingredients, one reader suggested adding 'garam masala powder', that's an awesome idea of making hummus 'Indian style'. You be creative. My garlic hummus tasted very good with soft pita pocket breads, we just scooped up the dip and every mouthful was a moment to treasure. Next time, am gonna add few more garlic pods and make Extra Garlic Hummus.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked /1 16oz can Garbanzo beans (Chickpea)

6 pods Garlic

1/4 cup Lemon juice

1/3 cup Tahini paste

3/4-1 cup Water

1tsp Cumin powder

1-2tbsp Olive oil

Salt

Paprika, Cilantro (for garnishing)

How to:

• Blend together the garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin powder and water along with salt. 

• Pour the water 1/4 cup at a time to find the right consistency. Also taste as you go along and add salt as needed. You can also add 1/2 of the olive oil while blending, for a smooth textured dip.
• Transfer the blended mixture to a serving plate or bowl, swirl it with a fork, sprinkle some paprika for bright color, drizzle the remaining olive oil and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve with pita breads or chips.


I thought, i would add this banner for my readers to understand that the recipe is completely healthy.

Sending this dish to the following events:


A.W.E.D.MENU hosted by niloufer started by DK

CWF: LB - Chickpeas hosted by Nithu and started by Kiran


MLLA 27 an event by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.