Samosa with mint-chutney

Samosa, a traditionally stuffed and deep fried snack, is often provided to guests in India when they visit over tea. This dish has undergone evolution with time as it travelled across the world and has been adapted to be made with local ingredients. Back home in Kolkata, this a comfort snack. I first ate this version when I visited a British pub in the US. I was surprised to see samosas on the menu and although skeptical, my curiosity got the better of me and I ended up ordering a plate.

I have to confess that having grown up in Kolkata, I thought I had every right to think like a snob that you cannot get any better Samosa as in my hometown. However, I was soon proven wrong. Not only did I like this version of Samosa, I actually started preferring over the deep fried version!

So, today when I found the right ingredients, I decided to give this a try. But the first thing I needed to tackle was the little 'helper' I had at home. Moms will probably understand what I mean by 'help' --- mommy cannot do any project on her own without getting unsolicited help which not only translates to more time per chore but also often futile results. Probably this is why spouses are referred to as better halves. While one tries to do something creative, the other prevents it from being botched. I too was rescued by my better half who kindly escorted my little one to the park so I could spend some alone time with my dish.

Ingredients: Makes 6

Samosa

Puff pastry sheet - 3 squares
Golden potato - 1 (medium sized)
Cauliflower florets ( chopped into tiny florets) - 7-8
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Frozen peas - 0.25 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Dried red chillies - 2
Coriander seeds - 1tsp
Salt & black pepper (a pinch) & sugar ( a pinch).

Mint-chutney

Mint-leaves - 0.5 cup
Cilantro - 0.25 cup
Green thai chillies - 4
Salt
Lime juice - 2tsp
Ginger - a very tiny shaving

I started by making a garam masala for the samosa stuffing. This was done by dry-roasting cumin seeds and dry red chillies. When this cooled, I ground it  in a coffee grinder and set this aside. I heated up about 2tbsp of olive oil and added the cauliflower to be sauteed. Meanwhile, the potato was diced and cooked in enough water in the microwave for about 6 minutes. The par-cooked was added to the cauliflower, to which I further added peas, salt, a pinch of sugar and black pepper. This was being cooked covered when I moved on to make the chutney by grinding all ingredients except the lime juice (which as added post-grinding) in a bullet grinder. The potato-cauliflower stuffing was now almost ready, so I added the ground cumin- red chili mixture and allowed it to cool.

Then I started to make the samosa. To bake the samosa, I needed to preheat the oven to 400F. I cut each square pastry sheet into a triangle and created a funnel  or cone like pouch with each triangle. The sides were glued using water and  the stuffing was filled in the cone and the edges were then sealed with water again. These were baked in the preheated oven on greased aluminum foil for about 35 minutes. It turned out quite well -- I couldn't stick to my promise of eating just one for the evening :-)

Tangy black beans

Legumes are a common ingredient in our daily meals at home.  Because they are rich in proteins,  they are often are able to  serve as a main course in accompaniment  with rice or bread.  While staring at a can of cooked black beans, I started wondering why don’t I make the usual daal-style black beans but add a little bit of tanginess – ‘Chatpata’ as they would call in Hindi.

‘Tamarind’ or 'Imli' , a ripened fruit that is often used in Indian chats and chutneys, is my secret ingredient for this recipe. I already had some dried at home. If you do not have this already, go ahead ... do not be shy and borrow some from your Indian friend! So, I set forth to make this simple yet sumptuous meal. Beans are also easy for toddlers to eat – they can pick one at a time and eat it themselves without having to chew much!

Ingredients:

Canned black beans – 1 (organic)

Chopped onions – one-fourth of a medium size

Ginger-garlic paste – 1tsp

Tomatoes – Half chopped

Cilantro – 1 tbsp

Salt  to taste

Turmeric – 1tsp

Cumin powder – 2tsp

Corriander powder – 2tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Dried tamarind – 1 inch (deseeded dried pulp)

Green thai chillies – 2 chopped (optional)

Butter – 1tsp (optional)

Water as needed

Olive oil – 2tbsp

I heated some olive oil in a saucepan and cooked the ginger, garlic and onions for about 5 minutes. Then I added the dried powdered spices (turmeric, cumin, corriander, garam masala) and sautéed for another 3 minutes. At this point, I added the beans (no need to throw the water away if you are using organic), salt, tamarind and water (about half cup was enough). I boiled the legumes for about 15 minutes and added water to prevent burning. When it reached a desired amount of dryness, I added freshly chopped tomatoes, cilantro & chillies. Put the butter directly on the beans and it will melt to heavenly goodliness.

This dish goes amazingly well with rice , roti or tortilla. If you are one of those home-makers like me who feels gratified and successful on serving a wholesome meal to the family, you will love this.