There’s something to be said for mouth-watering, hot, tasty samosas. You can travel the world and everyone seems to associate samosas with South Asian food. In my quest to find interesting and unique samosa fillings, I decided to experiment and try out some new recipes. Here goes…
Spicy Chick Pea Filling:
I tried this at a restaurant somewhere and the taste has lingered on. The filling is similar to the taste and texture of a chole recipe. To recreate this samosa filling, use the following:
Ingredients:
Chick peas (also called garbanzo beans) – 1 can
Onions – 1 medium, chopped finely.
Tomatoes – 1 medium chopped.
Oil
Spices:
I teaspoon each - Red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, garam masala
2 tablespoons - ginger-garlic paste.
To taste - chaat masala (optional)
Method:
Puree the cooked chick peas.
Heat oil, cook onions lightly and add the ginger-garlic paste. Cook slightly and then add the remaining spices.
Add tomatoes and cook well. Add the chick pea puree and continue to cook after adding some water (half to one cup).
Continue to cook the mixture on medium heat till all the water has been absorbed.
Taste to check salt and that the mixture is well cooked. Cool till you are ready to use.
Spinach and cheese
This samosa filling is based on a Greek recipe of Spanakopita.
Ingredients:
Spinach – fresh or frozen
Fresh parsley
Finely chopped green onions
Olive Oil
Onions
Spices:
Pepper
Salt
Feta cheese
Method:
Mix spinach (stemless), parsley, green onions and salt in a bowl. Let it stand a while so that you can squeeze out excess water from the mix.
Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions till soft and cooked.
Add the spinach mixture to the onions and let it cook for a few minutes.
Add the feta cheese and pepper and mix well till you get a cheesy spinach mix.
Cool and then use for filling.
Don’t overstuff the samosa as the cheese will ooze out of the corners of the samosa.
Alternatively you can modify a palak paneer recipe for a desi twist!
Ingredients:
Spinach – fresh or frozen
Onion – 1 medium
Shredded Paneer or very small cubed pieces of paneer
Oil
Spices:
Garam Masala
Red chilli powder
Cumin powder
Ginger-garlic paste
Salt
Method:
Cook the spinach in water till soft and water evaporates.
Heat oil and add ginger-garlic paste.
Add onions and all spices to the mix. Add spinach and cook well.
Then add the paneer and cook till done.
Allow the mixture to cool before using it as a filling.
**Cheat sheet
If you want a simple spinach and cheese filling, you could also just cook some spinach in a microwave, and season with salt and pepper. Add your favourite brand of cream cheese and blend well. This is a simple yet tasty samosa filling. Again, don’t overdo the blending of the mixture as the cheese will melt in the oven again.
Kheema samosas
For the non-vegetarians, there’s nothing as yummy as biting into a crunchy, meat-filled samosa. Try out the following recipe:
Ingredients:
Minced meat – beef, chicken or lamb.
Onions
Green peas (optional)
Cilantro leaves
Basil leaves (optional)
Oil
Spices:
Garam Masala
Cumin powder
Chilli powder
Coriander
Green chillies
Ginger
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Method:
Heat oil. Add onions, followed by ginger garlic paste and green chillies.
Mix well and sauté for a few minutes. Then add spices (except garam masala) to the mix.
Cook all the kheema in the mixture till it is completely cooked. You can add green peas if you choose at this time.
Add some water into the mixture so that the meat can cook well.
Let the meat cook till the water is evaporated. If the meat is still tough, add more water and cook awhile longer.
Once the meat is tender, add garam masala to the pan and mix well.
Cool and then use as a filling.
Spring Roll samosa
This recipe is inspired by crispy vegetarian spring rolls and is great for bite-sized party snacks.
Ingredients:
Shredded cabbage
Bean sprouts
Shredded carrots
Shredded mushrooms
Shredded bamboo shoots (optional)
Shredded spring onions
Oil
Soy sauce
Hot sauce or red chilli powder (optional)
Spices:
Pepper
Salt
Sugar
Vinegar
Method:
Appearance is everything so ensure that all the veggies are shredded to the same thin size and texture.
Heat oil in a wok, throw in all the veggies.
Season with salt and pepper and cook lightly. The veggies should retain their crunchy texture and not be over cooked.
Add a little soy sauce for flavour and stir well. Take the mixture off the stove and let it cool till you are ready to use.
**For a non-vegetarian version of the spring roll samosa, you can use either minced meat or small sized shrimp. The method remains the same although it’s better to cook the meat earlier and then mix with the veggies.
Tip!
Bake your samosas in an oven for a healthier option. But if it's the street taste you seek, deep fry these tasty treats till they're a rich golden brown colour.
