Potato and pea pastry samosas.

Written by on in Main, Party food, picnic, Side, Snacks

You can have all the good intentions in the world.

You may never cave and buy that pie – but hey, why try too hard?

Sometimes it is good to let yourself dive into the crunchy, buttery, flaky goodness that is puff pastry. Another one of my pleasant discoveries in the freezer isle. I didn’t know you could buy them so easily! Another beauty that comes from the mingling of cultures and the modern age.

I mean, yes by all means, stick to your diet. Do yoga. Go for that walk. Or the gym or the run if that is your way. But do not cut out the pleasures of life. I am a great believer in all things, in moderation. So let us also keep our health freak tendencies in moderation as well.

The one thing that I must absolutely insist on is that you buy an all butter puff pastry. I know these are more expensive vs. the refined vegetable, palm oil ones. However, do your heart a favor. Do the rain-forests in Indonesia a favor too while not killing the orangutans? Yep. Butter it must be – unless you are vegan, and can find cold pressed canola which is non GM, because really, canola is not any better for you despite the heart healthy claims –  when you educate yourself then your choice is clear. I would stick to older oils and fats. Good fats are better for you, and we need these in moderation.

I also like to hide more nutrition in my everyday cooking, so I would use some flax-seed meal or chia sees in this. The riot of spices mask these entirely and if you have a fussy family member – they wouldn’t careless even if they knew it was in there. Plus I also like to add some cheese to this, just for that added gooey note.

Enough of worrying now though – Here is a slightly different take on the Indian Samosas, when wrapped in the flaky buttery goodness, they become even more irresistible. Thus we continue on our fusion food tendencies.

You can use the same stuffing in variety of different ways, of course. The samosas freeze well too. Great for a quick snack or as sides for a dinner party.  Also make a good main for a weeknight, with a nice garden salad to make it fully rounded meal.

Samosa Puff

Potato and pea pastry samosas

Diva
A sort of healthy variant for your guilty cravings. These work well as a side or a main, or as easy to handle picnic food. Will shine bright made in smaller sizes for party finger food too.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Resting time 3 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course main, Party, Side Dish
Cuisine Australian, Fusion, Indian, Modern
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 5 Large Potatoes Peeled
  • 1 cup Fresh or frozen sweet peas
  • 1 Small Brown Onlion
  • 2 cloves Garlic or dried garlic flakes
  • 1 Fresh chili If using
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp Dried mango powder (Aamchoor) Skip if not available
  • 1 tsp Red chilli powder or sweet paprika Whichever prefered
  • 1 tsp Cumin and coriander powder
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Dried ginger powder or fresh ginger paste/grated
  • 2 tsp Flaxseed powder or chia seeds if you wish to to hide some extra nutrition in this snack
  • 6 Slices Cheddar cheese 1 slice for each samosa
  • 3 Sheets Puff pastry sheets (I use all butter)
  • Salt and paper to taste
  • Water, to boil potatoes
  • 1 tsp Peanut oil to to fry
  • 1 tbs Oil to coat the samousas in Or use cooking spray

Instructions
 

  • 1. Roughly chop and steam or boil the potatoes. You can check if they are done or not buy pocking a fork in them.
    2. Meanwhile, keep the puff pastry out to thaw.
    3. Drain and mash with a fork or a potato masher.
    4. Add all the spices and sugar to the mix.
    5. Add the frozen baby peas while the potato mash is hot to thaw.
    6. While you do this, on the side heat the oil in a small pan, and fry the onion, garlic and the green chili until golden brown. If using fresh ginger, add this too and cook until the raw ginger smell goes away.
    7. Add the onion mix to the potatoes. Combine well.
    8. Line a baking plate with the reserved oil. Preheat the oven to 200 C fan forced.
    9. Cut the puff pastries in half, using each half to create one pocket or samosa. You can make them smaller if you wish.
    10. Put appropriate amount of filling inside along with the slice of cheese, so you have enough space on the edges to pinch the seams together. You can use a little bit of water to help it stick. Just use your wet finger to trace the edges.
    11. Give a coat of oil and leave to bake until golden brown and flaky all around. Should take about 15 – 20 minutes. Keen an eye on them!
    12. Rest a few minutes before you dive in, else you will burn your mouth. Enjoy!

Notes

You can of course tweak this to suit you. You can substitute potatoes with sweet potatoes for a more healthier version! Have many a different version? I’d love to hear about it!
Keyword Australian, buttery, easy, fingerfood, flaky, food, healthy, indian, Modern, Party, pastry, Picnic, potato, Puff, quick, samosa, vegan, vegetarian