Potato Watercress Samosas with Date, Tamarind and Mint Chutney
Samosas are one of my favourite savoury snacks. They’re crisp, full of spiced goodness and perfect for a picnic or finger food. Now that lockdown has hopefully ended, and we can see and host friends again, I wanted to develop some recipes perfectly geared for entertaining - Yes, all of my recipes can (and should) be made for all your dinner parties, but whenever the weathers nice and finger food is what is needed, I wanted options.
This recipe is vegetarian and also can be made vegan by ommiting the ghee and cheese - using oil instead and either using vegan cheese or none at all. The cheese brings textural difference, with slight flavour (nothing too ‘in your face.’)
I’ve added 2 method of making the samosas; 1 with filo pastry which yields a crackly crunch and another with puff pastry which is a lot easier to shape, but yields a very different texture, a lot flakier.
Prep/cooking time: 35-45 mins
Serves: 3-5 people
Ingredients
For the Chutney:
~6-8 dates (70g), pitted and cut into quarters
1 cup (198g) water
3/4 cup (10g) Fresh Mint
1/8 tsp kashmiri chilli powder or mild chilli powder
1/8 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsps tamarind puree
Method
Place the dates into a pot along with the water. Bring to a boil, and reduce the water by half, until thickened and the dates have softened - you need 3 tbsps of liquid left.
In a food processor, add the cooked dates, 3 tbsps of the reduced thickened date water, mint, kashmiri or chilli powder, cumin, and tamarind puree. Mix throroughly until a paste forms. If it’s too thick for your liking, add a bit of water, little at a time. Season with salt if needed. Store in a jar in the fridge.
For the samosas:
456g potatoes, peeled, cubed
3/4 cups (92g) frozen peas
1 tbsp ghee or butter
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp kashmiri chilli powder or mild chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
100g watercress
80g sharp cheddar, grated
1 pack of filo pastry or 2 packs ready rolled puff pastry.
Method
1. Preheat your oven to fan 180°C. Boil the potatoes in a pot of well seasoned water until tender. Quickly blanche the peas in boiling water to remove the frost - you don’t need to cook them throughout at this stage.
2. In a pan on medium heat, add the ghee, garam masala, kashmiri or chilli powder, cumin and turmeric. Toast the spices in the fat for a few seconds, until bloomed - do not burn them. Add the watercress to the pan, and stir until wilted. Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a bowl, add the tender potato, mash until almost smooth - you want some bits of potato still intact. Add the peas, watercress and spice mix, as well as the grated cheddar. Mix thoroughly, and season to taste with salt.
If using filo:
Unroll the pastry and cover with a damp tea towel - this will help it not dry out. Lay one layer of the the pastry sheet flat on surface and brush with melted ghee or oil. Fold in one third of the pastry lengthways towards the middle. Brush again with the fat and fold in the other side to make a long layered strip.
Place 1 tsp of the filling at one end of the strip, leaving a 2cm border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Continue doing this until you reach the end of the strip. Brush the outer surface with more fat. Place onto a baking sheet and cover with a damp cloth while you make the rest.
Bake until golden and crispy 20-25 mins.
If using puff pastry:
Cut the ready-rolled puff pastry rectangle into evenly-sized squares - the bigger they are the bigger the samosas will be.
Add just enough filling into the middle of the puff pastry squares - you want at least 3cm border all around the filling. Fold one corner of the pastry to the opposite making a triangle. With a fork press down on the edges until sealed.
Brush with oil and poke 3 holes in the middle to let out any steam whilst cooking. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue making samosas until no puff pastry is left.
Bake until golden and the puff pastry is flakey, 20-25 mins.
Serve warm, with the date, tamarind and mint chutney.