#260 Veggie Samosas on the Run

I may have to run a few extra miles on the treadmill next week after all the rich food I've enjoyed during the 2012 Holidays. However hard I try to avoid high-caloric meals, it seems like I can never get away from them and there's no accountability for my New Year's resolutions either!! Did you know that at least 50% of adults make resolutions at New Years and almost 50% of those resolutions are broken in the next six months? Of course that's no excuse for breaking mine but perhaps I would be better off developing well-informed and healthy eating habits instead of making diet resolutions. LOL!!

Today I had a short cooking session for V's friend 'K' from Oregon and I shared a few of my favorite Indian recipes with her. The session ended with dinner but I took this as a reason to fry up a traditional Indian snack- samosas. Quick and easy veggie stuffed pastries fried until crisp and crunchy.

Ingredients:
For the filling-
Russet Potato-1
Carrot-1/2 large
Frozen Green peas-1/4 cup
Cauliflower florets- 1/4 cup
Onion chopped- 1/4 spanish onion
garam masala- 1/2 tspn
amchur(dried mango powder)-1/8 tspn
ginger paste- 1/8 tspn
chili powder- 1 pinch
A combination of coriander seeds, cumin seeds for light tempering.
Salt and Olive oil as needed.
Corn Oil for deep frying.
Cilantro chopped 1 tspn
For the dough-
All-purpose flour- 1 1/2 cups
Butter- 1/4 cup
Water- 1/2 to 1 cup (or just enough to form a soft dough)
salt and 1/2 tspn cumin seeds

Method:
1. Make a smooth, pliable but firm dough with the ingredients for the dough. Keep aside.
2. Cook the potato in microwave and cool. Remove skin and cool.
3. Heat oil add the seeds and then saute onions, chopped cauliflower and carrots well until cooked through,add green peas.
4. Add ginger, garam masala, amchur,chili and salt and mix until the mixture is dry.
5. add potatoes and mash well with cilanto.
6. Make lime-sized balls from the dough and roll out as thin as possible using a rolling pin and additional flour.
7. Form a circle with each ball and then cut into half each of these.
8. Take a spoonful of potato mixture and place at the center of each semi-cirle. Fold the two ends of the semi-circle
flap over each other close enough to cover the potato mixture well and none of it is exposed.
9. The end product should look like a stand-up small pyramid. Pinch well to seal.
10. Heat about 2 cups of corn oil in a wok. When the oil is hot, slowly lower each pyramid into it.
11. Turn using a metal spatula very gently and brown all sides lightly. Remove and serve.