I love hand held food, especially when it’s filling enough to fuel my body as well as these samosas. These little pastries are pack full of buttery leeks, spiced sweet potatoes and hearty black beans. Making them a great snack or addition to a meal. Folding them takes a bit of practice but after one or two anyone can get the hang of it.
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I only started making samosas a few years ago, and started developing my own recipes soon after. Since I learned the technique from a range of different places, I can’t say if my recipe is close to accurate to tradition. But it has become one of my favourite meal prep snacks, so regardless of its authenticity it’s yummy! And saying that, if anyone from India or other countries that have samosas in their cultural repertoire have tips or thoughts on my recipe, let me know! I love learning, and especially like to represent cultures through food correctly when possible.
Tip:
It’s always good to make the filling first, so that it has time to cool. If you start filling the samosas with hot filling the dough can be hard to work it. I use canned beans, but if you are using dry beans, start by cooking them. Cook the rice next, followed by the sauteed leeks and sweet potatoes. I use butter in the recipe for the filling and in the dough, but both of these recipes can be made with Earth Balance vegan butter as well. I’ve made these vegan a number of times and simply swap the butter with the earth balance 1:1.
After cooking the rice, leeks, sweet potatoes and beans, add them to a bowl with the remaining filling ingredients. Add the spices and season to taste. Since the filling in fully cooked, you should taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Get it perfect so that you aren’t dissapointed later! Set the filling aside to cool.
While the filling cools, make the dough. This dough is very simple. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Making sure the butter (or Earth Balance) is very cold, cut it into chunks and crumble it through the flour until the mix is the texture of wet sand. Next, add about 2/3 of the cold water and begin mixing, the dough will come together quickly. Add more water as needed, and knead the dough until its smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into rough 115g pieces, roll them into balls, and cover them with a slightly damp tea towel. The dough makes more then is needed for the filling, so I like to freeze any extra dough balls afterwards.
Rolling and filling the Samosas
One at a time, roll a dough ball into a long oval slightly larger than the width and length of your hand.
Using a dough cutter/board scraper, cut the dough in half on the long side. Each dough ball will make 2 samosas.
Taking one half, fold a corner from the flat side down, as if you were about to make a paper airplane.
Wet the outside of the folded flat edge.
Fold the other corner down and overlap it onto the now wet edge. Seal them together all the way to the tip, you should now have a cone that you can hold in your hand.
Holding the cone in your hand like a pocket, with the wide round edge over hanging your index finger, you can now fill it up.
You want to pack the filling in tight, but not so over stuffed that you cant close over the round edge.
Wet along the rounded edge.
Then, stretching the dough slightly, pull the rounded edge over the filling and seal it to the flat edge, creating a small lip of dough.
Turn it over and flatten the bottom, and you have your first samosa! Set it onto a parchment lined tray and move onto the next.
The samosas can be frozen at this point as well. Simply freeze them solid on a baking sheet, then transfer them to freezer bags. Thaw them on a baking sheet prior to baking them. When ready to bake, brush them with egg wash or melted butter, sprinkle with paprika, and bake for about 25 minutes at 375F.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Samosa
Ingredients
Samosa Filling
- 2 cups Black Beans Cooked or Canned
- 1 cup Brown Rice Cooked
- 2 cups Sweet Potato Finely diced
- 1 cup Leeks Thinly Sliced
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1/2 tsp each Thyme and Oregano more if fresh
- 1/4 tsp each Celery Seeds, Chili Powder, Cayenne, Chipotle
- 1/4 cup Honey
- 1 cup Carrots Finely diced
- 1/4 cup Roasted Red Peppers diced
- 1/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes, Diced Oil packed or soaked in hot water for 15 minutes.
- 1/4 cup Orange Juice
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Samosa Dough
- 5 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 cup Butter or Vegan Butter
- 1 2/3 cup Cold Water
Instructions
Samosa Filling
- Heat the butter and olive oil over medium low heat. Saute the leeks, sweet potato, garlic, thyme, and oregano. Cook until softened and just beginning to brown on the edges. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Combine the rest of the filling ingredients with the cooked sweet potatoes and leeks. Stir together, and season to taste. Make sure you are happy with the seasoning. Set aside the filling until it's cool. Meanwhile, make the dough.
Samosa Dough
- Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Chop the cold butter or vegan butter into small chunks. Add the butter to the dry mix, and crumble together. Continue to crumble until the dough looks like wet sand.
- Add 1 1/4cups of the cold water to the dough, and begin mixing together. Only add more water if you need more. Knead the dough until it's all combined, smooth and elastic. Add more water or flour if necessary.
Assembly
- Cut the dough into pieces of 115g, If you have excess dough, divide it into the other pieces. Roll them into balls and cover with a damp tea towel while you work.
- Roll the first ball into an oval just bigger than your hand. Cut the oval in half on the long side. Each ball will make two Samosas.
- With the first half; fold half of the flat edge down like you're making a paper airplane. Wet the outside of the folded edge with a damp finger.
- Fold the other flat edge down onto the wet edge and seal it up to create a cone of dough. The pictures in the post above will help with this folding process.
- Hold the cone in your hand with the rounded edge over your index finger, cupping the empty cone.
- Spoon the filling into the cupped cone, and pack it down. You want it quite full, but not too full to seal up. Wet the rounded edge of the dough, and fold it over the filling. Seal it to the flat edge by pinching the sides together. Flip it over and flatten the bottom gently. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue onto the next samosa.
- Heat the oven to 375F. Brush each samosa with an eggwash or melted butter. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
LizaLeigh
