Semi-Homemade Samosas

If you are watching a movie for 3 hours, a break is very important. 

A Bollywood Masala movie, involving drama (Nirupa Roy with tears cascading down her cheeks and sobs echoing between heart rending dialogues), to action ( Amitabh or Dharmendra transforming into super humans and single handedly fighting off hordes of villains, who fall unconscious after one punch, but our valiant heroes just bounce back after repeated blows to the head), romance (and I mean the old type romance, you know, the two flowers colliding against each other, conveying the meaning and leaving the actual to imagination, unlike today, when the on screen romance that makes you wonder, really? Making one squint in cross eyed fascination, thinking.....like that?) and the running around trees singing songs, which if you try ( running and singing and smiling and flirting at the same time) will leave you gasping like a fish out of water. So much for filmi romance ;)

So when you get 3 hours of Bollywood Masala, you need a 10 minute break. Those 10 minutes are for rushing to the rest room, if needed, but most importantly for scrambling to the concession stand to grab a paper bag containing 2 (or more) greasy, piping hot Samosas ( the ice cream bar or soft drink bottle are next, but you cannot really do without the Samosa). Heading back into the semi dark theater with the precious package and finding your seat before the movie starts. 

The satisfaction of biting into a crisp, hot samosa while watching the drama unfold on screen is happiness unlike any other.  

I would eat the base ( the crispiest part) last. Save the best for last.

Li'll S does not get to experience this. The movies (kids animated) are shorter now, we buy a bag of popcorn and head into the dark cinema hall, by the time the movie starts, we are almost done eating the popcorn ( I mean, you cannot resist the smell of popcorn and cannot stop at one, you start taking the popcorn on top, carefully and then just grab it by the fistful). All that is fine, but it isn't the same as greasy Samosas.

Samosa Filling

The little one has lately developed a liking for Samosas and demands them every now and then. The store brought samosas are tasty, no doubt, but the spice levels vary and sometimes he cannot tolerate the heat, in which case, M and I are given the stuffing as he finishes the outer cover.

Uncooked Flour Tortillas 

Making samosas at home is the best solution. If making everything from scratch is intimidating, or you are pressed for time, I have the solution for you. 

Making the stuffing is easy, and can be made ahead of time. The outer cover is made using store bought 'uncooked' Flour Tortillas. These are found in the Refrigerated section (near the cheese, butter, bagels etc.)

The stuffing is simple with most ingredients found in the pantry. I make a little extra stuffing, the left overs can be slathered on to sliced bread and grilled on the skillet or Panini grill, making a hearty sandwich. If you like, use the filling to make Samosa-Paratha.

For the stuffing:

Boil, cool, peel and mash ( leave it a bit chunky) 4 Russet Potatoes.

Thaw about 1/2 cup Green Peas.

In a small saute pan, add about 1 Tbsp. Coriander Seeds ( Sabut Dhania). When toasted, cool and make a coarse powder. I use my mortar and pestle, you could put these in the coffee mill and give it a quick 5 second whirl. Alternatively, crush them using a rolling pin.

Mince 2-3 Green Chilies and grate 1 tsp. Ginger. (or you could add the chilies and ginger knob to the mixer /blender with a pinch of salt and blitz it to a paste, like I do)

Finely chop Cilantro and set aside.

Heat about 2 Tbsp. Oil in a kadhai/ wok.

Add 1 heaped tsp. Cumin/ Jeera to the hot oil, as it sizzles, add the green chilies and ginger paste  and a dash of Asafetida/ Hing followed by the crushed coriander seeds and 3/4- 1 tsp. Turmeric powder.

Saute briefly, you do not want the spices to burn.

Add the mashed potatoes, 1/2 - 3/4  tsp. Kashmiri red chilies powder, 1 tsp. Amchur Powder ( add a bit more if you like tart taste, I added a dash more). Season with Salt to taste. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes. 

Before switching off the heat, add 1- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala( I eyeballed the amount, I use Badhsah Rajwadi Garam Masala, which is a bit different than the regular Garam Masala and has a strong flavor). Mix well, switch off the heat and sprinkle with finely chopped Cilantro

Taste and adjust the seasoning. I keep it mild, so my son can enjoy the samosas. 

This spice level is kid-approved, Li'll S loved then as did D, who cannot tolerate heat. 

                      

Once the Filling has cooled, Open the tortilla packet and using a Pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut the tortilla in half. The D shaped semi-circles can be shaped like cones and stuffed. 

To seal the edges, I made a thick-ish paste of All Purpose Flour + Water.

I found this pictorial on folding the Samosa.
Its fairly simple, Fold the sides onto one another forming a triangle,making sure that the tip is closed - check the picture above ( or the oil seeps in and no one wants to eat THAT).
I apply the 'gum' paste on the outer line ( the D part) and then seal it, leaving the curved end free to fill.
Scoop up the filling and fill the cone, do not over fill, you still have to seal it.
Carefully and gently press the filling down and proceed to seal the samosa.

Fill and seal all the samosas.

At this stage, you can deep fry them or freeze them for future use.

If deep frying, fill a wok with oil (half way)  and heat it on medium-high. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat. For crisp Samosas, you need to deep fry them on a medium-low flame/ heat setting to a golden brown.

Slide in 2-4 samosas ( depending on the size of your kadhai /wok) and deep fry.

Deep fry to a golden brown on medium heat only

Remove from the oil and place on paper towels to drain the excess oil. At this point, the samosa as ready to be devoured. Serve with Cilantro-Mint Chutney and Date and Tamarind sauce. 

To make it a meal, make Samosa-Chaat using Choley  or Ragda (I used Ragda).

Add some Ragda in a bowl, crush and place a Samosa on top, Garnish the ragda-samosa with chutneys and finely chopped Onions and minced Cilantro.

Serve immediately.

Ragda Samosa Chaat

NOTES: 

- While making these samosas is very easy, keep in mind that they need to be served immediately. 

- Keeping these samosas aside will soften the outer cover, since these are made using ready Tortillas and make it chewy. 

That's it for now, enjoy your weekend, folks! 

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Ridge Gourd Curry

This time last year, I used to drive home 3 kids from the bus stop. Li'll S, Li'll V and Big S. The ride was a short, but an interesting one. The topics would be varied and the discussion, deep.

My son was the funny one, in the group. Big S was the one who had a topic to talk about, being the eldest.

Little V, as her mother rightly says, is not one to take a back seat. One tough cookie ( but very sweet) who had her say in everything!  Her favolite colol was led,she wanted to glow her hail leally long, she leally liked leading and she loved watching caltoons on TV and leally planned her playdates and sleepovels down to the last detail.

I miss listening to the chattel , chatter....

Today, Big S has moved to sunny California and Little V to another school. 

I do get to meet Little V's mom and she regales me with her adorable daughter's stories when we meet for potlucks.

On one such potluck, Little V's Mom got this very simple and very tasty vegetable curry. Most of us, in our potluck group are wimps when it comes to handling spice and this vegetable entree was just what suited us. 

Unlike most vegetables, this does not have any spices, but don't let that deter you from trying it out. Mild yet very tasty, this has won the 'Kid Approved' badge of honor. Thank you, S! 

While I was never a big fan of the ridge gourd, I have tried out this version and loved it. But I try and avoid peanuts as much as possible, now ( they give me migraines)  and so, this version is made more often. 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup Moong daal ( skinned , yellow, in this case)

2 long Ridge Gourds, peel the outer tough skin, remove the fibrous part and dice into small pieces

2 small Tomatoes, chopped

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 tsp EACH Mustard and Cumin seeds

3/4- 1 tsp Turmeric powder ( I eyeball it)

1/2 tsp Red chilies powder ( I use Kashmiri) or to taste

Salt 

Handful coriander leaves

Wash and soak moong daal in water for 30 minutes. 

In the mean time, peel ridge gourd and cut into small pieces.

Heat oil and add mustard seeds, as  they begin to pop, add cumin seeds. Add  the chopped onion to it  and fry until cooked and light brown.

Now add ridge gourd pieces, tomatoes, soaked daal , turmeric, salt, red chili powder and coriander leaves.

Cover it  and let it cook for 5 to 8 minutes on medium heat.

Now add little water about a half cup and cook until it's done.

Serve hot with rice or fulkas.

NOTES:

Ridge gourds, look long and you might feel 2 is probably a lot, but once the peel and the inner fibrous part is taken off, you are left with little vegetable, apart from that, in Marathi we call this a 'chorti bhajee' / चोरटी भाजी , meaning it shrinks, something like okra, if you know what I mean.

I have often heard ladies complaining that Ridge Gourds are sometimes bitter, though I have never had the misfortune to get one, on the safe side, I taste- test when I buy the gourd, as taught to me by an elderly Gujarati lady at the grocery store. I snap off a small piece and pick and taste a bit before buying. 

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A city under siege......

The city is under a siege. A sudden drop in the temperatures and the city seems to have collapsed under it.

It all started on Thursday evening, when my friend and I had to pick up the kids after school. It was cold, very cold and a drizzle started, just as the car hit the main street. The kind of rain that hurts, when it hits you, sharp and icy, icy cold. A matter of 5 miles, which is covered in about 20 mins. (driving  normally and getting caught at some signals) took us about an hour. 

Driving home was about the same. 

Dallas, is afraid of such weather.

By evening, whatsapp was buzzing with questions, 'is our school closed tomorrow?'  No one knew the answer to that, but everyone seemed to have an opinion about how foul the weather was just about now and how it would worsen by the time the sun was up. 

The kids, however, were sure, there was no school on Friday. They stuck to that. 

Well, whaddya know? The kids were right! By 9:00 pm there was an IVR broadcast announcing that the school was closed due to inclement weather.

We woke up to a dazzling white morning. To people living in places where there is regular snowfall, this seems like nothing, and it is, nothing, but for a city, that knows little to nothing about snow, it comes as  a rude awakening. 

Men and women work from home, stores are swept clean of any and every vegetable, dairy, water and snack. Heaters are cranked up and the roads are clear, of cars, that is. 

Not many want to brave the snow and even worse, the icy streets. It's the icy streets that kept us indoors too. 

It is difficult, to sit at home and play and do stuff with an active 5 year old, who never seems to tire.

2 play dates and playing about in the scanty snow and freezing our axxxx toes  outside and the little one still showed NO signs of wear and tear. 

It was time to involve him in some activity that required minimal effort but good results and most importantly, kept him in one place for a few minutes.

On my last trip to the grocery store, I had, on a whim, picked up a roll of Crescent Rolls dough, the kind that comes in a tube. 

When it is as cold as it was outside ( it was about -7 deg. C, by the by, Celsius in the negative is so much more impressive then 2 digit Fahrenheit, no?), something warm, sweet hits the spot. Like Cinnamon Pull- Apart Bread.

I pulled out the tube of Crescent rolls (the one that makes 8 rolls, I think) from the fridge.

Pre-heat the oven t 375 deg. F ( as per tube instructions)

Melted about 2 tbsp butter

Ina  small bowl, mix 1/4 cup sugar, approximately 1 tsp Cinnamon powder  and 1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder

Clean and prep the work surface.

Pop the tube and pull out the dough. 

Roll out the dough on the clean work surface and pinch together the triangles to make one big rectangle

Brush the surface of the rectangle with the melted butter

Sprinkle the cinna-nutmeg- sugar evenly all over the rectangle, covering the entire surface. 

Here comes the part when you start the cutting and arranging.

It helps to have  loaf pan ready, greased and all.

Now, using a pizza cutter (which is the best way to cut it) or a sharp knife, cut 3 horizontal lines in the dough.

Now, carefully, lift one strip and place it on top of the other. 

3 strips piled on top of one another, think 3 mattresses piled on top of the other , just so we are clear.

Using the pizza cutter, cut the piled on strips in 4-6 squares, vertically, so they look like stacked pillows in a line.

Now pick up one stack at a time and place it in the pan, like soldiers in a line, not piled on top of one another. Just so we are clear on the placement.

Sprinkle any left over sugar on top and bake in the oven.

The tube says bake for 15 -17 minutes, but I took longer, about 25 minutes. 

At the 15 minute mark, the first pull apart was done, but inside, the rest was all soft and doughy, so I had to bung it in the oven longer. 

It may be my oven, so keep an eye after the 17 minute mark. 

Remove the pan from from the oven, click a picture while it cools and then devour.

It has the child's seal of approval.

Mission accomplished.

We still have a school shutdown and so it's time to do more stuff, indoors.

Stay warm folks! See you soon.

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Apple Muffins ( Made with Oil)

Last week I picked up Cortland Apples at the store. They looked really nice, well rounded and plump, one that would tempt Snow White.

Cortland apples are snow white inside and are tart. Better suited for baking or making a chutney, IMO. 

 I decided to bake. Something simple. Baking is not my strong point. I have regular bouts of panic and a low self-image whenever I plan on baking, but of course, I don't give up. I follow every word of the recipe and watch the oven like a hawk every time I pop something into it. And they say baking is therapeutic. Hah!

So to start with, I searched high and low for a recipe that suited my requirement. Simple, required just 2 apples and I could use ingredients that I had at home.
I found just that!

I made these for Children's Day (celebrated in India on 11/14) for my little one (who takes it for granted that I can bake) and also (virtually) for young T (My BFF Lisa's son), who has touching faith in my culinary abilities. He rates my baking skills highly (and that, is what makes me want to bake, this innocent faith that the boys have in me).

I have modified the recipe slightly. For the exact recipe, click here. 

To start with, this recipe yielded more than 12 muffins ( I have a 12-standard sized cupcake pan). I'd say 16, maybe. So I made 12 muffins and  used a pie dish to make a smallish cake which was cut into wedges. 

1/2 cup Canola /vegetable or other neutral oil

1/2 cup Granulated sugar

3/4 cup Demerara sugar (original recipe calls for dark brown sugar)

1 large Egg

1 cup buttermilk

2 Cups Unbleached  All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking powder

1 teaspoon Baking soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

**1 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon

2 Apples (I used Cortland), peeled and chopped

Pre-heat the oven at 375 deg. F. Grease the pan or line it with liners and grease them and set aside.

Beat the Oil and sugar together. 

* The original recipe calls for using the granulated sugar and just 1/4 cup of the brown sugar to be mixed in butter and beat it till fluffy. I have used oil instead of butter and did not reserve any sugar, but creamed it all at once.

Add the egg and mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl as required.

Slowly add the buttermilk.

Add the Flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Gently fold in the apple.

Add the mixture to the ready muffin pan / liners, dividing equally.

Bake for 30 mins or until a toothpick inserted, comes out clean.

Cool the muffins in the pan for about 10 mins and then on a rack.

Enjoy as a tea-time treat or in the lunch box or when you want.

NOTES:

* If you have reserved any brown sugar, sprinkle it on top of the batter and  then bake.

**The original recipe calls for 1 Tbsp. of ground cinnamon, I dislike a very strong whiff of cinnamon and therefore used just 1.5 tsp. 

These muffins are deliciously moist because of the oil and the apples, of course and mildly sweet.

(those who do not like fruit pieces in their food (as they tend to become soft) may not approve. )

The reserved sugar will provide a nice crunch when baked. The next time I will try it or make a streusel topping.

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