Cheat's samosas (vegetable curry puffs)

May 23, 2016

Go easy on the spice for these simple vegetarian samosas.William Meppem

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourMakes:16

Malaysia's popular curry puffs take inspiration from Indian origins, but I like to think of them as spices coming home to where they were first grown. Moderation is the key. Cooking should always focus on good ingredients cooked well with any spices used as accents only. Just think of them as the bow tie, not the whole tuxedo.

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 cup frozen green peas
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp Baba's meat curry powder (or your favourite curry powder)*
4 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

For coriander raita (to serve with the samosas)

½ cup finely chopped coriander
2 cups Greek yoghurt
juice of ½ a lemon
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cumin powder
a pinch of sugar
1 large green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
*Baba's meat curry powder is a staple in many Malaysian homes for its fragrant sweet spices, but you can easily substitute any curry powder you like.

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the onion, potato and sweet potato for a minute or so until the ingredients start to soften. Add ¾ cup of water and continue to cook for about 10 minutes until the water evaporates and the potatoes are soft. Add the peas, salt and curry powder and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Adjust for seasoning.
2. For the coriander raita, combine the ingredients together and keep in the refrigerator until needed.
3. Heat your oven to 190°C. Cut the pastry into quarters and place a large spoon of the filling in the centre of each.
4. Brush the pastry with egg and fold into rectangular parcels, pushing the filling into the corners and crimping the edges with a fork. Brush the top of each pastry with more beaten egg and place on a lined baking tray. Repeat for all the remaining filling.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly and serve with a little of the coriander raita.
Serving suggestion: Serve alongside Adam's lamb and quinoa biryani for a family feast.