I’m usually a little reluctant to post baked versions of fried things, because they’re often a disappointment. And the more delicious the original, the more reluctant I am, because the further it has to fall. So as much as I love samosas (because they’re way up there on the awesome scale), one might not expect me to create a baked version. I normally probably wouldn’t even try. But years ago I had a baked samosa that just happened to be the best samosa I ever ate. I have no idea who baked it. A friend brought it to me from a yoga class (will somebody bring some samosas to my yoga classes, please??). But it was so delicious and satisfying. I decided baking up some vegan samosas might actually be a good thing. And indeed it was! I’m not going to lie and paint these as super healthy. They’re potatoes wrapped in pastry. Carb wrapped in extra fatty carb. They’re just not fried, so a little bit healthier and there’s no fear of oil splattering involved. And of course they’re vegan!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Flour. The recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour (which I suppose is another way these samosas are a tad healthier than the norm). Regular old white all-purpose flour works just find as well.Baking powder.Salt.Canola oil. Feel free to substitute your favorite baking oil. Corn oil, vegetable oil, and even olive oil will all work.Cooking spray. If you have an oil mister (which I highly recommend having), use it. Otherwise, just buy a can of cooking spray at the store.Russet potatoes. These are also referred as plain old baking potatoes. They’re starchy, so they give our filling a great texture. Less starchy potatoes such as red or golden varieties can be substituted if necessary though. For less traditional samosas, experiment with other veggies and/or legumes. Sweet potatoes, cauliflower, chickpeas and lentils would all be delicious!Onion.Garlic.Ginger.Serrano pepper. You can skip this for milder samosas, or substitute another variety of hot pepper like a jalapeño if that’s what you have on hand.Spices. We’re using a mix of whole cumin seeds, garam masala, turmeric, and coriander. Cayenne pepper is optional and can be used just if you’d like some extra heat.Frozen peas.Roasted peanuts. These are kind of unusual for samosas (as far as I can tell) but so good! Skip them if you prefer.Salt & pepper.Fresh cilantro. Cilantro haters can skip this ingredient.
How They’re Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make vegan samosas. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
You’ll start by preparing the pastry dough. It’s not all that different from making a pie crust. You’ll mix some flour, baking powder, oil and water, knead it a bit, and then let it rest while you make the filling.
Tip: In a hurry? Substitute premade pie dough! Just make sure it’s vegan, as many brands contain butter or lard. Wholly Wholesome is a good vegan brand to try.
Boil your potatoes until they’re fork tender. Make sure not to overboil the potatoes or they’ll get gummy.Sweat the onion for a few minutes in oil, then add your spices and aromatics. Sauté everything briefly.Add the potatoes, peas and peanuts to the skillet. Cook everything for a few minutes more.Mash the filling lightly using a fork or potato masher. You don’t want mashed potato filled samosas, but you do want the potato pieces pretty small so they fit nicely into the wrappers.
And then comes the fun part!
Grab a hunk of dough and roll it into a ball, then use a rolling pin to roll the ball into a circle. Roll the dough thinner than you think you need to. ⅛ inch thick is about perfect. Cut the circle into two half circles. Wet the edges of one of the half circles and place a dollop of filling in the center.
Wrap the dough circle into a cone shape, seal the edges, and voila! You have an unbaked vegan samosa.
Tip: You can wrap your samosas in any shape you like, but if you want those cute little triangle-shaped samosas you get at restaurants, this is the way to go!
Lightly oil your wrapped samosas and bake them.Dig in!
Leftovers & Reheating
Leftover baked vegan samosas will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months. To reheat them, thaw (if frozen), then bake them in a 400°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. You could also microwave them, but they might get a bit soggy.
More Vegan Indian Recipes
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