Samosa Chickpea Recipes

Steps:

• To make samosas, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add carrot; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add 1/2 cup onions, ginger, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add tomato paste and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper); cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Add peas, water, and chickpeas; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro and juice. Cool.
• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Place 1 phyllo sheet on a large work surface (cover remaining dough to keep from drying); coat with cooking spray. Place another phyllo sheet on coated phyllo; coat with cooking spray. Fold layered sheets in half lengthwise.
• Spoon 2 tablespoons filling onto bottom end of rectangle, leaving a 1-inch border. Fold bottom corner over mixture, forming a triangle; keep folding back and forth into a triangle to end of phyllo strip. Tuck edges under; place seam side down on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush with melted butter.
• Repeat procedure with remaining 22 phyllo sheets, cooking spray, filling, and butter. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until crisp and golden.
• To make raita, combine yogurt and remaining ingredients. Serve with samosas.

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas overnight in water.
• The next day, place the soaked peas in fresh water to cover and cook until tender, about 3 hours.
• Place the chickpeas into a blender with a little water and puree.
• Put the pureed chickpeas into a skillet and add all the other ingredients.
• Add 1 cup of water and cook over medium heat until all the water is completely taken up.
• Allow filling to cool before using to fill samosas.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt and butter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Pour in water, using more (up to approximately 1/4 cup) if necessary to make a smooth dough. Pat into a ball. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Return to the bowl, cover and set aside.
• Heat oil in a large, deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Stir in onion, garlic, green chile peppers and ginger. Cook 5 minutes, or until onions are golden brown. Stir in turmeric, chili powder, ground lamb and salt. Cook until the lamb meat is evenly brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in garam masala and lemon juice. Continue cooking 5 minutes, then remove from heat.
• Divide dough into 15 equal portions. Roll portions into balls, then flatten into 4 inch circles. Cut each circle in half. Dampen edges and form semicircles into cones. Fill cones with equal portions of the lamb meat mixture. Dampen top and bottom edges of cones, and pinch to seal.
• Carefully lower cones into preheated oil a few at a time. Fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the melted butter and 5 tbsp warm water. Mix with a round-bladed knife to form a dough, adding another 1 - 3 tsp water if the mixture seems too dry. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 - 10 mins to a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in a cool part of the kitchen for at least 30 mins. For the filling, heat the oil in a wide frying pan or wok. Add the curry powder, garam masala, cumin and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Next, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook until the onion is softened and the spices are fragrant, about 4 - 5 mins. Tip in the chickpeas, then add the water and salt. Cook, stirring gently, until most of the water has been absorbed, then take off the heat. Stir in the peas and lemon juice to taste. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely. Divide the pastry into 6 or 7 equal pieces. Now roll out the pastry and shape the samosas following my guide (on the preceding pages). Heat a 6cm depth of oil in a deep heavy-based saucepan or wok over a medium heat to 180 - 190ºC. To test, drop a bread cube into the oil; it should sizzle on contact. Deep-fry the samosas in batches until golden brown and crisp, 6 - 8 mins. Drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven while cooking the rest. Serve hot or warm.