Not-There-Yet Samosas

I debated whether of not to post this...since they were declared "not there yet." But I've posted flops before and this wasn't quite that. It's passable and I liked them. But the mini-foodie disagreed with me.

The Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf has been wanting to make baked samosas. So, on their first evening of Fall Break, we gave it a go. Jake, the Precise Kitchen Elf, and I all thought they were great. EKE said, "Mommy, they're not there yet." He didn't like the meat I put in the filling and he said that the dough was too doughy - "not quite crisp enough." So, we'll try again. But these are our Not-There-Yet Samosas.

Ingredients

Filling

• 2 C cubed potatoes, boiled and slightly smashed
• 1 C green peas, blanched
• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 1" knob fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1/2 t organic yellow mustard seeds*
• 1 t garam masala (you can find my version in this post: Lamb Tikka Masala)
• 1 t curry leaves*

Dough

• 2 C flour
• 2/3 t baking powder
• 1 T Ajwain seeds*
• 1 C warm water
• 5 T olive (I used olive oil)
• 1 t freshly ground salt

To Serve

• chutney (here's are two links to Spiced Apple-Beet Chutney and Plum Perfect Chutney) - we used a mango-ginger chutney that I, apparently, haven't blogged. I will!

Procedure

Dough

Make the dough first so that you can make the filling while the dough rests. In a medium mixing bowl add flour, baking powder, salt, Ajwain seeds, and oil. Mix well. Pour in water and knead to a sticky dough. If too sticky, add more flour 1 T at a time. You don't want the dough too stiff. Cover with a wet cloth and set aside for 30 minutes and make your filling.

Filling

Heat olive oil in a large, flat-bottom pan and add the onions, garlic, ginger and spices. Cook till spices are fragrant and the onions translucent. Add in the ground turkey and cook till browned completely. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

To Assemble

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F while you form the samosa. After the dough rests for 30 minutes, pull off slightly larger than golf-ball sized pieces of dough. Use a rolling pin to flatten each ball into a large circle on a floured piece of parchment paper. Cut the circle in half to form a semi-circle.

Place a heap of the filling in the middle and fold the dough into a triangle shape. Pinch the edges together to form seal. Place the samosas on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Brush the samosas with oil all over. Then bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes. The samosas should be crisped and lightly browned. Serve immediately with a side of chutney.

So, these are not-there-yet, according to the EKE. We'll be tweaking the recipe and reposting soon. Right now, the Kitchen Elves are off on vacation with my parents. And there is no cooking going on there!

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