Among the many things, that I miss about being in India, is the sheer abundance of street food. And more often than not, its an incident or a memory which will spark a cooking spree for something special. As I was speaking to my Mom a few days back, she mentioned how two of her sisters surprised her one morning, by dropping in with loads of her favorite Indian street food, for an impromptu Saturday brunch. What followed was an awesome 'Ladies Day In,' with loads of good food, for company. On the menu,among other things, were Samosas. I have been lusting since then for a plate full of hot samosas.
The choice, was I drive up to a local Desi restaurant and order a plate full of Samosas or make them at home. But then that would not have this essentially Bengali flavor, that my heart and mind were craving for. No, I am not pregnant , but even a non pregnant lady can have her weekend cravings or even mid week cravings. The Samosas from Kolkata, are knows as SHINGARA and they are smaller in size than the usual SAMOSAS. They can be both savory and sweet. But my heart was stuck on the savory kind.
It took some time to convince myself that I should try and attempt at making them at home. But I have a thing for Indian breads and dough in general. Lets just say, its not my best friend.Many a times, there have been kitchen disasters and alternate dinners plans needed to be made, when I attempted to make an Indian bread. Its surely a nemesis of mine.
Then I remembered something what Arka, a friend of ours, had mentioned some time back. He had made Samoas, by using frozen parathas, as his dough. Not that sounded like a plan. I always have a stash of Kawan's frozen parathas at home. Thank you Arka. I have used your idea but tuned it to my comfort.
The next question was: What would be the filling? Should I settle for the plain spiced Potato and peas filling, with a handful of fried peanuts thrown in the mixture. Or should I get adventurous. I decided to get adventurous.
Prawns it was. And rather than deep frying, I baked them. Yes, I know, I will get frowned upon by many, but hey, thats what I felt like. I have an active two year old, and often have to think of time saving hacks to my cooking. Baking a large batch of samosas, is an easier option than painstakingly deep frying each one. It did not compromise on the taste at all. And my foodie soul was surely beaming.
If you want to use regular dough, or want to fry the samoas, you can do so by all means. This is just a general guide for someone, like me, who is far away from home, and wants to re-create some of the familiar flavors.
Wanna make it with me. Lets get started shall we !
PRAWN SAMOSAS:
Ingredients:
Kawan's Frozen Parathas : 1 paratha will yield 4 samosas
Egg: 1
Prawn: 1 cup
Frozen peas: 1/2 cup
Potato: 1 large : Chopped
Onion-Ginger-Garlic Paste: 2 tbsp
Canola Oil: 2 tbsp
Creole Seasoning: 1 1/2 tbsp ( feel free to use any spice mix you are comfortable with or might have at home)
Procedure:
Lets get started with the filling. I used prawns, but feel free to use anything, you feel like. You could substitute it with any portion of your choice. Or just stick to potatoes and peas.
For the filling, add oil in a non stick pan, and then brown the onion-ginger-garlic paste in it. Add in chopped potatoes, chopped prawns and some creole seasoning next .
Once the prawns and potatoes are cooked, add in some frozen peas,and make sure all the liquid has dried up. Take the filling off the stove and let it cool.
Meanwhile, remove the plastic covering of the frozen parathas. Spread some all purpose flour on a cutting board and lay the paratha on it. With the sharp knife, divide the paratha in to 4 equal pieces. You will land up with 4 equal shaped triangles.
Take one triangle, and spoon out some cooled filling in it.
Then dip your fingers in some water, and seal the edges with the water,which acts a glue.
If you want to fry the samosas, then go ahead and depp fry them, a few at a time.
If you are planning to bake them, then line a large baking tray with parchment paper and lay the samosas flat.
Beat an egg and use a brush to egg wash the tops of the samosas. This will help in getting them crisp when they bake.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350F for 15 minutes (or longer) till they are crisp and golden.
Bon Appetit !!!
No comments