Gluten Free Samosas with Pea, Potato and Green Mango

Too many times I have suggested to a client an interesting idea, and as it is leaving my mouth my brain is shouting, “Stop, you crazy woman! You don’t know how to do that!!”

For example:

My Mouth “‘Oh yes, we could serve Squash Soup using acorn squash for bowls to 125 people…in a barn.”

My Brain, “Shut up!  Shut up!  Stop talking!  Delete!  Delete!”

More often than not these ideas were proposed by me so I have no one else to blame.  After I make these suggestions and people love the concepts, I am left wondering how this will actually come into fruition.

Not unlike having 4 Wheel Drive which allows you to get stuck in EXTREMELY inaccessible places where no one else can rescue you…. the fact that I have some experience with cooking and catering gives me enough confidence to venture waaaay out into the middle of that muddy field.

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This time my bright idea was to make gluten free samosas…for 150 people.  They will be for our performance-art dinners Edible Alien Theatre (E.A.T.) coming up next week.   Two different fillings: Curried Pea, Potato, Mango and Beef Nihari.

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Cripes!

I knew I could make a mean filling, but since I am not as confident in the craft of bakery I ran to Google-land to look up other people’s experiments with both regular doughs and gluten free doughs and came up with an amalgamated version.  It is mostly tapioca starch with eggs and buttermilk.  Though at first it was a weird cornstarch-like texture, the result was awesome.

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The Book of Yum site suggested using a tortilla press and plastic wrap to help keep everything together—this is the way we made corn tortillas back when we made corn tortillas so I dug through the drawer to find the press.

This dough is basically her recipe with a couple small changes, and I am eternally grateful for her tips—it’s a great blog for gluten free cooking if you are seeking such things.

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Once you are rolling out the dough it is best to touch it as little as possible.  Place the plastic on both sides to roll or press it, then add the filling in the middle.

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I shaped the filling into a triangle to make the folding part easier.   This is the Pea Potato filling.

This is the Beef Nihari filling.  Any filling needs to be on the dry side so it doesn’t alter the dough consistency.

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Use the plastic wrap to fold over the side on top of the filling, then carefully peel away the plastic leaving the fold resting on top of the filling.  Repeat.  This was another tip from the Book of Yum site.

The third side will close the samosa, and you can pinch and press to seal the edges.  The dough stuck together well so I didn’t use any water to seal it.

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Sometimes it ripped, but it repaired well.  Love that!

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I fried the samosas in a cast iron pan with a little canola oil on a medium heat flame—lightly searing the sides to give it a crispy texture, then baked it in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or so.  You could deep fry them like a real samosa, or brush them with oil and bake them to avoid frying altogether.

I froze some uncooked ones as a test—they were great!  It worked best to let them thaw a few hours minutes before frying/baking.

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The Filling:  There are numerous recipes for the traditional curried potato pea filling, and this is yet another.  I like the mango addition, and I chose ones that were on the slightly greener side so they were a little tart.  Here is a video of nifty ways to slice a mango. 

I’ll save the Beef filling for another time…

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Conclusion: I couldn’t stop eating them!  The dough was a little touchy but totally manageable if you were able to not touch it very much. The end result was a tenderness and chewiness that truly rivaled the stick-together texture of glue-ten.   Almost like a potsticker.  Or a samosa.  Mmm.  These also make great Travel Food.

This puts the GLUE back in GLUTEN FREE

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Gluten Free Samosa Dough

Makes 6 large samosas or 10 small samosas

Combine in a large bowl:

2 large eggs

2 cups Finely Ground Tapioca Flour (aka Tapioca Starch) or Chebe

1/2 – 3/4 tsp Sea Salt  (I do 3/4 because I like it a little salty, but you might like less…)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

5 Tbsp Buttermilk, or a Milk substitute of choice with a little vinegar

1/4  cup White Rice Flour

Mix into a dough ball. 

If the dough is too sticky, add:

Rice Flour 1 Tbsp at a time until it is workable.   (Egg sizes vary, and can alter the amount of flour needed)

Pea Potato Mango Samosa Filling

Sauté in a large sauté pan for 10-12 minutes:

2 Tbsp Oil

1 tsp whole toasted Coriander Seeds

1 tsp whole toasted Cumin Seeds

1 Onion, minced

Turn off the heat, and gently stir in:

2-3 Russet Potatoes—cooked, peeled and tiny diced (approximately 2 cups)

3/4 cup Green Peas (frozen or fresh cooked)

1 tsp Ginger Juice, or 2 tsp Fresh Ginger, minced

1/2 – 3/4 tsp Chile of Choice: Hot Green Chile, Adobo Sauce from canned chipotle pepper, or a minced Jalapeño, Serrano, etc.

3/4 tsp Sea Salt

3/4 tsp Curry Powder

1 Tbsp Coriander, ground

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Lime Zest

1 1/2  – 2 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice

1 Mango, small diced

After it has cooled slightly, fold in:

1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped

Taste and adjust seasonings.  

It may take a while for the seasoning to blend with the potatoes.

You want it to be almost over-seasoned so it holds up to the dough. 

Samosas

For large samosas, divide the dough into 6 balls.

Cut a plastic bag or plastic wrap to approximately 9″ x 18″. 

Place the dough on one side of the plastic, and fold the plastic over the top.

Roll or press the dough, to about 1/8 inch thick—not too thin or it will rip.

Place 1/3 cup filling in the center, and shape into a triangle.  

Fold over one side and pull back plastic.   Repeat two more times to make a triangle.

Cover.  They can be cooked immediately, or stored in the refrigerator for a day, or frozen.

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Cooking Options:

1. Lightly fry each side on Medium heat in a saute pan, then bake OR
2. Deep fry in oil OR
3. Brush with olive oil and bake