Baked Samosa

God, I love Samosas!!! I have grown up in India gorging on these delectable savory pastries at every opportunity - on family outings, at roadside vendor stalls, in parties ... in short, everywhere!

For those who do not know, Samosa is a deep-fried pastry stuffed with spicy potatoes & green peas - it is a hugely popular snack in India & other Asian countries, with multiple variants created by replacing the stuffing with other veggies or with minced meat. It is usually served with Tamarind Chutney, Cilantro-Mint Chutney or with Tomato Ketchup. Sadly however, the major downside to the yummilicious Samosa is the health aspect - it is deep-fried that makes it high in calorie count :( It also does not help that the traditional samosa requires a lot of time & effort to prepare from scratch & is quite hard to get it just right, so much that it is much simpler to get them from a restaurant as opposed to making them at home.

Not wanting to let up on my love for samosas so easily, I tried out this easy-to-make baked version of the Samosa so that I can prepare it quickly & effortlessly & don't have to think of my waist every time I pop a Samosa in my mouth. To my delight, it turned out so well (way beyond my expectations!) that I served it to a group of friends & they went gaga over this delectable snack .... yayyyyy :) I find that preparing and rolling the dough for the outer shell of the Samosa is the hardest part in traditional samosa recipe (both to make & to get it right), so I use pre-packaged wonton wraps that work as a great substitute. Another benefit is that the flavorful, savory stuffing can be used as a sandwich filling or as a side dish. So if you love Samosas but want to cut back on calories, I bet that you will love this baked version, enjoy it with a cuppa tea or serve it as your next wonderful party appetizer :)

BAKED  SAMOSA  RECIPE

Makes : 26 Pcs.

Ingredients: 

For the Samosa:
26 Wonton Wrappers (about 4" squares)
1 tbsp Olive Oil for brushing

For the Filling:
3 large-size potatoes; peeled & boiled
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 tsp minced fresh Ginger
1/4 cup Green Peas (fresh or frozen); blanched
3-4 Serrano Green Chillies or to taste; destemmed & finely chopped
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder (Amchur) or 1 1/2 tsp fresh Lemon Juice; see tips
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (Red Chilli Powder) or to taste
1 tsp Coriander Powder; see tips
1/4 tsp Garam Masala; see tips
Salt to taste
2 tbsp fresh chopped Cilantro (Coriander) leaves
1 tbsp Oil

How to make Baked Samosa

Preparing the filling:

1. Once the boiled potatoes have cooled down, mash the potatoes coarsely using your hands. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan on medium heat. Add cumin seeds & saute till the cumin seeds begin to change color. Add ginger & green chillies. Saute for a minute.
3. Add green peas & saute for a minute.
4. Add potatoes, dry mango powder/lemon juice, cayenne pepper, coriander powder, garam masala & salt. Toss well such that the potatoes get coated with the spices thoroughly. Saute for a minute. Add chopped cilantro, toss again. Remove from heat & allow it to cool.

Assembling the Samosa:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Keep aside.
2. In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of water. Keep aside.
3. Take a wonton wrapper (keep the remaining wrappers covered with a damp cloth else they will become dry & brittle). Dip your finger tip in the bowl of water & moisten all the edges of the wonton wrapper. Place about 1 1/2 tbsp of potato filling in the center of the wrapper.
4. Follow either of the below 2 methods to fold a samosa -
   a) To follow Simple method (Chart I) -  Fold the wrapper in half to form a triangle & press the edges together to seal (see step c in Chart I).
   b) To get a shape as shown in my above picture - Follow steps c-g in Chart II.
   



Simple Method - CHART  I



CHART  II

5. Brush the entire filled wrapper lightly with olive oil. Arrange on baking sheet. Repeat the process with remaining wrappers. Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and crisp, turning the filled wrappers halfway through baking.
6. Remove from oven & transfer to a serving platter. Serve hot with Cilantro-Mint Chutney, Tamarind Chutney or tomato ketchup.

TIPS

All of these spices are available in Indian Grocery Stores, & it is best to buy them from an Indian Grocery store to get authentic flavors. These spices are also very common & may be available in your local supermarket (I have seen them in Safeway - a popular supermarket in California).