Samooosaaaaass!

I am lucky to have a lot of really cool friends that I have made on Twitter. One of them, Shaheen, the delightful @PurpleFoodie has agreed to the be the guest blogger for samosas! So here she is!

Hot Samosas and Friendship

I’ve known Luna for a few months over twitter now and it’s been lovely knowing her. On one such occasion over a twitter chatter, Luna asked me if I had a nice samosa recipe. Now here in Bombay (Mumbai), samosas are found at the corner of every other street. I just have to walk down my lane for a minute and I can get some delicious, piping hot samosas. That’s the reason why I hardly ever make them at home. But since it’s Luna, I just had to make it for her. :)

If you’re not already following her on twitter, then go do that right now! You will then know what thoughtful she is. I especially remember the time she gave me all the moral support I needed to venture out in alone in New York City when I went there a few months ago. Thanks, sweetie!


So back to the samosas - when I made them they took a lot lesser tie than I had anticipated so the long list of ingredients shouldn't stop you! Everyone at home loved them. The samosa was flaky and crunchy all at once and the flavour of the spicy potato filling was kicked up a knotch with the addition of fennel seeds. Try it, you will love it


Samosa recipe

Yield: 6-8

For the dough

1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup ghee or vegetable shortening
2 Tbs. plain yogurt, stirred well

1/4 cup water (or as required)

In a wide, shallow bowl, mix the flour with the salt and baking soda.

Rub in the ghee or shortening, whichever you’re using into the flour.

Rub the fat and the flour together until the flour is evenly coated; there shouldn’t be any lumps.
Add the yogurt-water mixture a little at a time. Add just enough liquid until the dough comes together in a mass.

Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic. The dough is ready when it's no longer sticky and feels nice and supple (after about 5 minutes of kneading).

Wrap it in plastic, and let it rest for about 15 minutes.




For Potato and Peas Filling

1 tbs. cooking oil

3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped

½ tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. coriander powder

1/2 tsp. dry mango powder or amchoor

½ tsp turmeric

¼-1/2 tsp. chilli powder (depending on how hot you want it to be)

1 cups very coarsely mashed potatoes

½ cup peas, boiled

Salt to taste


Canola oil or any flavourless oil for deep frying


Heat 1 tbsp oil and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant. About 2 minutes.

Next add in the whole seeds – mustard, cumin and fennel and cook until they sizzle. Another 1 minute.

Now add all the powdered spices, coriander, dry mango, turmeric, chilli.

Once it is all incorporated, add the potatoes and peas and mix well. Add the salt.

Let this potato mixture cool.



Assembling the samosa

Divide the dough into about 6-8 portions.

Roll them out into strips of 1/8th inch thickness.

Place the potato filling in the middle and seal the sides as shown in the photo.

Heat the oil for deep frying the samosas.

Drop 2-3 in at a time and dry till they are golden brown.

Drain on paper towel and serve hot!


http://purplefoodie.com/

Include Your Kids in Meal Planning: Guest Post by What's Cooking!

I think What's Cooking is amazing! Started by a mom, Michelle, who wanted to incorporate her kids into the whole conversation, I was inspired to ask if she could shed some light on how to make it easier to do just that! One reason I approached her is, my brother is a single dad of four, so every little bit of guidance helps.

Big thanks to Michelle for this incredible share. Please make sure you check out the blog for more awesome ideas on cooking your kids!

From What's Cooking: Cooking with Kids for a better body, planet and community

It’s almost impossible to find a parent who doesn’t eagerly share his or her woes about his or her child’s food “issues.” Some kids refuse to eat anything green. Others only want to eat food that is white. Some love crunchy while others will abstain. Taking each person’s preferences and aversions into account can certainly put a crimp on planning family meals. Don’t despair. By getting your kids involved, they will be more likely to participate peacefully in the family meal (even if they still don’t taste everything on the table).


Just Ask

By simply asking your kids what they would like to eat later in the week, you are acknowledging that their opinion counts. You have veto power, of course, but you can incorporate their idea into your own so that it works for both of you.
Watch TV

I can’t believe that I am suggesting that you watch TV! We aren’t really a TV family, but we find huge value in cooking programs, such as those on our local Public Television station and the Food Network. Nothing can compare to Alton Brown when it comes to inspiring my kids to try something new. And one of my daughter’s favorite recipes was inspired by one we saw nutritionist Ellie Krieger making.

Read Books

Cookbooks, that is…especially ones with lots and lots of pretty pictures. For kids that can’t yet read, like my son, photos are the key ingredient at inspiring his palette.

Surf the Web

The internet is an excellent resource for recipes. Here are a few of our favorite recipe websites:

Meal Makeover Moms
Foodie Tots
The Toddler Cafe
Cooking Light
Food Network

Make a Recipe Box or Binder


Have your kids help you tear favorite recipes out of magazines and newspapers and slide them into sheet protectors, and store them in a binder. If you want to be really organized, you can even use dividers to separate recipes into categories, such as Salads, Sides, Main Dishes and Desserts. Or, if you want to get really fancy, you can even divide the Main Dishes section even further: Poultry, Fish, Vegetarian etc. If you try a recipe and it doesn’t pass the family test, toss the recipe into the recycling bin.

Make a Menu

My kids can get pretty creative, so they love the opportunity to plan a menu, like what they might find in a restaurant (minus the fish sticks and chicken nuggets – not that there is anything wrong with that…). The menu can contain the names of each dish they love at the time. When it is time for you to grocery shop, have them place their order with you!

Travel the World

Not literally (unless you have some extra time and money). Encourage your kids to select a country and research some of the ingredients and recipes that are used there. See if you can eat your way around the globe.