I love the deep spicy flavors in Indian food, and for many years I was fortunate to have colleagues from India who would generously invite me to their annual Diwali celebration which is the Hindu festival of lights. One of my favorite Indian delicacies they served was samosas which is a pocket of fried dough filled with a savory mixture of spiced potatoes, onions, peas, or lentils.
Since I tend to shy away from fried foods, I decided to create these savory little puffs using traditional Indian spices, carrots, creamy Yukon potatoes, earthy sweet potatoes, and just a bit of tofu to add to the richness.
And instead of the heavy dough, I opted for puff pastry dough. The puffs looked beautiful; they were flaky, savory, spicy, and delicious!
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced in half-inch pieces
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced in half-inch pieces
1 Yukon potato, peeled and diced in half-inch pieces
8 cups of water
1/2 cup silken tofu, drained
1 cup unsweetened cashew milk
3 tablespoons kosher salt, divided 2 to 1
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package puff pastry dough, thawed
1/4 cup egg whites beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Directions:
1) Fill a deep saucepan with the water and add one tablespoon of the salt. Heat the water to boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the diced potatoes and carrots. Cook the vegetables for 10 to 12 minutes until the vegetables are fork-tender. Strain the vegetables through a colander and set aside.
2) Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan until shimmering, and add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook 3 to 5 minutes until fragrant and the onion is tender. Remove the pan from the heat.
3) Using a high powered blender, add the cashew milk to the blender pitcher then add the cooked vegetables, and the remaining seasonings. Puree the mixture on high until smooth.
4) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5) Roll out the pastry dough to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough into circles using a 3-inch round cookie cutter.
6) Place 1 tablespoon of the vegetable filling in the center of each dough circle, then lightly brush the edges of the dough with water.
7) Fold the dough over the filling to form half circles and press the edges of the dough together. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork.
8) Brush the dough with the egg wash and transfer the puffs to the baking tray.
9) Place the tray in the oven and bake the puffs for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.
