Introduction
Diwali, the celebration of lights, is coming up in late October this year for the Hindu-Indian-American community. Full of festivities, one of its prominent features is the food - unique snacks, savory and sweet, bursting with flavor. However, as a teenager of Indian heritage who also has food allergies, I have rarely had the opportunity to savor these delights. Particularly, the celebrated snack most kids of Indian origin have had at almost every party in the community - the samosa - which I got to try only in my fifteenth year of existence on this planet!
A samosa is a savory pastry filled typically with a spicy, chunky potato-and-peas mixture. This filled pastry is deep-fried to golden and is similar to an empanada. It is usually vegetarian. Crisp on the outside and flavorful on the inside, this treat satisfies the palate in an indulging way.
I tried my first samosa on my fifteenth birthday. This was a special gift from my wishlist. Trying the samosa for the very first time and savoring the quintessential Indian-American treat that the non-allergy community takes for granted as a surefire presence in any community party. Indian cuisine uses a lot of peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame, especially when it comes to snacks. If you’re in a similar situation like me, have no fear. This allergy-friendly version of the beloved Indian treat will send explosions of savory flavor to your taste buds once you take the first bite. After all, learning to make the treat someday will be a lifelong treat itself!
Recipe Information
Total Time: About 1½ to 2 hours
Yield: 10 to 15 samosas (depending on size)
Allergen Information
Free of: Peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, soy, eggs, fish, shellfish/crustaceans
Contains: Gluten, dairy, peas (can modify the recipe if allergic to any of these)
Ingredients
Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute this if you have a gluten allergy)
¼ cup oil or melted ghee (use oil if you have a dairy allergy, as ghee is clarified butter) (can use any oil. I like to use avocado oil as it is appropriate for my allergies)
1 tsp carom seeds
Salt to taste
About ¼ cup cold water - just enough to sprinkle and bring the dough together
Filling
4 medium yellow potatoes
½ cup green peas (skip this if allergic to pea protein)
4 tbsp cilantro, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
Salt and pepper as needed
Optional: 1 tbsp ginger, minced
Recipe
For the filling:
Peel and boil the potatoes until tender. Coarsely mash the potatoes. Add the rest of the ingredients for the filling and mix well.
For the dough:
In a bowl, combine the flour, carom seeds, oil or ghee, and salt. Sprinkle water as you work the mixture. Combine well to create a dough that is pliable yet firm. Let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
For the samosas:
Slowly knead the dough, split it into 5 to 7 portions depending on the desired size of the samosa-to-be, and roll each portion into rounds.
Roll out each round to form oval disks about ¼ inch thick - like small tortillas.
Cut each disk into two semicircles. Each semicircle will become one samosa.
Working on one semicircle at a time, join the two corners of the semicircle to form a cone. Seal the cone completely by gently pressing the joined area on the outside and the inside.
Fill the cone with some potato filling, but be careful not to overfill. Add some water on the edges, and pinch the edges together to seal the samosa. Now we have a sealed triangular pastry, ready to be fried! Make sure that it is sealed firmly enough that it won’t open up again during deep frying.
Repeat steps 3-5 of the samosa procedure until you have used up all of the semicircles.
Fill a saucepan with oil to get ready for deep frying.
Add a couple of samosas at a time, and deep-fry them for about 10 minutes. When the outside becomes firm, flip the samosas over. Fry them until they appear crispy and turn a rich golden color.
Once the first batch is finished frying, remove them from the saucepan and put them on a rack to cool. Repeat the steps for frying until all the samosas are done.
Once they have cooled to a reasonable temperature, they are ready to be enjoyed! Try them with ketchup or mint chutney (dipping sauce). You can find the recipe for the mint sauce on the Internet by searching for Pudina Chutney (mint sauce). The Internet offers many variations. Feel free to modify it in any way depending on dietary needs and preferences.
About the Chef
I was diagnosed with anaphylactic food allergies to peanuts, several tree nuts, soy, and sesame before the age of 1, and later outgrew soy at about 5 years old. In the past, I used to feel very diffident about my allergies, thinking I wasn’t able to freely eat whatever I wanted to. But now, I have realized that they have actually helped me become more health-conscious about what I am putting into myself. And with a magic superpower called cooking, I can now make and eat anything I can imagine, while being aware of my allergies and health! Cooking is a vital life skill. I wanted to spread the message by joining TAG that people with food allergies should not focus on the downsides of having dietary restrictions - they should focus on the opportunities and possibilities allergies have to offer! This is where your creativity comes into play!
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