While I don’t cook it that much at home, we tend to get Indian takeout at least once every couple weeks. Perhaps my favorite dish is the vegetable samosa. Crispy crust stuffed with tender potatoes and peas, perfectly spiced, and begging to be dipped in chutney. How can you go wrong? The problem with samosas is two-fold:
- They’re fried. I’m pretty much terrified of frying anything, so that’s a no-go.
- They’re quite complicated. It’s nearly impossible to make a samosa recipe that will fall under my simple standards. So, I decided to get creative and tackle the Indian dish that reminds me most of a samosa: Aloo Tiki*. Here’s the deal. Yes, the crust is delicious. If you want a fried pocket of dough, go to your neighborhood Indian restaurant and order a whole basket. There’s no shame in that. But if you want to make an inspired, simplified version at home, I have just the thing. *Learn more about the origins of aloo tiki and a more authentic preparation here. I’m convinced my favorite elements of a samosa are the tender potato-pea filling, the spices, and the chutney sauce for dipping (read, drowning). I kept these elements intact while ensuring this recipe was simple, condensing it down to just 10 ingredients (give or take a spice). And to mimic the pastry crust, I provide an option of crusting them in panko bread crumbs. This is entirely optional and can take them off of the gluten-free spectrum. But I found myself gravitating toward the panko-coated cakes more in the end. And that chutney. Oh, the chutney. So green. So fresh. So perfect. I’ve studied up on how to make a sweet, green chutney and it’s actually quite simple. The best grinder for the job is a small food processor. The next ideal option is a mortar and pestle. And lastly, if you’re like me, you can use a coffee/spice grinder in a pinch. Fair warning, clean up is a little messy as I don’t think they’re intended for wet herbs, but it gets the job done! I hope you guys love the aloo tiki! They’re the best way I’ve found to mimic a samosa at home without a million ingredients or busting out the frying oil. If you give them a try, let me know how you like them! Leave a comment and rate it – it’s super helpful to us and other readers. And don’t forget to show us how it goes by tagging a picture #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers!
