These mushroom and walnut samosas are vegetarian and there is not a deep fat fryer in sight. Instead the unusual, gently spiced, mushroom and walnut filling is wrapped in a double layer of buttered filo pastry and baked in a hot oven. This makes them lighter and less oily than traditional samosas.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe in Meera Sodha’s book Fresh India. I kept faith with the ingredients but halved the quantity and altered the method slightly. These samosas are absolutely delicious!
Makes 10
Ingredients
75g walnut pieces, ground in a food processor and set aside
350g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped in a food processor and set aside
rapeseed oil for cooking
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds (and a few extra to scatter over the samosas)
1 large onion, diced
1 long green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
a small piece of peeled ginger, the size of the top of your thumb, grated
3 cloves garlic crushed
salt and black pepper to season
1 packet filo pastry
melted butter (about 50g)
Method
Warm a little oil in a large frying pan and when hot add the mustard and cumin seeds. When the seeds start to pop add the chopped onion and cook gently until just beginning to brown. Add the chopped, green chilli, grated ginger and garlic and cook for a few minutes over a medium heat. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook gently for about 10 minutes - stir while you do.
When the mushrooms are soft and most of the water has evaporated add the ground walnuts and season the mixture to your taste. Allow the mixture to cool before making up the samosas.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6
Carefully unwrap the filo pastry and take one sheet and place it on a large board with the long side facing you. Brush the sheet of pasty with melted butter. Place another sheet of filo pastry on top.
Measure the length of the filo pastry and cut into four strips. Place a tablespoon of the mushroom filling and place it in the bottom righthand corner of the strip and fold over to form a triangle. Continue to fold the samosa along the length of the filo pastry. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with a few cumin seeds and place on a baking tray. Continue making the samosas until all the filling is used up.
Cook in the hot oven for 10 minutes or until brown and crisp. Serve with mango chutney or riata.
