Sweet Potato Samosas are delicious pastry triangles that are baked (not fried!), and filled with a savory mixture of sweet potatoes, butternut, and Indian spices; with three dipping sauces from which to choose.Inspired by "Samosas" in Mollie Katzen's (Original) Moosewood Cookbook.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the cubed butternut squash, and sauté until it just begins to soften. Add the onion, and stir until the squash is tender and the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, coriander, curry, nutmeg and salt. Stir over medium heat for a minute or two to activate the spices.
Put the cubed sweet potatoes into a medium saucepan and cover with water.Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the potatoes are tender; about 15 minutes. Drain and mash very lightly – just break them into pieces. You want them to be very chunky: not a smooth mash.
Combine squash mixture with mashed sweet potatoes. Stir in lemon juice. Allow the filling to cool at least 15 minutes before filling the pastries.
Moosewood Samosa Dough
Mix the flour and salt together. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the yogurt.
Mix with your hand to form a smooth dough. Add extra flour if you need to keep the dough from being sticky. Knead for about five minutes, then cover until the filling has sufficiently cooled.
Assemble Pastries
Preheat oven to 425°F | 220°C.
Roll out the samosa dough and cut nine 6-inch circles. Cut each circle in half. I cut the circles using a 6-inch hand-pie press. Cutting around the outside of a small bowl works too.
Holding one half circle of dough in your palm, wet half of the straight edge with a fingertip of water. Fold the edges together to form a cone.
Fill the cone with about a tablespoon of filling. Wet half of the top of the cone with water, then pleat the side opposite the seam and pinch the top edge together in the middle.Roll the top edge over slightly to seal. (It works best when the seam/roll is placed opposite the straight sealed edge.)
Bake (No Frying!)
Place the prepared samosas rolled side down on a parchment lined-baking tray. Bake at 425°F | 220°C for about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Moosewood Dipping Sauce (optional)
Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Simmer 10 minutes to reduce slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Mint Chutney (optional)
Put mint, cilantro, ginger, lime, water, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until it becomes a sauce. (It’s OK if there’s still little leaf bits.) Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fry until you hear popping. Add fried mustard seeds to sauce dipping sauce and serve.
Tamarind Dipping Sauce (optional)
Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, garam masala, and ginger. Cook and stir for about a minute to activate the spices.
Stir in the water, and then the sugar and tamarind paste.Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes; until the mixture turns deep brown. (It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.)
Notes
Perfect as an appetizer, light lunch, or packing in a picnic.Nutritional information includes only values for the Sweet Potato Samosas. It does not include any information for dipping sauces. Cooking times are based on using the yogurt dough in this recipe. If you use a different dough, adjust the cooking time and temperature for that dough.