Aakash Rathod of Creative Cooking is new to the culinary scene. When he came to Canada from India, his experiences in the kitchen were as a mere observer. He lived with his mother, father and siblings, as well as his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins and meal preparation was the sole responsibility of the women in the house.
But you can learn a lot from watching and when you’re forced to prepare your own meals when you’re living on your own, well, let’s just say that Aakash stepped up to the plate.
Aakash also took on a part time job at a local restaurant and learned the “professional” ways of preparing, creating, cooking, and most importantly, how to develop recipes.
It’s this skill in adapting recipes that makes Aakash’s recipe for samosas unique. All samosa recipes follow a standard – chick peas, potatoes, turmeric, onion, garlic, and cumin – all folded into a delicious deep fried little parcel, but Aakash blends Canadian and Indian cuisine to create a mouth-watering delight like no other.
“The secret is the spices,” Aakash smiles. “I combine traditional Indian spices with common spices used in Canada such as bay leaves, mustard seeds and coriander seeds. But the most unique ingredient is the roasted butternut squash I get from farmers in Thunder Bay.”
Aakash knows anyone who tries his recipe won’t be disappointed.
And if you’re too busy to make your own, feel free to stop by his booth at the Thunder Bay Country Market.
When asked for the recipes for the dipping sauces that accompany his samosas, Aakash laughed. “Well, those are a secret!” He was gracious enough, however, to share the ingredients: cilantro, mint and green chillies in the green sauce and dates, turmeric and dried jagerry in the brown.
Aakash has been more than gracious in sharing his new samosa recipe. We hope you can take the time to make them and enjoy!
Samosa Dough:
- 4 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup water (plus approximately 1/2 cup water to make dough soft as needed)
- 1/2 tsp carom seeds
In a large bowl combine flour, salt, oil, and water. Mix together just enough to see big lumps of dough. Crush carom seeds between your palms and add to the dough.
Finish kneading the dough until it is soft enough that when you press, it bounces back. Place in bowl, cover and set aside.
Samosa filling:
- 6 to 8 Yukon Gold potatoes
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 medium size butternut squash
- 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 tsp dried coriander seeds
- 3 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 green chilli peppers, chopped
- 3 to 4 whole bay leaves
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger
- 1 medium size onion chopped
- 10-12 fresh curry leaves
- 1 1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
- 2 Tbsp turmeric powder
- 2 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin and coriander powder
- 1 1/2 Tbsp red chili powder
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- Juice from one lemon (about 3 Tbsp)
- 3 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 tsp toasted fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the peeled potatoes along with 2 to 3 garlic cloves and cook until potatoes are soft.
Peel the butter nut squash until the flesh is visible and remove the seeds. Chop into 2-inch cubes. Massage cubes with olive oil and salt and place on a baking tray. Cover with foil and cook until soft (around 45 to 50 minutes). In the meantime, heat wok or frying pan on medium to high heat. Add oil. Add cumin seeds, dried coriander seeds, mustard seeds, chopped green chillies, whole bay leaves and heat until crackling. Add ginger garlic paste. (Place ginger and remaining garlic cloves into blender with a little bit of water and blend.) Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add chopped onions and sauté until translucent. Add curry leaves and let sit with other ingredients for a few minutes.
Add green peas Add turmeric, ground cumin and coriander spice blend, chili powder and 1 1/4 tsp salt. Cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the potatoes are boiled and squash is fully cooked, place in a large bowl and mash until coarse. Add the cooked mixture of onions and spices and green peas.
Squeeze a whole lemon over the mixture, add chopped cilantro, fennel seeds and sugar and mix well. Set aside and let cool before you start making your samosas.
To roll the samosas:
Take a piece of dough about the size of your fist – about 1/2 cup – and roll it out flat and even in round tortilla shape. Cut the round flattened dough in half making it a half moon shape. Apply water on 1/2 of the straight edge and fold the wet edge over to the dry edge making it into a cone shape and press so there are no gaps. Fill with 2 to 3 Tbsp. of filling. Apply some water on one side of the edge to seal it properly. Pinch both sides together securing the edge so there are no open cracks. Finish filling all the samosas this way and keep them in refrigerator for about one hour. Fill a large frying pan with a frying oil of your choice. (A combination of ghee and sunflower oil is recommended to give it a better texture.) Keep the oil at medium to low heat, around 300°F. Slowly fry the samosas making sure they are fully submerged in oil. For best results, fry until golden brown, flipping them so both sides are cooked equally and the internal temperature reaches 195°F. Enjoy nice and warm. Samosas make a great party snack and a fantastic dish to share at a pot luck. They freeze well too.
