I have given recipes for these well-loved triangles of joy in Made in India, but here are a couple of new variations. These can be made in advance, frozen and then baked at the last minute, making them perfect for parties. Follow the instructions here on how to fill, fold, and bake your samosas.
As combinations go, mushrooms and walnuts are a mighty pair: smoky, earthy, and addictive. The key to making these is to ensure the seasoning is strong (as the taste will be muted slightly by the samosa pastry) and the mixture is dry (a wet mixture will make for a soggy samosa).
NOTE: A food processor will make light work of chopping your mushrooms and grinding your walnuts.
Makes 18 to 22
2 cups walnut halves
1½ pounds cremini mushrooms, cleaned
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon nigella seeds
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 Indian green chiles, finely chopped
1½-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
6 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Throw the walnuts into a food processor and grind very finely, then remove and set to one side. Put the mushrooms into the food processor, chop until pea-sized, and set these to one side too.
Warm the oil in your largest frying pan over medium heat and, when hot, add the mustard, cumin, and nigella seeds. When the seeds start to wriggle, add the onion and cook for around 10 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Add the green chiles, ginger, and garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the onion looks like dark jewels, then add the mushrooms. Don’t worry if they come up to the brim of your pan, as they’ll soon reduce.
Gently fold the ingredients together, add the salt and black pepper, and cook for around 15 minutes, until the water evaporates—there should only be the tiniest trace of water in the bottom of the pan, or else you’ll have soggy samosas. Add the walnuts, cook for another 3 minutes, then take off the heat and leave to cool before you make the samosas.
