Potato, Cauliflower & Fava Bean Samosas with Spicy Chickpeas

whole wheat, potato-cauliflower-fava samosas w/ chutney and curried chickpeas

ADHOC Correction: The dish is called Samosa Chaat! Thanks Anu!

I've been thinking about this meal ever since I had something similar at restaurant about a week and a half ago while on a work outing.  The dish was called Samosa Chaat, and it consisted of samosas covered in spicy chickpeas and garnished with coriander sauce,  chopped onion, and tomato.

One of my work colleagues explained that the curried chickpeas are called chole, and are often served with fried bread, such as bhatura or pooris. But when the chickpeas are topped with fresh onion and tomato and served with samosas, it becomes a 'chaat'.  She explained that this type of dish is typical street food. I'm not sure whether it's specific to a certain region (I'll have to ask her tomorrow, now that I think of it.)  At any rate, the restaurant we were at, as most around here tend to, focuses on cuisine from northern regions of India.

potato, cauliflower, fava bean filling

Here's my version of Samosa Chaat:

Potato-Cauliflower-Fava Samosa Filling 
(Enough for 8 good-sized samosas with some leftover)

2-3 medium potatoes, quartered (if they are organic, I don't bother peeling them)
1/2 head cauliflower, divided into chunks
1 cup fava beans (blanched & deskinned) or peas
1 tablespoon olive oil (or whatever you like to saute with)
1 medium onion, diced fine
1 hot chili pepper of choice, diced fine (or to taste) (I used a Thai green chili)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped (or try green coriander seed)
salt to taste
generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste

Boil the  potatoes and cauliflower until tender.  While these are boiling,  saute the onions until they begin to aromatize, add in the ginger, chili, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, drain and mash. (I usually leave a little bit of the cooking water in to incorporate as liquid for the mash.) Stir in the onion/spice mixture, favas/peas, and the fresh cilantro. Add salt and fresh lemon juice to taste.

Now, for the dough...I'm not saying this is authentic or anything, but this is how I put it together. 

Whole Wheat Samosa Dough
(Enough for 8 samosas)

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
~ 1/4 cup olive oil (scant)
1/4 - 1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Add in the oil slowly and combine with flour until it turns into a coarse bread crumb-like texture. Add water in a little at a time just until the dough comes together and you can form a ball.

On a floured surface, divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll each portion into an 8" oblong piece. Cut the dough lengthwise and dollop a couple of generous tablespoons of the filling in the center. Fold each half of the dough in towards the center:

Form a seal by crimping the edges with your fingers or fork, etc.

It's traditional to fry samosas, but in attempt to make these a little less caloric (it is swimsuit season afterall) I baked them instead. They would be super delicious fried as you may imagine.

Because, I was baking them, I brushed them with a little soy milk beforehand...it just makes for a nicer finish on the crust. They baked at 350 F for about 25-30 minutes.

The chickpeas are next. Any type of curried thing I make usually turns out ok...but not deliciously tasty like authentic curries. Learning how to make authentic Indian curries and other dishes is something that I really want to work on. I'm hoping that maybe my work colleague will help me out with that.

I'm sort of abashed that my co-worker might be reading this...I'm sure it's nothing like the real deal...but here's what I did with the chickpeas:

Spicy Chickpeas

2 cups cooked chickpeas
1.5 cups strained tomato passata (or use chopped fresh ones)
1-2  cups water (depending on desired consistency)
1 medium  onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 hot green chili pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Earth Balance
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon dried coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
salt to taste
fresh cilantro and red onion to garnish

Saute the onion, garlic, and chili pepper until it becomes a little tender, add in all spices and saute for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, and chickpeas and allow to simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, or until the desired consistency is reached. Add salt to taste.  Garnish with cilantro and chopped red onion.

This meal was devoured with some peach and apple chutney and a tomato and cucumber salad. Samosa chaat gets a big thumbs up in my book.

Roseann LaPonte

Rosanne Tobin