Simple Spicy Starter - Potato and Pea Samosas

I really could fore go the whole of an Indian meal for a pile of samosas, which says more about my love of these spicy little triangles than anything because in reality I really do enjoy eating all the components of an Indian meal. But samosas are delicious, from the crunch of the pastry to the (sometimes) spicy filling. Whilst I do enjoy meat samosas, I prefer vegetable ones and seeing as March is apparently 'vegetable' month, (I read it somewhere) this is fantastic food to blog about.

The recipe is Anjum Anand's, whose recipes I really rate, mainly because of her emphasis on healthy Indian food, as far as that is possible. Whilst these are not diet food, I do love the fact that these use filo pastry and can be baked instead of fried. Makes the bottle of lager that I have to accompany these not such a bad thing.

Potato and Pea Samosas, from Anjum Anand's 'Indian Food Made Easy'

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp mustard seeds

60g/2½oz chopped onion

1 tsp finely chopped ginger

60g/2½oz frozen peas

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp red chilli powder

½-¾ tsp garam masala

1-2 tsp dried mango powder, to taste

salt, to taste

splash water

600g/1lb 5oz potatoes, peeled, boiled until soft and crushed into large lumps

4 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

packet ready-made filo pastry

5 tbsp melted butter, for brushing

2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional) (you can also use poppy or nigella

seeds)

Method

Heat the oil in a small non-stick pan and fry the mustard seeds for about ten seconds, or until they begin to splutter.

Add the onion and ginger and cook for 2-3 minutes over a high heat.

Add the peas, stir well and add the spices, mango powder, salt and a splash of water. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the potatoes and coriander and cook for 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Unroll the pastry and cover with cling film and a damp tea towel. Peel off one piece and keep the rest covered so that it doesn't dry out. Lay the pastry sheet flat on a clean surface and brush with melted butter.

Cut the piece of filo into thirds and brush with melted butter.

Place one rounded teaspoon of the filling mixture at one end of the strip, leaving a 2cm/1in border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip. Brush the outer surface with more butter. Place onto a baking sheet and cover while you make the rest.

Coat with melted butter and sprinkle with nigella seeds. Bake for about 20 -25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve warm with a cold glass of Cobra beer.