Curried Lamb Samosas With Apricot Chutney Food

LAMB TIKKA SAMOSAS

Steps:

• In a large, wide pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Season the lamb well and fry until browned all over. Add the tikka paste to the pan for another 2 mins until fragrant. Add the onion and carrot with the remaining 1 tsp oil, and fry for 5 mins until the veg has softened. Tip into a large bowl and mix with the mint, chutney and frozen peas. Leave to cool.
• Spread out a sheet of filo, with a short end towards you. Brush with oil all over. Fold each long edge into the centre by 5cm, so you have a long, narrow piece of filo. Add about 130g of mixture to the top left of the strip and fold the top right corner of filo over to make a triangle. Continue folding down the length of the pastry to make a samosa shape. Brush with more oil. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking parchment, wrap in cling film and freeze. Use within 3 months.
• To cook from frozen, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cook the samosas on their baking tray in the middle of the oven for 35-40 mins, turning over halfway through cooking, until golden and piping hot in the middle. Drain on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil and serve with salad, the extra chutney and raita.

SAMOSAS WITH TAMARIND-DATE CHUTNEY

Steps:

• For the pastry: Add the flour, salt and nigella or ajwain seeds to a medium bowl and mix. Add the ghee or oil and mix in with your fingers until the dough looks crumbly. Begin by adding 3 tablespoons of cold water, then add more water a little a time to make a stiff dough. Try to knead the dough as little as possible (think flaky pie crust). Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• For the spice blend: To roast the spices, heat a small cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the whole spices: coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, clove, cardamom and cinnamon and roast, shaking the skillet often, until the mixture darkens slightly and becomes toasty and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a small bowl to cool. Add the amchur powder, red chile powder and turmeric. Once cool, transfer to a grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a medium-fine grind.
• For the filling: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let sizzle until they darken slightly, about 30 seconds Add the peanuts if using and cook until crunchy, about 2 minutes. Add the chiles and ginger and cook, stirring often, until the raw aroma of the ginger goes away, about 1 minute.
• Add the potatoes, peas, roasted spice blend and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook until the peas soften and the mixture is well mixed and seasoned, about 3 minutes. Add the cilantro if using. Add salt to taste, amchur for additional tang and red chile powder for spice.
• To assemble and fry the samosas: Pour enough oil into a large Dutch oven or wide heavy-bottomed pot to come up the sides about 3 inches. Place over medium heat and heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil registers 340 degrees F.
• While the oil is heating, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball (a kitchen scale is helpful here but not necessary). For smaller samosas, you can divide the dough into 8 balls. Cover all but 1 ball with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Flatten the uncovered ball into an oval patty. Lightly brush with oil and roll the patty into a thin oval (8 to 9 inches long and 5 to 6 inches wide). Cut in half widthwise into 2 semicircles.
• Set a small bowl of water beside you. Working with one semicircle at a time, fold over one end of the straight edge halfway toward the rounded edge. Using a fingertip, lightly wet the outside edge with a little water as well as the inner edge of the other half of the straight side. Then fold the other half up and overlapping the wet sides, about 1/4 inch, to form a cone. Press the edges together to form a seal. Hold the cone in one hand, pinch the seam again to make sure it's sealed and fill it with 2 tablespoons of the potato filling. Make a little pleat opposite of the sealed edge by pinching it over about 1/4 inch. This is the backbone of the samosa and will help it stand. Wet the inside of the rounded edge and fold it over the filling to enclose it. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat with a second dough ball and some of the filling to make 4 samosas.
• Double-check that the oil temperature is 340 degrees F (it's important for the oil to be medium hot; if it's too hot, the outside of the samosas will brown too quickly, while the inside dough will not be cooked enough and the samosas won't crisp up). Gently slip in the 4 samosas and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. If the samosas haven't browned by then, increase the temperature to 360 degrees F and cook, turning over as needed, until golden brown. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
• While the samosas are frying, shape and fill 4 more samosas, then repeat until all the samosas are shaped, filled and fried. Serve immediately with Tamarind-Date Chutney.
• Stir together the seedless tamarind, date paste, jaggery, cumin powder, red chile powder, ginger powder, fennel powder, black salt, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium low so the sauce is simmering. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes; when you dip a spoon into the sauce and run your finger across the back of it, it should hold a line. Taste and add more salt or jaggery if needed. Remove from the heat and strain. Allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight glass jar and refrigerate.

CURRIED LAMB SAMOSAS WITH APRICOT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Make dough
• In large bowl, whisk together flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add olive oil and, using fingertips, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1/4 cup water and stir with fork just until mixture comes together.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl, cover with towel, and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes.
• Make filling
• In medium saucepan over moderately high heat, heat oil. Add onion, garlic, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Add lamb and sauté until browned, about 8 minutes.
• Stir in curry powder and cumin and sauté 2 minutes. Stir in wine and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken stock, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until lamb is tender, about 30 minutes. (Lamb can be cooked ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 24 hours.)
• While lamb is cooking, in medium saucepan over moderately high heat, combine potatoes and water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain in colander, then transfer to large bowl and, using fork, gently mash. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• In small saucepan over moderately high heat, boil peas in salted water until tender, about 1 minute for frozen and 5 minutes for fresh. Drain, rinse under cold running water, and drain again. Transfer to bowl with potatoes.
• When lamb is tender, transfer to food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not puréed. Transfer to bowl with potatoes and peas. Add cilantro and fold mixture to combine. (Filling can be made ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 8 hours.)
• Form and fry samosas
• Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each piece into ball.
• On floured surface, using rolling pin, roll out 1 ball to 6-inch-diameter circle. Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling into center. Moisten finger with cold water and run around inside edge of dough circle.
• Imagining circle as face of clock, grasp edge at 2 o'clock and pull up over center of filling. Work around edge, pulling up at 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 o'clock positions and crimping edges where they come together to seal, to form bundle resembling a truncated pyramid. Transfer to large baking sheet.
• Repeat to form remaining samosas. (Samosas can be formed ahead and refrigerated on baking sheet, loosely covered with plastic wrap, up to 2 hours.)
• In heavy 6-quart pot over moderately high heat, heat 4 inches of oil until thermometer registers 350°F. Working in batches of 3 and returning oil to 350°F between batches, fry samosas until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined platter to drain.
• Serve immediately with apricot chutney.

APRICOT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• In small saucepan over low heat, stir together 3/4 cup water, distilled and red wine vinegars, sugar, honey, onion, ginger, cloves, salt, and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until onions are very soft, about 5 minutes. Add apricots and simmer, uncovered, until apricots are very soft and liquid is syrupy, about 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving. (Chutney can be made ahead and refrigerated, covered, up to 2 days.)

CURRIED LAMB WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• in a non stick skillet heat oil and brown lamb in batches, place in crockpot add onions, garlic, jalapeno, ginger and the rest of the spices, stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
• add beef stock, mix well, pour over lamb in crockpot.
• cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
• add apricots, cover and cook for 30 minutes more.
• discard cinnamon stick, serve over rice with mango chutney.

CURRIED APRICOT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Heat oil and curry powder in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until curry powder is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.
• Add apricots and raisins along with 1 cup water, lime juice, and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
• MAKES 2 CUPS.