Beetroot samosas

Serves MAKES 12-15 Starters and mains

Julyindia3

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Ingredients

  • For the samosas
  • 250g cooked beetroot
  • ½tsp ground cardamom
  • 25g raisins
  • 30g coconut, finely grated
  • 3-4tbsp caster sugar
  • 30g ricotta cheese, crumbled
  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 250g filo pastry
  • 2tbsp black poppy seeds
  • 2tbsp white sesame seeds
  • icing sugar, to dust

For the lime dip

  • 120g jaggery, or 110g soft dark brown sugar
  • finely grated zest and juice of ½ lime

Method

Finally grate the beetroot and strain off any of the juices. Heat a frying pan and put in the grated beetroot with half the cardamom. Cook just until no moisture remains in the beetroot. Add the raisins, coconut and sugar and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in a bowl. Now crumble in the ricotta and add the remaining cardamom. Mix well and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas 6. Melt the butter. Lay a sheet of filo pastry on a work surface and brush with melted butter. Place a second sheet on top to fit exactly over the first, then cut the filo pastry into strips about 5cm wide. Spoon 1 heaped tsp of filling into one corner of the strip. Fold the right corner of the strip over to the left side to create a triangle. Continue to fold the triangle along the strip until you reach the end, and cut off any surplus pastry. Repeat until you have used up all the pastry and filling.

Brush the samosas liberally with butter and sprinkle with poppy and sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the pastry is cooked and golden.

To make the lime dip: put the jaggery (or sugar) into a saucepan and add 200ml of water. Cook over a low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat and cook until syrupy. Add the lime zest and juice and leave to cool. Drizzle the lime dip over the samosas and dust with icing sugar to serve.

Recipes and photographs taken from Reza’s Indian Spice by Reza Mahammad, photography by Martin Poole (Quadrille, £17.99).
Julyindia3
Recipes and photographs taken from Reza’s Indian Spice by Reza Mahammad, photography by Martin Poole (Quadrille, £17.99).

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