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Thursday 2 May 2013

Gluten-Free Samosas!!!

There's a wide variety in terms of taste, size and fillings when it comes to Samosas.   Personally, I'm quite happy eating any/all of them.  Unfortunately, while the fillings are often gluten-free, the exterior is made with wheat.  After attending a church activity where two lovely women from Nepal made their versions of Samosas, I was determined to bring together a rendition of their delicious vegetable filling with a gluten-free-friendly crust.  There are obvious differences in their traditional crust versus mine, but there are obvious differences between gluten-free and gluten-filled cooking as well.  You'll find this crust easy to roll, fold, and work with, and it tastes delicious!  Enjoy!

I've also posted a yummy Spicy Beef Samosa recipe, and an absolutely wonderful Homemade GF Naan Bread recipe which you may enjoy, too! Happy cooking!

Gluten Free Samosas
A fresh gluten-free samosa!

Samosas
Makes ~ 12-16 good sized samosas

Roughly chop & boil until just tender, about 10 minutes:
2-3 potatoes (peeled or skin on, if skin is tender)

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in small skillet and cook until tender, 4-5 minutes:
1 small onion, chopped

Drain potatoes and place in a bowl. Roughly chop, using a pastry cutter.
Add and mix:
½ - 1 cup frozen peas (I recommend making it so it looks like you want it)
Cooked onion
1-3 Tbsp Madras Curry Powder (or curry mix of your choice)

Taste and add more curry as desired. It should have a nice little kick to it.  Everyone’s level of spice is different, so make sure it tastes nice to you and is a little on the spicy side.


Set filling aside and mix the dough.

Mix in a large bowl:
1 cup brown rice flour
½ scant cup sorghum flour
½ scant cup tapioca starch
¼ cup potato starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

Add and mix with a spoon until thoroughly combined (use back of spoon to help smooth) If it seems a little too crumbly, add a little extra oil:
1 cup milk (lactose-free works great)
2 tsp extra light olive oil

Roll out plum-sized pieces of dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. You want them to make ovals, ideally with one long side a bit straighter than the other. 

The plastic wrap will peel cleanly off the dough, so just save and reuse for each samosa. I only use 2 pieces of plastic wrap for the entire batch!

Scoop filling into center of dough, pressing together so it stays in a pile.  Using the plastic wrap to help (the dough is a little sticky when so thin), pull up one side of dough at a time, so you have a triangle.  Then, pull up the last side and flatten onto the top, as shown in pictures. 

I like to use about this much filling.

Use the plastic wrap to lift one side up and over the filling. 
Use the plastic wrap to lift the other side, so it folds over and creates a triangle. You can press lightly to make sure it's all sticking together.  
Then, you can use the plastic wrap to help fold over the last bit of dough to have a nice triangle.  The dough is sticky enough on its own that you don't have to bother using any sort of 'glue' to help it hold together. Nice, eh?!

Set prepared samosas on a plate until ready to fry.
They're never perfectly alike, but this method works well for getting fairly evenly shaped samosas.
Heat ½ inch oil (I like canola oil for frying) in a large, low saucepan over med-high heat.  Fry the samosas on each side until golden brown, 4-5 minutes per side.  Remember, the filling is already cooked, so no worries if they brown a little too quickly.

I always throw in a small bit of dough so I can tell when the oil is nice and hot. When it's bubbling and just beginning to brown, I know it's time to throw in the samosas.

Place on a wire rack to drain.  Let cool, just slightly. Enjoy! 
Homemade Gluten Free Samosas
These are terrific fresh, but they store well in the refrigerator and heat up great in the oven.  It's nice in case you wanted to make them in advance and reheat. Yum!

32 comments:

  1. they look delicious, I need to make them

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  2. Is it possible to use something else instead of xanthan gum because I have allergy to xanthan gum?

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    1. Yes, you should be able to use guar gum, which is a binding agent, similar to xanthan gum.

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    2. You can also try psyllium husk. It might be an experiment, but we've substituted it.

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  3. is there an alternative to potato starch i am intollerant to potatos too!

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    1. I find potato starch adds a lightness in my cooking, so when replacing it, you want to think 'light', but also something that can be used as a thickener (like potato starch). In this recipe, I'd recommend substituting a scant 1/4 cup arrowroot starch, or 1/4 cup cornstarch for the 1/4 cup potato starch called for. However, this samosa recipe does use potato in it. You can definitely use your own samosa filling in the recipe. I will be posting a recipe for spicy beef samosas that doesn't use potato in the filling soon. Check back in a week or two!

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  4. Ah super. I am a recently diagnosed wheat and dairy intollerant. I have to say that ever since i have seen your website it has motivated me about food all over again. It was quite depressing not being able to enjoy all of the things you see others eating. So thanks very much and keep up the good work - you have no idea how many people you are helping.

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    1. Aww, thanks! I understand your feelings exactly. So glad you're enjoying the blog. I plan to keep on experimenting and posting!

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  5. This is an excellent recipe. I used Trader Joe's gluten-free flour, which is a mixture of several gluten free flours, as I didn't have sorghum flour on hand. It worked very well with the addition of the xantham gum,salt and baking powder. Thank you for this recipe!

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    1. You're welcome! I'm so glad to hear it worked well for you!

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  6. Thanks heaps for this recipe, I'm watching Recipe to Riches and was feeling a little left out :)

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  7. thank you, thank you, thank you! they are amazing!

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  8. These are fantastic! wow! Thank you for sharing this!

    Although I worry it might be a little dangerous ;) I've been trying to watch my weight and knowing that I can have samosas that actually turn out might be a bad thing

    thanks again!!!

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    1. You're very welcome! So glad you liked them, too.

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  9. its nice but some problems of crackeness while making Samosa and I want to more crispiness..

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  10. They're not as crispy as some kinds I've had (pre-GF days), but I find making sure the oil is hot enough before cooking makes a difference. With regards to the dough cracking, make sure you use scant cups of the flours or the dough will end up a bit too dry. You can add a little extra oil to the dough to help. Happy cooking!

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  11. Was wondering if using powdered psyllium husks work as well as the xanthan gum. My two year old loves samosas but allergic to wheat and diary and the typical base used for xanthan gum is wheat. Is xanthan being used as a binder or thickener?

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    1. It is used to give the stretchy texture, that way the dough won't crack when you shape the samosas. Guar gum would work. Some xanthan gums use corn or dairy as the base, so you could check with the companies that make them. I have not use psyllium husks in this recipe, but it would be worth a try. Ground chia seeds added might help, too, with the binding. Good luck!

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  12. Beautiful recipe.

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  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  14. Hello. This looks like a gr8 recipe and i do love samosa! However i have an intolerance to fried foods. Would this recipe work baked? ??

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    1. Hi Julia,
      Yes, it works fairly well baked. You end up with a slightly different texture/crispness when baked versus fried. To add a bit of extra crispness to it, brush the samosas with an egg wash and they'll brown up nicely. Since the filling is pre-cooked, they just need to be cooked around 375-400F for about 20-25 minutes to crisp and brown. I'd place them on parchment paper or silicon mat on a cookie sheet to cook. Good luck!

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  15. Thanks for the great recipe. Can they be frozen uncooked and fried or baked as and when required?

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    1. It's better to cook first, then freeze and reheat. I've done this many times and it works well.

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    2. Tried the recipe today. Turned out great! Thanks once again.

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  16. o.m.g. these were amazing!!! thank you so much! your recipe & folding instructions helped us make them perfect the first time (i used just 1/2tsp xantham gum btw) looking forward to trying more of your recipes :)

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    1. Thanks so much! I'm so glad that you enjoyed making these.

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