Iraqi Chickpea Sambousek 

(Savory Turnover, like Samosas)

Throwback to: this recipe from the post of March 3. Actually, while these are from the same batch as that, the photo here is newer. I put most of the unbaked Sambousek in the freezer, and experimented recently to see the difference between baking the frozen ones, and pan-frying them. Baking them was easier but took longer. Frying them, covered, took less time, and I liked the results a little better. Maybe next time, I'll just fry them, and then freeze them. Well, anyway, they were tasty, and they're all gone now!

Allrecipes Website, Sambusaks (Sumboosaks) with Chickpeas, recipe by Nurit Cusack

Iraqi Chickpea Sambusak 

(Baked Filled Pastries)

This was from a recipe on the Allrecipes website. I usually like to make Hamantashen (triangular filled cookie/pastries) at this time of year for the Purim holiday, but this year decided to try something different. This savory recipe is a traditional Iraqi Purim goodie. It's meant to be deep-fried, but here, I've baked it. I made a dozen of these a few days ago, and put them in the freezer. Perhaps I'll try pan-frying some of the others. 

The filling is easy to make, and can be made separately, the day before, and left in the fridge. The dough is also easy, and needs only 10 minutes to rest. The trick when filling the Sambusak is, don't over-fill. You need some plain dough for the edges where the top and bottom of the dough meet, so they'll stick together and stay closed. If there's a bit of filling on that part of the dough, it won't seal well. I liked this simple recipe.

Allrecipes Website, recipe by Nurit Cusack, Sambusaks (Samboosaks) with Chickpeas

Aloo Samosas (Spicy Potato Turnovers)

from Andrea Nguyen's Asian Dumplings. This is the first recipe I've made from this book, although I've had it for a while. When I've read through it before, I've felt intimidated ... I wouldn't be able to make many of the dumplings according to the recipes, because I don't/can't eat some of the filling ingredients, or because I can't eat deep-fried items, etc. So, I decided to start out with something more familiar, like these Samosas.

I used coconut oil in the pastry, but made the filling (which is fabulous on its own) much like the recipe. The directions for making the pastry and filling, and assembling them together, were very clear. The original recipe called for deep-frying (which is always such a yummy way to make them). I sprayed the Samosas with oil, and baked them at 350 F for 35-40 minutes (turning them over once, halfway through). They were dee-licious! And the leftovers reheated well in the toaster oven. 😍 Awesome recipe! 😊

Next time, I may try baking them at 375 F. Or pan-frying them. (I once used spring-roll wrappers for Samosas, and pan-fried them. I know, that's unusual for Samosas, but it turned out well that time.) 

Baked Samosas (Indian Savory Turnovers)

The shell is a (preservative-free) store-bought tortilla, and the filling is Aval/Poha Upma (Indian pounded-rice with veggies). (For more details on the Upma, please see my recent post.) I used a flour-water paste to seal the folded tortillas, and baked the Samosas at 350 F for about 25 minutes. It's fairly easy to make Samosas like this, with ready-made tortillas and whatever dry leftovers you can find in the fridge.

Chickpea Sambousek,

with Spaghetti

Here's another pic of leftover Chickpea Sambousek (like a Middle Eastern samosa). (You can see the last post for more details on that.) This time, I felt like I wanted to pair it with some spaghetti and sauce; I have no idea why. I boiled some spaghetti in a small amount of water. When it was just about done, I added some canned crushed tomatoes, and then green peas for color and more veggies. I cooked it all together until it seemed done enough. ... The hand model is myself, although I tried to stay out of the photo. Anyway, I liked this unusual pairing.

Chickpea Sambousek

Sambousek are Middle Eastern turnovers, like samosas. Here they are featured with crunchy Indian snack mix, whole-milk yogurt, and applesauce, for a light meal the other day. The Sambousek were leftovers that I'd frozen unbaked a while ago. All I had to do, was put them on a baking sheet, brush them with egg wash, and then bake about 30 minutes. (At other times, I've just sprayed oil on them, instead of egg wash.)

Iraqi Chickpea Sambousek, 

Manga Pachadi (Mango Chutney), 

& Bread Gulab Jamun

This is another late-evening snack-meal, consisting of: leftover Iraqi Chickpea Sambousek (like baked samosas), Manga Pachadi (Mango Chutney), and Bread Gulab Jamun (upper right).

The gulab jamun recipe is from Kabita's Kitchen, and features dumplings made of bread and milk. I added too much milk, so then I had to add flour, but it was still a very sticky dough. That's why the dumpling doesn't look like the usual. Also, as I can't eat deep-fried food, I decided to bake them, instead. Several recipes online suggested baking at 325 F, and then putting them under the broiler. I don't like the broiler, so I just increased the temperature to 425 F. After it was baked, I soaked the gulab jamun in sugar-syrup, which contained rosewater as well as some coconut-sugar syrup.

It was close enough to real gulab jamun for me, for now. I'm sure I'll try it again, some time soon. The last time (actually the first time) I made gulab jamun, long ago, it came out exactly as it was supposed to, and I'd like to try to achieve that again.

Kabita's Kitchen Website, Bread Gulab Jamun Recipe

Kabita's Kitchen YouTube, Bread Gulab Jamun Recipe

Potato & Broccoli Samosas in Egg Roll Wrappers

Samosas, with a filling of seasoned mashed potato and broccoli, in a shell of 1/2 an egg roll wrapper, folded. To help seal the edges, I used a flour & water thin paste. I pan-fried, rather than deep-fried, in oil. If you use a vegan egg roll wrapper, this is vegan.

Potato & Broccoli Samosas in Egg Roll Wrappers

Samosas, with a filling of seasoned mashed potato and broccoli, in a shell of 1/2 an egg roll wrapper, folded. To help seal the edges, I used a flour & water thin paste. I pan-fried, rather than deep-fried, in oil. If you use a vegan egg roll wrapper, this is vegan.