White Girl Samosas

Sometimes I get random ideas in my head about things to make. They stem from perusal of the approximately 14,598 food blogs I regularly read. I see something, then think about what I have at home and if I can make a version of it.

I recently bought a jar of green curry paste at Uwajimaya and have been thinking of ways to use it aside from the typical coconut milk curry. Here's what I came up with, something I've lovingly dubbed "White Girl Samosas," since, you know, I'm about as Indian as Dick Cheney. I don't like to fry anything, so making a dough to deep-fry was out. Phyllo dough has a similar consistency, and it's lower in calories, so I used that for the pastry. Then it was just a simple matter of filling it with samosa-like fillings. And voila! White Girl Samosas were born. (Check out what a normal samosa is here.)

I opted to go with a typical filling of potatoes and peas, not because it would be more authentic that way, but because that's what we had.
Here we have the filling, looking just lovely and not at all like poop or baby food or some combination thereof. I think I should be a photography instructor my photos are so good!


Here's what I did to make the filling: I started by sauteeing onions, carrots and garlic in a big saucepan. Then I added some frozen corn and about 2/3 of a package of frozen peas, along with 2-3 tablespoonsish of the green curry paste. I cooked 'til warmed through, then added a dollop of Greek yogurt. Adding some potato I'd already cooked in the microwave, I then, with my handy-dandy immersion blender, pulverized the shit out of the vegetables, making them more of a paste-like consistency, like you'd find in samosas. Stirring in some soft tofu was the last step. I had hoped it would remain firmer and resemble Indian paneer, but it broke up and absorbed all the flavors of the curry, which was fine too.

After assembling 4-5 layers of phyllo, each brushed with a little olive oil, I wrapped up the whole thing. Isn't it cute? Doesn't it look like a little bundle with a baby inside*?

I brushed the top with a little more olive oil, then stuck in the oven 'til it looked like this:


Crunchy, flaky outside, creamy and spicy on the inside. This one's a winner! It may not be authentic, but it is original.


*Ok, so I couldn't find the exact image I had in mind, but it totally made me think of that scene where the stork drops Dumbo through the train and Jumbo unwraps the little bundle, and there's Dumbo, looking like the most adorable animated pachyderm you've ever freakin' seen. Ok, now I have to put this movie in my Netflix queue, because it is one of the best Disney movies! So sad, but so satisfying when Dumbo gives a big "Fuck you!" to all the bastards that were mean to him. And I dare you not to feel hearbroken when Jumbo rocks him to sleep from her jail circus car. It tugs at the ol' heartstrings, lemme tell ya!