Cauliflower samosas : A Bengali winter snack

Samosas are relished in every corner of India. Ofcourse, every city/region has their own versions. The one we commonly get here in the US are the Punjabi samosas. Although they’re very satisfying, especially with the tamarind chutney, nothing satiates my Bengali heart like shingara. Shingaras (Bengali for samosa) are smaller, spicy and sold in every sweet sweet round of the corner of every neighborhood. Growing up, an evening walk would always entail a trip to the sweet shop to get shingaras and other treats. During the winter months however, when the vegetables are fresh, my grandmother would make cauliflower samosas (Pulkophi’r shingara). They are the right amount of sweet and spicy at the same time and pair perfectly with a hot cup of tea.

Yield	4 servings
Prep time	0h	15 mins
Cook time	1 h	0 mins
Total time	1 h	15 mins

Ingredients

To make these cauliflower samosas, you will need the following ingredients.

For the fillings :

1 cauliflower
3-4 medium sized potatoes
2 green chilis
1 tsp ginger finely chopped
a handful of roasted peanuts
4 tbsp mustard oil
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Spices required :

Bengali 5 spice or patch phoron (contains fennel, fenugreek, mustard, nigella and cumin seeds)
1 dried red chili
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp kauri methi

For the covering

Spring roll sheets
1 tbsp flour and 2 tsp water mixture to seal
1 tbsp vegetable oil to brush on the samosas

Traditionally, the cover is made out of flour tortillas but using spring roll sheets was a little twist I put it which tastes better baked rather than deep fried.

Directions

To make the filling for the samosas :

Chop the cauliflower into small florets and potato into small cubes. The filling tastes best if the potatoes are cooked directly rather than boiling first. But if you’re in a hurry, you can microwave the potatoes for 3-4 minutes to make them softer.
Add the mustard oil to a pan and let it heat up. Next fry the cauliflower florets until golden brown and remove them and keep aside.
Toss the peanuts in hot oil for 4-5 minutes to gently roast them and keep aside.
Temper the oil (add more if required) with the 5 spice mix and one dried red chili. Fry the potatoes and then add the ginger and chili. You can make a ginger and chili paste in the blender if convenient or add finely chopped ones.
Add in all the spices and coat the potatoes well. This is followed by adding the cauliflower. Salt and sugar can be adjusted as per taste at this point. Mix everything well, add a splash of water, cover and cook until the vegetables are soft and edible.
Let the mixture cool down for some time before making the samosas with it.

To shape the samosas :

Add a spoonful of filling in the spring roll sheet and fold to make a triangle. Traditionally, samosas are shaped in a triangle.
Spread the flour and water mixture on the edges to seal them for good and prevent the filling from oozing out when baked.