Veg Puff/Baked Samosa Recipe

It tastes so crispy and delicious, it looks mouth watering, it is very tempting and I bet, once you eat it you are surely going to eat it again & again. You can have it as it is or with tomato ketchup and it tastes better, if served with combination of tomato Ketchup, finely chopped onions and Indore's spicy Sev.

Puff Samosa Indian Style

Puff Samosa American Style

Makes: 8 Puffs

Ingredients:
For Pastry Sheets:

• 5 Tbsp + 1 Cup Maida/All purpose flour
• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 3 Tbsp + 1/2 LB chilled butter 
• 1/2 Cup of cold water

For filling of puff:

• 3 boiled potatoes cut into pieces
• 1/2 onion chopped into small cubes
• 1/2 Tsp of cumin seeds/Jeera
• 1/2 Tsp of Aamchur/Dry Mango Powder
• 1/4th Tsp of turmeric/haldi powder
• 1/4th Tsp of coriander powder
• 1/2 Tsp of Green Chillies finely chopped
• 1/4 Tsp of red chilly powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tbsp of Coriander/Hari dhaniya leaves (Optional)
• 1 & 1/2 Tbsp of oil

Procedure for making Pastry sheets:

1. Mix 1 Cup of all purpose flour, salt and 3 Tbsp of chilled butter very well. Then, add water slowly and make a soft dough. Wrap the dough in a polythin and refrigerate it for 2 hrs. 
2. With the help of a rolling pin/belan, beat the chilled 1/2 lb of butter and form a 1/4 inch thick square of it. Wrap it in another polythin and refrigerate it for 2 Hrs.
3. After 2 Hrs, take dough out from refrigerator, spread dry maida on both sides of dough and roll it with the help of rolling pin of about 5" * 6" rectangle shape. Keep on spreading dry flour as and when required while rolling.
4. Take butter out from refrigerator, put the butter in center of dough and pack the butter from  all sides. Look at the image for help.                                                       
5. Roll it again in one inch thick rectangle shape. Remove extra dry flour from it with the help of a brush. Three fold it. Look at the image for help. Refrigerate it for 30 Minutes. Repeat this procedure of rolling, folding, removing extra dry flour and refrigerating it for 30 mins, for 5 times.  
6. After you are done with 6 times procedure, pastry sheet is ready. Cut them into equal eight parts and refrigerate it. Whenever you want to use it, take them out of refrigerator and use them.

Procedure for making filling of puff:

Filling

1. Heat the oil, add cumin seeds. Saute it for a second. Add, green chillies and onions. Saute for a minute or two.
2. Add, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander powder, mango powder and salt. Saute it for 2 seconds and add potatoes. Mix them well and add coriander leaves.
3. Let it cool at room temperature.

Procedure for making Veg Puffs:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 200 C or 400 F. Oven should be very hot.
2. Take out the 8 pastry sheets from refrigerator. Pour the potato stuffing in center and fold and pack it, so that stuffing will not come out. You can give it a shape of a triangle or a square or a rectangle or a circle. Its your choice.
3. Bake it for about 30-40 minutes. Keep a watch on it while backing. Once, it changes color to golden or light brown it is done.
4. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Tips:

1. I know making pastry sheets is time consuming. But, believe me its really easy to make. If you don't want to make pastry sheets, you can buy ready pastry sheets from market.
2. You can put any stuffing inside pastry sheets. Potato stuffing is the standard one. But, you can use, paneer/Indian Cheese or some combination of fruits like pineapple/apple/pears etc or you can use sprouts. Believe me every combination inside the puff pastry tastes really good.
3. Just remember one thing, you have to maintain the cold temperature of butter and dough. 

** Any comments/queries/suggestions are really appreciated.