Ok.  Confession: I have been craving Indian food almost since the beginning of this pregnancy and totally bent our cooking class to my whims this week!  Even in the throes of my worst morning sickness, Chicken Tikka Masala with a side of fresh spinach was one of the only things I could even consider eating.  Super weird, I realize, but the same thing happened while I was pregnant with my daughter.  Couldn’t really get down a slice of plain toast, but sign me up for a few bites of curry.

Now that the morning sickness (finally!) began to subside a couple of weeks back, the Indian food cravings still linger.

After begging one of our Indian-Canadian friends for her mama’s melt-in-your-mouth samosa recipe but never receiving (these, of course, grandma made by sight, and no recipe currently exists), it finally became clear that we would have to take matters into our own hands and improvise.  We came up with a very good and, despite the frying, pretty healthful samosa recipe that can be dipped in chutneys or yogurt spiked with a little lemon.  It’s a great way to sneak in some kale without it tasting, well, too much like kale.  The recipe is very mild, with the only heat coming from the ginger and a small pinch of cayenne.  If your mini-chef likes spicy food, then be sure and chop up a jalepeno pepper to add to the filling.

Samosas

For the Dough:

• 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1 c. water (or more if the dough is too dry)

1. Measure the flours and the salt into a large bowl, and whisk them together.
2. Pour in the oil all over the flour mixture, and, using a fork, mix it in.
3. Pour the water all over the the flour-oil mixture and continue to use the fork to mix it in.
4. When the dough begins to hold together enough, take it out of the bowl and knead it till it’s nice and smooth (about 5 minutes).  This is a very fun thing for your mini-chef, but you will probably have to help them get the dough kneaded enough to be really smooth.  If it really isn’t coming together at all, add some more water, a tablespoon at a time.
5. Let the dough rest at least an hour at room temperature.
6. Using your hands, make little balls, about the size of golf balls, out of the dough.

For the Filling:

• 1 lb. small potatoes (new potatoes, La Ratte, etc.), scrubbed
• 2 T. canola oil
• 1 c. red or yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 T. fresh ginger, grated
• 2 kale leaves washed, the middle rib cut out, and the remaining leaf finely chopped
• 1/2 c. green peas (frozen fine)
• 1/4 t. tumeric
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. cumin
• 1/4 t. coriander
• 1/4 nutmeg
• pinch of cardamom
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 T. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Have your mini-chef help prepare the potatoes for the filling.  Place the potatoes in an 8×13-inch baking dish.  Pour enough water over them so that the water level is halfway up the potatoes.  Bake till soft all the way through, about an hour, turning the potatoes over halfway through.
3. When the potatoes are done, place them in a large bowl, and have your mini-chef mush them up with a large fork or potato masher.  Leave a few lumps and bumps to give the filling texture.
4. Warm the canola oil in a medium pan, and cook the onions over medium-low heat till soft and translucent.  Add the dry spices and, stirring, saute another minute.  Add the garlic and ginger and saute one more minute.   Last, add the kale and saute another minute till the kale wilts and become slightly soft.  Remove from the heat and pour the kale-onion mixture over the potatoes.
5. Add the cilantro and the peas to the bowl, and mix everything up till completely incorporated.  Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble and Cook:

1. Flatten one of the dough balls into a pancake and squish it till it becomes about a 3-inch circle.
2. Scoop a tablespoon of filling into the middle of the circle and fold that circle in half, into a half-moon shape.
3. Use your fingers to seal the edges completely, making sure that there are no secret passageways for the filling to escape.
4. Repeat till all the dough balls are filled.
5. Set up a wire cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet.  Layer paper towels on top of the cooling rack to soak up any extra oil from the samosas.
6. Big Person: Into a large, deep pan, pour enough canola oil so that the oil level is about 2 inches deep.
7. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Test that it’s hot enough by dripping a drop of water into the oil.  It should sizzle.  The oil, however, should never be brought to the smoking point.
8. Drop a few samosas into the hot oil and fry, turning them every few seconds with a slotted spoon.  When they are nice and brown, pull them out and place them on the paper towels to cool.
9. Serve with chutney and/or a little yogurt with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of freshly ground black pepper.