Coconut Beet Samosas

Submitted by Late Night Gourmet

"Niki Segnit’s Flavor Thesaurus mentioned the coconut-beet combination, so I had to give it a try. They're a delicious twist on the classic preparation. The beet greens were processed with vinegar, lime juice, fenugreek leaves, curry leaves, and chestnuts to make the chimichurri that the samosa on the picture rests upon. This falls just short of a vegan dish because of the butter in the crust. The butter gives the crust it's beautiful, biscuit-like character, but this is still a tasty recipe without it. The focus here was supposed to be coconut - and there's no denying that it's prominent - but really, the coconut is an invited guest in the beet's house. Beets tend to do that, but the coconut does get it's day. Instructions for opening a coconut are included, though an equal amount of unsweetened coconut (about 1 pound) can be substituted if desired."

 

• Ready In: 3hrs
• Ingredients: 20
• Yields: 16 Samosas

ingredients

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb russet potato
• 1 lb beet
• 1 coconut
• 1 serrano pepper
• 1 tablespoon garam masala, divided
• 2 1⁄2 cups self rising flour
• 7 tablespoons light butter, cold and cut into pieces
• 3⁄4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon ground fenugreek
• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 10 curry leaves, diced
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon turmeric

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pierce one of the "eyes" in the coconut.
3. Enlarge the hole, and drain coconut water. Retain coconut water for later use.
4. Using a meat mallet or clean hammer, break open the coconut shell. Separate the flesh of the coconut from the inside of the shell with a butter knife.
5. Use a potato peeler to remove the skin from the coconut flesh.
6. Cut coconut flesh into chunks. Use some of the oil to coat the chunks and dust with some of the garam masala and salt. Place in a baking sheet.
7. Cut beets from the stem. Retain the greens if desired. Scrub the skin of the beets. Cut into wedges and set aside. Use some of the oil to coat the wedges and dust with some of the garam masala and salt. Place in a different baking sheet from the coconut.
8. Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Use some of the oil to coat the chunks and dust with some of the garam masala and salt. Place in a different baking sheet from the coconut and beets.
9. Coat pepper with oil and place in one of the baking sheets. Bake coconut, beets, potatoes, and pepper for 30 minutes, turning pieces over halfway through.
10. Mix together the flour, butter, fenugreek powder, and salt until the dough has a shaggy consistency from the butter chunks.
11. Add a little water, until mixture becomes crumbly. Keep adding water, kneading the mixture till it becomes a soft pliable dough.
12. Knead the dough until dry ingredients are fully blended. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes.
13. Cut roasted coconut chunks into smaller pieces. Place pieces with coconut water from the coconut into a food processor. Pulse until reduced to small pieces.
14. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Add onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds. Stir fry for 1 minute add saute until light brown.
15. Dice serrano pepper. Add curry leaves, lemon juice, turmeric, peppers, and remaining garam masala to the pan. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
16. Add coconut pieces to the pan and stir fry for 2 minutes. Break potatoes into small pieces, but don't mash them, and add to the pan. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid from beets. Break into small pieces, but don't mash them, and add to the pan. Stir fry for 2 more minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
17. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Use a rolling pin, roll a piece of dough into a 5" oval, as flat as you can make it. Cut in half.
18. Run a moist finger along the perimeter of each half. Place a tablespoon of the filling into each half.
19. Fold the dough over to fully cover the filling and press any loose pieces together. Shape each half into a triangle. Repeat for remaining dough and filling.
20. Oil baking sheets, and roll each samosa in the oil to coat all sides.
21. Bake samosas for 30 minutes, ensuring that they aren't touching. If not browned sufficiently, bake for another 10-15 minutes as needed. Remove and place on cooling rack when golden brown.