ramyaramesh3007These easier version of samosas filled with a generous amount of creamy butter ‘chicken’ filling are paired with a refreshing mint-yogurt chutney.
The concept of samosas are such an integral part of Indian snack culture and rightfully so because they single handedly helped me survive university. Samosas are often pretty big triangular pastries filled with a savoury filling, often consisting of spiced potatoes, peas, or lentils. They can be deep-fried, baked or air fried.
Though I love all types of samosas, I especially loved samosa chaat which is basically crushed samosas lathered in chickpea curry, tamarind sauce, mint chutney and yogurt. It’s an indulgent snack or can even be considered a meal given it has all the components of a balanced meal – protein, carbs and fibre.
The part that requires more time to make is the samosa crust itself which is why I’m always looking for easier hacks to prepare the crust – you can check out the recipe for my Air Fried Samosas made with spring roll wrappers.
For this recipe, I definitely want to try something different – butter chicken samosas were all the hype within the Indian community in Singapore at one point in time. I thought to myself why not combine a beautiful creamy butter chicken masala with an easy crust hack to make the ultimate butter chicken samosas?
I need to say – these kind of topped my samosa chaat phase back in college. Read on to find out how to make this addictive crispy snack.
Ingredients You Need
- samosa crust – we’ll be using frozen parathas for this recipe. Alternatively, you can use spring roll wrappers too.
- neutral oil for frying
- protein – extra firm tofu or any other plant based ‘chicken’ substitute
- dry spices – garam masala, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, kashmiri chili powder
- coconut cream or vegan soy yogurt
- aromatics for butter ‘chicken’ base – onion, garlic, ginger, green chili, medium tomatoes, tomato paste, soaked cashews
- vegan butter
- 5-minute mint coriander chutney – you can find the recipe here!
Vegan Butter Chicken Samosas
Ingredients
- 10 frozen parathas have more spaces if you have more filling to use up
- neutral oil for frying
Spiced Tofu
- 300 g extra firm tofu cubed
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
- 3 tbsp coconut cream or plant based yogurt
Butter Chicken Masala
- 2 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil
- 1 red onion
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 1 tbsp minced garlic 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1 green chili
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 10 soaked cashews
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp sweetener
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup coconut cream add more if mixture is too thick and grainy
- salt to taste
5-minute Mint Coriander Chutney
- 3/4 cup mint leaves
- 1 cup coriander leaves
- 3 tbsp vegan yogurt
- squeeze lime juice
- 1 green chili
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1 garlic clove
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the diced tofu with all dry spices and yogurt. Spread on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil and bake at 200C for 20-25 minutes, flipping them halfway.
- Soak cashews overnight or in boiling water for 10 minutes.
- To a blender, add tomatoes and blend until it becomes a puree. Add onion, garlic, green chili, tomato paste, soaked cashews and blend again until smooth.
- In a pan, add olive oil. Add in the puree and saute until aromatics are cooked (oil would separate on top).
- Add dry spices and cook down for a few minutes. Add sweetener, black pepper and salt to taste.
- Add in baked tofu and give it a good mix. Add in water and coconut cream slowly, mixing it until you get a thick but creamy paste.
- Finish off with some vegan butter and stir it in.
- Take frozen parathas from the freezer – slice them in half. Roll one half into a cone shape and fill them with 3-4 teaspoons of butter chicken filling. Seal the open edge by pressing it tightly with your fingers.
- Repeat for the rest.
- Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Once hot, carefully add the samosas in batches.
- Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes per batch. Remove and drain on paper towels.
- Garnish with chopped coriander and serve warm with mint yogurt chutney!