One of the husband’s favorite Indian snacks is samosas.
I don’t blame him – they’re the perfect combination of crispy, flaky, spicy and sweet – with the lightly fried pastry crust just topping it off. They’re super addicting and very delicious.
But, they’re not exactly healthy.
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely enjoy samosas once in a while as a fun treat, but there’s no way I could eat them regularly. Which is sad, because the flavors of samosas are so great that you really do want to eat them all the time.
And so, I decided to remake samosas into a healthy meal by using all of the great flavors of samosas, but repackaging the “crust” and “filling” with more good-for-you-but-still-tasty ingredients.
The husband LOVED this dish.
I paired it with this Tamarind Chutney that I picked up at the grocery store:
And it literally tasted JUST like samosas.
This recipe was inspired by one I found on Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, but I’ve modified it pretty significantly to give it a lot more flavor and texture than the original. My modified recipe is below!
The Ingredients
Serves 6
- 4 medium red potatoes
- 14 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into small cubes
- 1 red onion, minced
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1-1.5 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup water
- 1 tsp salt to taste
- 2-3 Tbsp curry powder (the more you use, the spicier it will be!)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Optional if you really like it spicy: 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more to taste)
- Whole grain tortillas (1 per serving), or Naan (I used the frozen Naan from Trader Joe’s for the husband’s wrap)
- Roasted cashews, chopped (1 Tbsp per wrap)
- Tamarind Chutney, thinned slightly with water (a couple tsp per wrap)
The Directions
Step 1: Chop all of your veggies
Step 2: Heat a deep non-stick skillet over medium heat with 2 tsp canola oil, and add the onion. Cook until onion begins to become translucent. Add peas, tomato, ginger, jalapeno pepper. Cook, stirring, until peas thaw.
Step 3: Squeeze tofu lightly to remove as much water as possible. Cut into small cubes. Cut the potatoes into small cubes as well (I like making the tofu cubes and the potato cubes the same size). Add potatoes and tofu to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, salt, curry powder, coriander, cumin, cayenne (optional). Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Note: the smaller the potato cubes are, the faster they will cook!
Step 4: Remove cover and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the potatoes are fork tender. Add lemon juice and stir to combine.
Step 5: Warm tortillas or naan according to package directions. Place 1/6 of the filling in the center of the wrap, top with 1 Tbsp cashews.
That was the husband’s version. My version was in a whole wheat tortilla, and looked like this:
Step 6: Top with a drizzle of the Tamarind Chutney, wrap, and enjoy!
The husband’s version:
My version:
The nutritional stats on this dish are pretty great.
- 1/6 of the filling + 1 whole wheat tortilla (that’s approx 100 calories) + 1 Tbsp cashews = ~300 calories, 5g fiber and ~12g protein
- 1/6 of the filling + 1 Trader Joe’s naan (about 200 calories) + 1 Tbsp cashews = ~400 calories, 5g fiber and 12g protein
Not bad for a samosa makeover that’s a healthy and filling meal!
