Turkey Samosa Recipe

Every Indian mom has a signature dish. This recipe for turkey samosas is my mother-in-law's specialty. After 6 years, I finally had the chance to watch her prepare a batch of turkey samosas from start to finish. I tried to take as many photos along the way to help you as you make this great Indian treat.

The samosas that I have tried at most Indian restaurants are large, over stuffed with potato and for the most part, have a bland flavor. They are wrapped in a thick dough and deep fried. The turkey samosas that you will get using this recipe will taste completely different than most that you will find in a restaurant. They are bite-size, with a thin crispy wrapper and packed with spicy turkey and vegetables.

When you make turkey samosas, you will need to make 5 components and then combine them to form the filling. Then you will assemble the samosas using the filling, pot-sticker wrappers, and water to seal the samosas. My mother in law usually has a batch of filling on hand at all times. When people stop by the house, she can roll up a small batch of samosas, put them in the deep fryer, and serve them in a matter of minutes. So this recipe is another great choice if you are planning on having a party and you need to have some of the food prepared ahead of time.

Ingredients - ground turkey:

1 pound turkey, ground
1/2 tspn turmeric
1/2 tspn garlic powder
1/4 tspn dry ginger
1/4 tspn crushed red pepper
1/4 tspn cayenne pepper
1/2 tspn Kosher salt
1/4 tspn black pepper

Ingredients - mixed vegetables:

1 cup peas and carrots
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/4 tspn garlic powder
1/8 tspn dry ginger
1/8 tspn crushed red pepper
1/8 tspn cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn Kosher salt
1/8 tspn black pepper

Ingredients - potato mixture:

1/2 of a russet potato
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/4 tspn garlic powder
1/8 tspn crushed red pepper
1/8 tspn cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn Kosher salt
1/8 tspn black pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp water

Ingredients - cabbage mixture:

1/4 head of cabbage
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/4 tspn garlic powder
1/8 tspn crushed red pepper
1/8 tspn cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn Kosher salt
1/8 tspn black pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste

Ingredients - onion mixture:
1/2 tspn fennel, ground
1/2 tspn cumin seeds, ground
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 tspn turmeric
1/4 tspn garlic powder
1/4 tspn crushed red pepper
1/4 tspn cayenne pepper
1/4 tspn Kosher salt
1/8 tspn black pepper

Other Ingredients:
cilantro, chopped
pot-sticker wrappers

canola oil for frying

Preparation:

1. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground turkey with spices and drain off excess fat (if needed).
2. In another skillet over medium heat, cook vegetables with spices for about 5 minutes then remove from heat and set aside.
3. Peel a russet potato. Cut it in half and dice one of the halves into small pieces.
4. Add 1 tbsp of oil, diced potato, tomato paste, water, and spices to a skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes then set aside.
5. Shred 1/4 head of cabbage and dice 1/2 of a yellow onion.
6. Add the oil, onions, cabbage, tomato paste, and spices to a skillet and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. In a large mixing bowl, combine the potato and cabbage mixtures. Mix in the vegetables and set aside.
8. In a skillet over medium heat, add the ground fennel and cumin seeds. Heat the seeds for a couple of minutes.
9. Add 2 tbsp oil to the skillet along with 1 large diced yellow onion, 1 tbsp tomato paste, and spices. Cook for about 5 minutes then remove from heat.
10. In a large bowl, combine the turkey mixture with the onion mixture.
11. Combine the turkey and onion mixture with the cabbage mixture.
12. Add chopped cilantro to the mixture to taste.
13. Place a small amount of the mixture on a round pot-sticker wrapper. Wrap the wrapper around the mixture and seal with a small amount of water or egg yolk.
    
    
14. Press the edges with a fork to form a good seal.
    
15. Fry the samosas in canola oil until golden brown. Remove and serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces.

India