Pomegranate

December 30 2022

Potato filled samosas (Aloo Samosa)

andrestover National dishes, Side dishes, Vegetarian dishes India, onion, peas, peppermint, potato, yogurt, Pomegranate 0

Samosas are a foods family of South Asian origin, made from thin dough filled with various fillings and deep-fried in oil or, less commonly, clarified butter. In India, it is documented that samosas were made already in the 13th or 14th century.
To make samosas, the dough is rolled thin, folded into a pocket, often triangular, and filled with various fillings. Vegetarian samosas are common in India and I also made my version using potatoes, green peas, onions, garlic, and ginger. I gave the food a pleasant, light spiciness using green chili. The only non-vegetarian element in my samosas is the yogurt sauce, which is flavored with a little sugar, fresh mint, and pomegranate seeds.

Simple and delicious food to prepare on a festive day.

Preparation time: 1 hour including preparations and frying the samosas
Level: Medium
Quantity: for four

Ingredients:
Dough:
250 g wheat flour
3 tablespoons of food
0.5 teaspoon of sea salt
If desired, 1 tbsp cumin seeds
~100 ml of water

Filling:
3-4 medium potatoes, boiled
100 g of frozen green peas
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 medium cloves of garlic, finely chopped
0.5 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
0.5 teaspoon of asafoetida powder
1 tsp garam masala mix
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
0.5 teaspoon ground cumin powder
0.5 tsp ground coriander seeds
0.5 tsp chili flakes
1 green chili finely chopped
Sea salt for seasoning
A few tablespoons of cooking oil for frying

Cooking oil for frying

Yogurt Sauce:
200 g of Greek yogurt
A handful of finely chopped mint leaves
1 teaspoon of sugar
A handful of pomegranate seeds

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until soft.
Finely chop the onion, garlic, ginger, and green chili.
Heat the fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds in a dry pan for a few minutes, add acacia leaves and garam masala.
Add a few tablespoons of oil and onion, garlic, green chili, and green peas. Fry for about 5 minutes
Add the potatoes and mash them lightly with a fork. The mixture does not have to be completely uniform.
Season the mixture with sea salt if necessary
Prepare the samosa dough. Mix the flour, oil, cumin, and water and knead into an elastic dough.
Heat cooking oil in a pot.
Shape the dough into a ball with a diameter of about 3 cm and roll it into a thin oval about the size of the palm of your hand.
Cut the dough oval in half. Starting from the cut side, fold the dough in the shape of a triangle on both sides to form a triangular pocket. For the sides of the pocket to stick together more easily, lightly moisten the edge of one side with water and stick the edge of the other side on top.
Take the pocket in your hand, open it at the cut-end and fill it with potato filling while holding it in your hand. Glue the upper edge of the dough together so that a closed pocket is formed. Carefully slide it into the boiling oil and fry until golden brown.
To make the yogurt sauce, pour the yogurt into a bowl, finely chop the mint leaves and add to the yogurt. Add pomegranate seeds and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix and serve alongside the samosas.
Serve the samosas warm.
Ready!!

May 3 2021

Pomegranate soup

andrestover National dishes, Soups Iran, minced meat, Persia, yogurt, Pomegranate 0

Classical dish of Persian cuisine. The center of Persian food culture is Iran, but over the centuries it has come into contact with, influenced, and influencing the food traditions of many surrounding regions. Pomegranate soup can be found in restaurants in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and other nearby countries. This soup is almost that mandatory in most of the Persian region’s cookbooks. I have tried to put together my combination of these recipes I found from different sources.
Soup with exotic flavor combinations, the main shades of which are cumin and pomegranate juice. I made it from minced lamb, although minced beef is also good for this soup.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Level: easy
Serves: two to four

Ingredients:

Meatballs
Minced meat of sheep or beef
1 medium onion chopped
3 medium garlic cloves chopped
A small handful of chopped fresh parsley, mint, and coriander
Salt and black pepper for seasoning
Cooking oil for frying

Soup
500-600 ml of chicken or beef broth. You can also make the soup without the broth then the soup will just be lighter
1 medium onion, chopped
5 medium garlic cloves chopped
A cup of yellow or red lentils. Some recipes use halved peas. Peas must be soaked overnight to soften, lentils don’t need soaking
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons cumin powder
Salt and black pepper for seasoning
200 ml of pomegranate molasses
Fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish
For serving Greek type yogurt
Chopped fresh coriander for serving
Olive oil for browning onions and garlic

Preparation:
1. To make meatballs, chop the onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, and mint. Mix with minced meat and season with salt and pepper.
2. Form balls 2.5 to 3 cm in diameter, heat the oil in a pan, and lightly fry the meatballs until they are at least partially browned. Put aside.
3. Chop the onion and garlic, brown in a thick-bottomed soup pot for a few minutes
4. Add the broth or water and lentils, simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are almost soft
5. Add the meatballs together with the frying oil of the meatballs, bring the soup to a boil and simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
6. Add pomegranate molasses, stir and cook for a few more minutes. If the soup seems too sour, add a little sugar, but you don’t have to. This soup must be sour.
7. Put the soup in bowls and add chopped fresh coriander, a spoonful of yogurt and sprinkle with fresh pomegranate seeds to serve
Ready !!