Samosa Tart (open faced)

Name: Samosa Tart (open faced)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 puff pastry dough; 5 large potatoes boiled and peeled; 1 tbsp ghee; 1 tsp cumin powder; 1 inch ginger minced; 2 green chilis chopped; 3/4 tsp garam masala powder; 3/4 tsp chili powder; 1/2 tsp cumin powder; 1 tsp turmeric powder; 1/2 tsp fennel powder; 1 tsp chaat masala optiona; 1/2 cup green peans frozen; 5 tbsp coriander leaves; 1/2 lime juice; Salt to taste; Green chutney (tamarind chutney, yogurt, ketchup)

This easy appetizer is the perfect vegetarian recipe to serve at at occasion. It is literally the filling of a traditional Indian samosa but filled into a baked puff pastry tart shell. Served with chutney and fresh coriander it is so yummy and delicious!

While I gravitate towards sweet treats alot, I do love baking (cooking) savory recipes. Yes, I love the challenging recipes for sure but I love a simple, weeknight recipe situation that can be thrown together in no time. Not to mention festive recipes that are perfect for parties and can double up as an appetizer or main course deepening on how you serve it. In saying this I love samosa’s. All kinds of samosas but these potato filled traditional indian samosas are the best. You can check out my original recipe here.

This appetizer is a rip of that, we make the potato filling but instead of stuffing it into the samosa dough we fill it into a baked puff pastry pastry shell which is such a delicious idea as we still get the crunch and the over taste but less hassle. Yes, this is not a traditional recipe in the sense that it doesn’t give you individual samosas but it does give you one large samosa tart that can be cut and served to people to feed a crowd. So let us get to it.

What are samosas?

Samosas are a savory snack made with pastry and stuffed with a variety of fillings. You can serve them as vegetarian samosas filled with potato or non vegetarian samosas filled with minced meat. Sometimes samosas are also served as desserts stuffed with dried fruit and coconut. They are most often than no deep fried until golden brown but many recipes call for them to be air fried or baked as well. They have been referred to in many names such as samboosa, sanbusak, sanbosag, etc.

Is samosa Arab or Indian?

To be honest samosas are not considered to be Indian in origin. However the way they are prepared in India are similar to that of Pakistan and Bangladesh. They are prepared with a homemade pastry dough that consists of ghee, flour, spices and water. In middle east aka levantine regions you can find them commonly served as starters but they are made with filo/phyllo pastry and a variety of fillings. So even though they are not originally from India the preparation and ingredients are different. There are debates though, whether they are still form come parts of India originally however there is no official confirmation on the same. It is considered to have been found in south Asia which was then brought to central Asia and middle east.

What does samosa taste like?

They are savory puffs that are crunchy on the outside and stuffed with a variety of fillings. This specific recipe is stuffed with potato and peas which is spicy, salty, sweet and little sour with lime juice. Depending on the filling the flavor of the samosa will also vary.

What ingredients do you need to make this samosa tart?

To make this homemade samosa tart we need a puff pastry and potato filling. The pastry is is a store bought one but you can use a homemade rough puff recipe too. I have used layered filo pastry o make this recipe which also works well. To make the filling we need potatoes, green peas, ghee, ginger, green chili, coriander leaves, lime juice, salt – this filling is spiced with cumin seeds, garam masala, red chili powder, cumin powder, fennel powder. It is served with mint chutney, tamarind chutney, ketchup.

How to make this samosa tart?

Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line a baking tray with baking paper. Roll out the puff pastry dough gently to form a 9×13 inch rectangle. Cut the edges leaving an inch boarder on all four sides. And layer the strips on each edge to create taller sides. Poke the dough with a fork all over the base and bake for 28-20 minutes or until golden and baked through. Once baked remove from the oven and using a spoon press down the center of the puff to create a cavity in the center with the puffed and raised edges. Set aside.

To make the filling we need to boil the potatoes ahead of time, peel and crumble them into a plate, set aside. In a pan add the oil, cumin seeds and let it sizzle. Add the ginger, green chilis and fry until you can smell their aroma in the air – about a minute. Add the green peas and cook for 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Add the red chili powder, garam masala, cumin powder, chaat masala and fennel powder. You want to cook this on low to medium heat for 2 minutes until the spices are well incorporated. Add the crumbled potatoes and salt, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until well combined. Add fresh coriander, lime juice and take off the heat. Set aside to cool down little. Assemble the tart with the potato filling and spread it evenly. Pipe over the chutneys, ketchup and yogurt. Season with a little chaat masala or you can also serve it with sev. Cut into squares and serve it with chai.

Serving and storing this samosa tart?

I like serving this with my masala chai but you can serve it with anything you like. Alternatively you can serve it with a dollop of yogurt to create a samosa chaat effect. If you are not serving this immediately, I would suggest assembling it on the spot before you are going to slice and serve as the filling can make the pastry soft and soggy. I have stored the leftovers in air tight containers in the fridge fro 2 days. When ready to eat, warm them over a pan on low heat for 5-10 minutes.

Looking for more snack / appetizer recipes to make this Diwali?

Now that we have covered how to make this samosa tart recipe, you can have a look at the video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more baking recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.