Samosa Soup is a flexible iteration of one of my favorite snacks (which are somewhat harder to come by here in rural New Brunswick than they were in Vancouver!)
The soup is similar to a samosa’s spicy filling – in this case with potatoes, chickpeas, and grated carrot for color. (I’d usually add peas at the end, but had none on hand.)
I mix together my own spice blend – which is probably a very clumsy effort! – but you can use your favorite commercial curry blend. The recipe suggests a range of 1-1.5 tablespoons / 15-22.5 ml as the intensity of different brands can vary. Add more or less according to your preferences.
This Samosa Soup is quick and easy to prepare, and frugal, too. You can make it ahead of time and reheat, but it’s not ideal for freezing as the potatoes get mushy. If you do want to freeze it, prepare the soup without the potatoes and add them when you are reheating it.
If cilantro doesn’t make you cringe, add a tablespoon before serving. To prevent wasting the unused cilantro, chop it finely and mix it with some olive oil. Spoon the mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze. Pop out the frozen herb cubes and store them in a zip-loc bag or freezer-safe container. When you need cilantro, just pop a cube into your dish.
If you’d like to try your hand at making real samosas, try this recipe from Manjula’s Kitchen.
This soup tastes like the spicy filling in a samosa. It's fast, easy and inexpensive.
- 2 tablespoons 15 ml oil
- 1 onion, finely diced (about 1 cup / 250 ml
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon / 5 ml salt
- 1 small can tomato paste, 5.5 oz / 156 ml
- 1-1.5 tablespoons / 15-22.5 ml curry powder (see note)
- 2 cups / 500 ml cooked chickpeas
- 2 cups / 500 ml diced potatoes
- 1 medium carrot, grated (about 1 cup / 250 ml
- 4 cups / 1 liter vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon / 15 ml chopped cilantro
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Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. When the pan is heated, add oil and swirl to coat pan. Add onions and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Don't let the onions brown. If they start to brown turn down the heat. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
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Add the curry powder stir to coat onions. Cook for a minute, then add the tomato paste. Cook for one minute longer. Add the chickpeas, potatoes, carrots, and vegetable stock. Heat soup to simmering point, then simmer for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked. Add the frozen peas for the last 2 minutes.
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Stir in cilantro and serve.
Instead of the commercial curry powder, you can use:
1 tablespoon / 15 ml cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons / 7.5 ml coriander (optional)
1 teaspoon / 5 ml salt
1 teaspoon / 5 ml cinnamon
1 teaspoon / 5 ml ginger
1 teaspoon / 5 ml paprika
1 teaspoon / 5 ml turmeric
1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml ground pepper
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