Chana Masala Waffles, Samosas, and Apple Chutney, Oh my!
Initially I was writing these with minimal intros because I know you came here for the good stuff. The recipes right? And then I thought, wait a tick. You’re not trying to score a book deal I am!! And these posts are writing samples about how adorable and funny and awesome and smart and charming and ummm well you get the picture. So, if you don’t want to read these intros that’s totally cool. You can scroll through to the recipe. It’s the least you can do since I am providing all these recipes for free. Sooo yeah!! There you have it!!!!
::clears throat:: It was a cold and blustery day in India. I had been on the train for hours at this point and I thought. Wow. I’m just kidding I’ve never been to India that’s why I want your money for a book deal! Duh. So I can go somewhere. Anywhere. Dear God get me out of this apartment.
Ok ok let’s get to the good stuff. The food. First let's discuss what I am talking about so you can understand the basics of each dish, in case you’re not super familiar.
Chana: Essentially Chickpeas.
Masala: Means ‘spiced’. Two main types of Masala are:
Godha – This Masala sauce does not use chilli, but is highly pungent due to its heavy use of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. With good quality spices this Masala is hot in its own right! It tends to be a shade of brown.
Tikha – This is generally a hotter masala due to its primary use of chilli as the main ingredient and so it is generally red in colour.
Samosas: An entire family of pastries. In India the deep-fried triangles became spicy and had potato added to the filling. The coriander, pepper, caraway seeds, and other staples we taste today were all introduced throughout the Indian subcontinent over hundreds of years of culinary exploration. So, while it may be the pastry that first indicates a samosa, it’s the filling that truly defines what type of samosa you are eating.
Chutney: a savory condiment made from slow-cooked fruits or vegetables, vinegar, and spices. Originating from India, chutneys have traveled the globe, and every country has their own take on this versatile condiment. Chutneys from South Africa will often include apricots, while British chutneys favor the use of apples. Indian chutneys can be made from a wide variety of ingredients, including coconut, mint, peanut, mango, or tamarind.
Ok last breakdown, what is Chana Masala when it hasn’t been gussied up into a waffle?
Chana masala is traditionally based with green chilies, onion, garlic, fresh cilantro, a blend of spices, chickpeas, and tomatoes and can be prepared a number of different ways.
So what the heck did I make? I used several recipes to cobble my chutney together. I wanted something that was less American and had more of an homage to actual Indian flavors so I used a blend of this recipe.
Chutney Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1-inch cubed ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup white onion, peeled and finely chopped (just grab one small onion)
1 pound apples, cored, peeled, diced
1.5 cups apple cider (here is where I deviated. I did not have apple cider and there was no way in hell I was going to the grocery store for some. I know that traditional chutney uses a lot of vinegar and I searched for other recipes to compare this one against what other people did when they made apple chutney. Cooking is easier when you have good internet skills. I used this recipe to gauge how much liquid I should use. Since cider has quite a different profile than vinegar I knew I didn’t want to do a straight equal sub. So I used to vinegar reference here to use 3/4 cup. I used white wine vinegar because I wanted to save my Apple Cider Vinegar.
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons brown sugar (I used only 2)
1 tablespoon orange zest
Curry seasoning to taste. I use a TON
1/2 cup raisins
Chutney Directions
In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine oil and mustard seeds. Stir and cook until they start to pop. If you are like me, and wondering what I mean by “pop” I mean fucking pop. So don’t put your face to the pot unless you wanna get popped in the eye by a seed cuz ummm that’s not what happened to me…
Add ginger and onion and saute until onions begin to soften (3-4 minutes).
Stir in apples and cook another two minutes, then pour in vinegar, brown sugar, and spices.
Increase heat to a boil.
Stir, then reduce to low and cook for 30 minutes, or until the apples are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add raisins at the end
Allow to cool
When you combine this with my potato pancakes you get a great spin on latkes and applesauce!
My samosas was a blend of two recipes-here’s a link to one-and just based on my general knowledge of how to make cakes, which I learned from making Sweet Potato Souls recipes.
Samosa Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 lb small golden potatoes, chopped
½ red onion, chopped small
½ red bell pepper, chopped small
½ cup green peas ( I didn’t have any peas so I omitted them)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped small
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ – ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
Samosa Directions
Mix the curry powder, cumin, ginger, paprika, cardamom, and cayenne pepper with the vegetable broth in a small bowl. Set aside.
Add the olive oil and mustard seeds to a large shallow saucepan and heat over medium heat until the seeds begin to pop. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is almost translucent. Add the potatoes, carrot, bell pepper, and vegetable broth/spice mixture and sauté until potatoes and carrots are soft. If the liquid absorbs too quickly, or the potatoes begin to stick, lower the heat and add a bit more vegetable broth to deglaze the pan.
Once the vegetables are soft enough to bite into, remove from heat. Use a masher to very lightly mash the potatoes and vegetables (you still want big chunks, but just slightly smashed). Stir in the peas, add salt and pepper to taste, and cover until ready to use.
Ok here is where I deviated. I made regular mash potatoes the night before, then I made the above recipe just minus the potato part to start. Then before the veggies got too tender I added the mash potatoes I had on hand and let everything simmer together. After I mashed everything together I took bread crumbs and added as much as I needed so that I could form patties that would stick together and then fried them in a cast iron skillet with some oil! It was a delicious blend of samosa flavor and potato pancakes!
And last but not least, the Waffles I made almost to the letter of the recipe originally found here.
Waffle Dry Ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coconut sugar (or other vegan sugar)
1 teaspoon chana masala spice blend
1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon black salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
pepper to taste
Waffle Wet Ingredients
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ inch ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
¾ cup milk
2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flax meal mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water)
¼ cup canola oil
Directions
Prepare your flax eggs. Set aside.
In a food processor, pulse the garlic, ginger, tomato paste and the milk about 10 times, until mostly smooth (little pieces of garlic and ginger are okay).
In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients, including the green onion/milk mixture and the flax eggs. Add the the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Cook waffles according to your waffle maker’s instructions.