Kimchi Samosas with a Korean Pear Chutney

Crispy Samosas Filled with Savory Kimchi and Fluffy Potatoes Served with a Sweet and Savory Korean Pear Chutney

Ingredients

Koren Pear Chutney

1 tablespoon Sesame oil

½ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp ground coriander

2 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger

1 Korean pear, peeled and cubed

1 cup water

2 tablespoon honey

½ tsp Salt

1 tablespoon Korean chili flakes

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon Cornstarch plus 2 tablespoon water

Filling

2 medium russet potatoes

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups kimchi, rough chopped

½ cup chopped green onion

Salt to taste

Dough for Shells

¼ cup canola oil

⅔ cup water

1 tsp salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling

Procedures

Chutney

In a small saucepan heat the sesame oil to medium high heat. When hot, add the ground coriander and cumin seeds to the oil. Roast the spices until fragrant and the spices “start to dance” (about 30 seconds). Next add the minced garlic and ginger and sauté for about 30 more seconds or until fragrant. Add the cubed Korean pear and mix well.

After cooking for about 5 minutes, add a cup of water, the honey, and chili flakes. Bring the chutney to a simmer and reduce the liquid and soften the Korean pear for about 15 to 20 minutes. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, gently mash some of the pears while leaving some of the pears intact to leave texture.

In a small bowl, combine the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix them well together to form a slurry. While mixing the chutney, slowly stream in the cornstarch slurry. Keep the chutney on medium heat and keep mixing to prevent the chutney from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

The chutney should start to thicken. The chutney should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. When it is finished cooking, remove the chutney from the heat and let cool at room temperature.

Filling

Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill the pot with cold water making sure to immerse the potatoes completely. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Boil the potatoes until fully cooked and tender when poked with a fork.

When the potatoes are fully cooked drain them from the boiling water and let them dry and cool slightly before peeling and cubing them. After cubing them, set them to the side and prepare the aromatics.

In a large pot heat the tablespoon of canola oil and sesame seed oil to medium high. When the oil is hot, add the tablespoon of minced ginger and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Cook the ginger and garlic until fragrant or for about 30 seconds.

Add the kimchi to the pot and mix well. Let the kimchi cook for about 3 minutes before adding the cubed potato. Mix the potatoes into the kimchi mixture while slightly mashing the potato. Remove the filling from the heat and fold in the chopped green onion.

Season with salt to taste, then set aside to cool and make the dough for the shells.

Dough for Shells

In a small bowl combine the ¼ cup oil and ⅔ cup water and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the 2 cups of flour and teaspoon of salt and whisk together. Pour ⅓ of the oil and water mixture into the flour and mix. Add another ⅓ of the water mixture to the four and mix until a shaggy bowl forms. If the flour is dry, add small amounts of the remaining water and oil mixture to form a moist but subtle dough. Dumb the dough bowl out on a clean and floured surface and knead for a minute.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Assembling the Samosas

Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place on a clean and floured surface. Knead the dough three or four more times. Divide the dough into eight even pieces. Working with one piece dough at a time while keeping the others covered with the plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Roll the first piece of dough into a ball. On the lightly floured surface, roll the dough ball out into a flat disk about ½ centimeter thickness.

Cut the disk in half. Take one of the halves and place on the floured surface with the flat side toward the top of the board and the round side on the bottom. Take the right corner and pull to the center of the bottom of the round side of the dough. With a wet finger dampen this edge of the dough. Take the left corner and also bring it down to the center of the bottom of the round side of the dough so edges overlap each other. Gently press the edges together.

Lift the samosa dough up and place in your hand so the opening is facing you. Take a spoonful of potato and kimchi filling and stuff it into the opening of the samosa. Be careful not to overfill the samosa, otherwise it won’t close properly and will open during frying. Wet the inside edges of the dough with a wet finger. Bring the top and bottom edges together and press the edges together to completely seal the samosas. Repeat with the other half of the rolled out dough and then with all the pieces of dough until all dough is used and all the samosa are made.

Then, take a large pan and fill it three fourths the way with either canola or vegetable oil. Heat to medium high heat. Test the heat of the oil either with a thermometer to reach the heat of 350 or with a wooden spoon or chopstick to see if it boils when added to the oil.

Place two or three samosas into oil once it is hot. If the samosas don’t bubble when placed in the oil right away, the oil isn’t hot enough. If the oil isn't hot enough, remove the samosa from the oil and raise the heat slightly. Let each side of the samosa cook for about 3 minutes or until golden brown before flipping over. If the samosas are browning too fast, lower the temperature.

When both sides of the samosas are evenly golden brown, remove them from the oil and place it onto a clean plate. Repeat with all the samosas until they are all cooked.

Serve hot with chutney and enjoy. You can also reheat the chutney either in the microwave or on the stove top to enjoy with the samosas.