Introducing The Waffalosa: A Samosa Waffle!

At my last book club meeting, I was promised a waffle iron. The conversation evolved from discussing the book’s theme of coping with grief, and ended on letting go of the unimportant, such as kitchen gadgets cluttering our cabinets. We even considered swapping unused appliances at our next annual book swap. However, my friend didn’t wait – her waffle maker was at my front door by the next morning!

Getting a new gadget inspired me to experiment with a non-traditional recipe. I made a savory waffle Indian-inspired snack. A good samosa has a crusty outer shell and is packed with a coriander-cumin seasoned mixture of cubed potatoes and peas. A samosa is usually fried in hot oil to create that crispy covering, but that can sometimes result in a greasy snack. Occasionally, the vegetables explode into the hot oil through gaps in the seams of the covering.

By using the cooked waffle as a base, there was no messy kitchen counter splattered with oil or errant vegetables. The waffle also eliminated the stress about folding and overlapping the samosa’s cone shape along the ridges. The waffle sandwiched the potato and pea filling. Every bite of the newly christened “waffalosa” featured the best parts of a samosa: crisp crust and filling that remained intact as we ate it!

For The Outer Covering

Flour – 1½ cup, sieved

Egg – 1, beaten

Milk –1 cup, warmed

Butter – 1 tbsp, at room temperature

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Carom seeds or bishop’s weed (ajwain) – 1 tsp

• Mix together the eggs, milk, and butter.
• Mix the flour and baking powder together.
• Combine both the milk mixture and flour mixture together. Stir with a light touch.
• Add the carom seeds.
• Add just enough water to get the mixture to a pouring consistency.

For The Filling

Potato – 1, peeled, cubed, cooked

Peas – 3-4 tbsp, cooked

Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1, small cubed

Green chili –2, chopped

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt – to taste

• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add the onion to the hot oil. Sauté until lightly browned
• Add the green chilies and stir-fry for a minute.
• Add the cumin seeds and stir until it sizzles.
• Immediately, add the cumin seeds, coriander powder, and turmeric. Stir for about 30 seconds.
• Add the cooked potatoes and peas and mix with the spices.
• Season with salt.

Assembly

Heat the waffle iron according to the instructions.

• When the waffle iron is ready, pour the batter into the waffle pan.
• Cover and cook unlocked for 4 minutes.
• Remove the waffle. Let the waffle cool for a minute.
• Using a rolling pin, flatten the waffle out gently.
• Cut the waffle lengthwise into two halves. Put the filling into one half and fold over. Each waffle makes two mini “samosas.” A toothpick holds the contents together, but it isn’t necessary.

Note: Don’t limit the use of your waffle iron. Use savory batters to make empanada and Cornish Pasty waffles too!

 

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