Ramadan is the Muslim holy month, and most of the world’s estimated 1.8 billion Muslims will observe it in some form, including fasting.
While those taking part in the fast won’t eat or drink between dawn and sunset, two main meals are served each day known as suhoor, which is served before dawn, and iftar, which is served after sunset.
Meals are eaten with family or with the local community and lend themselves to lots of creativity in the kitchen, as food blogger Anisa Karolia knows well.
Sharing her recipe for veggie samosa squares with Tesco Real Food, she said: “Fasting from dawn to dusk during Ramadan makes the food shared each night extra important”.
The samosas take just one hour to make from start to finish and are suitable for freezing.
Method
Start by parboiling the potato for eight to 10 minutes in a saucepan filled with boiling water until tender. Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of oil in a wok over medium heat on the hob.
Add the chopped onions and fry for three minutes until translucent, then add the frozen vegetables, garlic paste, chilli powder, fresh chillies and turmeric.
Cover and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables have softened. Next, drain the potato then add it to the wok with the peppers. Leave to cook for three minutes before removing the pan from the heat.
Set aside to cool then sprinkle over the cheese, coriander and spring onions.
In a bowl, mix the flour with five tablespoons of water to make a paste. Next, cut each filo pastry sheet lengthways into 5×6.5cm wide strips, then cover them with a damp tea towel to stop them drying out.
Working with two strips at a time, place one strip on a clean work surface with the short edge facing you and brush the bottom of the strip with a little flour paste.
Create an “L” shape by placing the second strip horizontally on top of the flour paste, then press them together. After this, spoon half a tablespoon of the vegetable mixture into the square where the strips are joined.
Fold the bottom strip over the filling, then brush with flour paste, then fold over the second strip, press down to seal, and turn the parcel over. Repeat this process, always adding a little flour paste between folds until all the pastry is gone.
Put 600ml of oil in a large saucepan over medium to high heat to get the oil to 180C. To test this, place a cube of bread into the liquid and it should turn golden in just one minute.
Fry the samosas in batches for three minutes on each side until nicely golden then drain each one on kitchen paper and serve with sauce of your choosing.