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Produced by Chantal Braganza and Sun Ngo, Photography by Christie Vuong, Prop Styling by Catherine Doherty, Food Styling by Eshun Mott.
These samosa puffs are one of Jennifer Pallian's favourite finger foods to bring to a party. What’s not to love about savoury spiced-chicken samosa filling tucked into buttery, flaky puff pastry—à la sausage roll? Serve with festive cranberry chutney for dipping, or swap in store-bought mango or tamarind chutney.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
3 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp ground cloves
Pinch of salt
1 1⁄2 tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 tbsp finely grated ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 green chili pepper, finely chopped
227 g ground chicken
1 1⁄2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/3 cup frozen green peas
1 397-g box frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg
Chutney: Heat a medium saucepan over medium. Add oil, then onion. Cook until onion is very soft, 15 min. (Reduce heat if onion starts to crisp up.) Add ginger. Cook, stirring, 1 more min. Stir in cranberries, sugar, maple syrup, vinegar, cloves, salt and 1⁄4 cup water. Simmer until cranberries burst, 10 min. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 10 days.
Heat a heavy frying pan over medium-high. Add oil, then onion and 1⁄2 tsp salt. Cook, stirring and reducing heat as needed to prevent burning, until onions are very soft and golden, 12 min. Add ginger, garlic and chili. Cook, stirring, 1 more min.
Add chicken, curry powder, cumin, cayenne and remaining 1⁄2 tsp salt to pan. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains. Stir in peas. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Working with one piece of puff pastry at a time, roll out pastry into a 9 × 13-in. rectangle, then cut lengthwise into two long strips. Spoon a line of filling down the middle of each strip. Refrigerate until pastry is firm, 10 min. Fold one long edge of pastry over filling and roll, forming a long and skinny log. Carefully transfer logs, seam-side down, to prepared sheet. Refrigerate logs until chilled, 10 min. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.
Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 425F.
Cut each chilled log crosswise into bite-sized pieces. (You’ll have about 7 samosa puffs per log.) Arrange puffs back on baking sheet. Beat egg with 1 tsp water in a small bowl. Brush puffs with beaten egg.
Bake until puffs are puffed up and golden brown, 20 min. Serve with Cranberry Chutney.
If pastry gets too soft to handle, pop it in the freezer until firm. If you can’t easily fold or roll it over the filling, remove some filling.