Sunday, December 20, 2015

Cheese Walnut Pockets with Cranberry Chutney


Necessity is the mother of Invention :D. That became quite true for this recipe when I picked up samosa pastry sheets from market not knowing what I would do with them :P. I never meant to fry samosas at home so was struggling to come up with ideas to use them. Few experiments led to this recipe :). Basically this is pan fried samosas filled with Vegan cheese , crushed walnuts & basil with a yummy tangy Cranberry chutney on side. It makes a nice crunchy evening snack. 




After attending a Dairy Alternatives Demo at Carrots I often make my own Vegan Cheese at home. Refer this video if you want to make cheese yourself. 

http://blog.veganosaurus.com/2015/04/fermented-cheesy-dip-video.html

Fermented cheese though recommended could take a little time to be ready. So if you want something more instant for this recipe you could grind together some overnight soaked cashews(50G), crumbled Silken tofu(150G), Any herbs you love and salt & pepper to make a creamy paste which is your cheese! Ofcourse the fermentation takes the taste to another level ! Do add garlic if you are fermenting the cheese.

With the filling ready we can move on to making the pockets. There are many ways to fold a samosa sheet. I have used the following to make these pockets.

http://www.theismaili.org/nutrition/how-fold-samosas-baked-samosa-recipes

Basically make a triangular cone with the sheet using maida+water paste as a glue. Fill the cavity with your Cheese+walnut filling and close with the rest of sheet left. It is pretty easy when you get a hang of it ! :). Once your pockets are ready give them a generous oil rub before toasting in a pan.




Cheese Pockets

Serves 2

Ingredients-

Samosa sheets
Vegan Cheese
Few sprigs of Basil or any other herbs you like
Crushed walnuts (a handful)
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Steps-

1. Make your Vegan cheese by grinding together "soaked cashews(50G), crumbled Silken tofu(150G), salt and pepper to taste" into a fine paste. Refer link mentioned earlier here for fermented cheese which gives a better punchy flavor.
2. To make the filling, in a bowl mix 100G Vegan cheese with crushed walnuts and chopped basil. Check for salt and creamy consistency. 
3. Prepare your pockets and fill them with the Cheese. Rub these with oil on the exterior.
4. Rub few drops of oil on a nonstick pan surface and heat it slightly on Medium heat.
5. On medium heat toast your pockets in the pan on both sides until they get slightly roasted. Use tongs to get the edges cooked. 


Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients-

50G dried cranberries
Few clove sticks
2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Steps-

1. In a pan cover cranberries in just enough water. Add sugar and few clove sticks. Cover and boil.
2. When the cranberries are re-hydrated the water would have almost dried. Switch off the heat.
3. Add salt to taste and let the mixture cool.
4. Remove the clove sticks and grind into a semi fine paste to make your chutney.




Note: Unlike me if you don't have Samosa sheets you could try this recipe with left over chapatis as well and make cheese rolls with them :)

Enjoy your crunchy Cheese Pockets with cranberry dipping sauce ! :)

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