Superb Sweet Potato Onion Bhajis, Brilliant Beetroot Samosas and Tasty Tomato Chutney

Living very close to Bradford, arguably the curry capital of the UK, means that Indian food is kind of in my blood and I can honestly say that my family and I will eat a curry, in some form or another, at least once a week. For this reason, I like to think I know the good from the bad, the traditional from the processed, and so I thought I would have a go at making some of my favourite starters.

These dishes are ideal for special occasions as they are great finger food and it's clear to your guests that you have put in quite the effort in making them. Don't get me wrong, they are not exceptionally hard to perfect but the samosas can be a bit fiddly and therefore are best for a weekend when you have a bit more time. 

They say that you can't beat homemade and that is definitely true with regards to these. The sweet potato onion bhajis are super crisp on the outside with a light, flavourful centre; the beetroot samosas are absolutely delicious, and a welcome change to the boring veg mixture found in most takeaways and the tomato chutney is the perfect accompaniment since it has the delightful combination of sweet, tangy and gentle spice. I cannot recommend these recipes enough so next time you have guests or you simply fancy treating yourself, make these! 

Superb Sweet Potato Onion Bhajis

Makes 24 bhajis

250g gram (chickpea) flour (or wholemeal flour)

1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for deep-frying

2 onions, finely sliced

1 sweet potato, grated

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander or parsley

Tip the flour into a large bowl and add enough water to make a smooth batter (about 100ml). Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the onions for 5-10 minutes, or until golden-brown. Stir the cooked onions, sweet potato, chilli and coriander into the batter.

Half-fill a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan or deep fat fryer with vegetable oil and heat until a small cube of bread sizzles and turns golden-brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)

Shape the bhaji mixture into small rounds and deep-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Carefully remove and drain on kitchen paper.

Brilliant Beetroot Samosas

Makes 24 samosas

For the pastry:

300g wholemeal flour, plus a little extra for the

‘glue-like paste’ and a little extra for flouring

2 tsp olive oil pinch of salt

For the filling:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

pinch of panch phoran

4-5 beetroot, chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 squeeze lemon juice

salt

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

For the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic and panch phoran and fry until the garlic is golden-brown. Add the beetroot, chilli and lemon juice, and season with salt. Cook the mixture over a low heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture is soft.

For the pastry, place the 300g of flour, oil, salt and 6-7 tablespoons of water into a bowl. Using your hands, knead into a dough for 5-8 minutes. Divide the dough into golf-ball sized pieces and, on a floured surface, roll them out into thin circles about 7.5cm/5in diameter and 3mm thick, then cut each circle in half.

In a small separate bowl, mix together a little of the extra flour and water in a small bowl to make a glue-like paste. Apply the ‘glue’ to the straight edge of one semi-circle of dough. Fold it to make a cone shape, sealing the pasted straight edge, then lift the cone with the tapered end at the bottom, and fill it with about one tablespoon of the beetroot mixture. Seal the samosa with a little more glue, pressing the edges firmly together. Repeat the process until all of the pastry has been used up.

Place the samosas on a baking tray and put in the centre of the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning them once halfway through cooking until lightly browned.

Tasty Tomato Chutney

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp sesame seeds

small knob root ginger, peeled and grated

3 vine tomatoes, cut into quarters

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

¼ tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp garam masala

pinch chilli powder

1 tsp clear honey

pinch caster sugar

½ lemon, zest only

salt and freshly ground black pepper

small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan, add the black mustard seeds, sesame seeds and ginger and fry for one minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and white wine vinegar and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the honey, sugar, lemon zest, salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for five minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley and serve with the bhajis and samosas.