Vegan Bajiya

Bajiya is the Maldivian version of the samosa. It is a delicious blend of tuna with plenty of caramelised onions, spiced with curry powder and sweet spices such as cinnamon and cardamom, and a little sugar to sweeten it up. After trying to figure out what to use instead of tuna I used whole masoor dal or brown lentils.

 I boiled the lentils first and then used them instead of tuna. Because smoked tuna gives an umami taste, I added a tiny amount of tomato paste for that umami taste. 

Typically the pastry is the same as for roshi dough, sometimes if I am pressed for time I use leftover cooked roshi or ready-to-eat tortilla as the pastry. 

Shaping the bajiya is a bit fiddly but once you get the hang of it, it is quite easy. If making the dough from scratch it's best to "cook " the rolled dough just a little on a hot frying pan or tawa. You cook for about a few seconds on each side, remove to a plate or work surface, and cut the dough into quarters.

 Take a quarter piece, and bring the corners of the rounded end together making a cone.

Seal with some flour paste ( a paste made with flour and water). 

Spoon some filling into the cone, and seal with the open flap end using more flour paste. Then deep fry until golden and crispy. The trick to get a crispy bajiya is to fry it on low heat. Lower the heat of the oil once its hot and then pop the bajiya and fry over low heat.

Recipe : Vegan Bajiya 

Ingredients:

Filling

• 1/4 cup whole masoor dal
• 1 large onion or 2 medium ones, finely sliced
• 1/2 inch ginger, grated
• 8 curry leaves, finely sliced
• 4 inch pandan leaf cut into large pieces.
• 1 1/2 tsp Maldivian roasted curry powder
• 1/4 tsp tomato paste
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 piece of scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped ( if not available substitute with 1/4 tsp dried chilli powder)
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• 3 tbsp oil and oil for deep frying

Pastry

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp oil
• hot water, enough to make a dough about 3/4 to 1 cup.

Directions

Filling

1. Rinse the dal and place it in a saucepan with enough water to cook. Add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, and cook until tender. Then, drain and set aside.

2. Take a large frying pan or saucepan, heat oil, and cook the onions over medium heat until they soften and caramelize. To speed up the process, add a pinch of salt, cover, and cook for about 5-8 minutes.

3. Once the onions have caramelized, reduce the heat to low, and add scotch bonnet pepper (if using), curry leaves, pandan leaf, and ginger. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

4. Stir in the lentils, ground spices, tomato paste, and a splash of water to prevent the spices from sticking. Add about 1/4 cup of water and let it cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid evaporates. Stir in sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Then, switch off the heat and let it cool completely before using.

Dough

1. Sift flour into a large mixing bowl, mix in salt and make a well in the centre, add oil and start adding hot water, mixing in with a spoon until it starts to come together. Add water a little at a time, mixing and then adding a little more if it doesn't come together.  Knead to a smooth dough and let it rest for 30 minutes under a clean damp kitchen towel.

Shaping the dough and finish making the bajiya:

1.  Divide the dough into 5-6 balls and roll each ball into a circle. Heat a crepe pan or frying pan, then place the rolled dough on the pan and cook for a few seconds. Do not cook as you would for making roshi or chapati. Remove the partially cooked dough and repeat with the remaining dough. \
2. Make a flour paste using 2 tablespoons of flour and 2-3 tablespoons of water to create a paste. This paste will be used as glue when shaping the pastries.
3. Cut each half-cooked dough into quarters. Refer to the provided pictures to learn how to shape the quarters into cones. Use the flour paste to secure the sides.
4. Fill the cones with the prepared filling, then fold and seal the flaps with the flour paste. Repeat this process with the remaining dough. 
5. Heat oil for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, lower the flame to low and fry the pastries in batches until they turn dark golden brown. Drain the fried pastries on a colander.

*To Airfry these you can drizzle a few tablespoons of oil and pop in the air fryer. 

* if you are pressed for time, instead of making your own dough you can use store bought ready to eat tortilla wraps.