The warm filling of a samosa, no pastry and no potato

A samosa is really about the filling: warm, gently spiced root vegetables tucked inside pastry. This dish keeps the part you love and lets the rest go. No fried pastry, no potato, no nightshade. Taro stands in for the potato and holds the spices beautifully, while carrots add color and a little natural sweetness.

This is the kind of plate that quietly does you good. Taro is a source of potassium, involved in fluid balance and steady blood pressure. Carrots bring beta-carotene, which the body can convert toward vitamin A, and ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric are the warm aromatics that have anchored healing kitchens for generations. It is humble food that supports the work of repair.

There is a gentleness to root vegetables. They grow slow, in the dark, and ask to be cooked low and patient. Let the onion soften all the way down before you rush the rest. The kitchen will tell you when it is ready.

Ingredients

• 12 oz peeled chopped taro root
• 1 small onion (omit for interstitial cystitis)
• 2 carrots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp chicken broth
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp dried cilantro
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp water

Swaps made: Omitted the 1/4 tsp black pepper, since pepper is excluded on the elimination phase. The warm spice base here is already AIP-friendly, built on ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric rather than the cumin or coriander a traditional samosa would use.

Method

Warm the coconut oil in a skillet and caramelize the onion slowly, about 15 minutes, until soft and golden. Stir in the taro, carrots, garlic, broth, ginger, cinnamon, salt, dried cilantro, turmeric, and water, and cook for 5 more minutes. Transfer everything to a baking dish and bake at 375 F for 15 minutes, until the taro is tender. If you cannot find taro, white-fleshed sweet potato or turnip will both stand in.

*Adapted from a-clean-plate*