Looking for good appetizers? Indian finger food ideas for your holiday party
It’s holiday season! I love holiday parties. I think it’s because I love holiday appetizers. Whether you call them small bites, hors d’oeuvres, or appetizers, they can be the tastiest little bundles because they usually pack a lot of flavor and texture into the perfect bite. With a few really solid appetizers, I don’t need dinner, really. I’m always on the hunt for good ‘finger foods’ that don’t require anything more than a cocktail napkin — small bites that someone can literally pick up and walk away to eat without worrying it will fall all over the front of a nice suit or cocktail dress.
Big Apple Curry was asked to provide some vegetarian appetizers for Harlem’s Land Yoga art event on Dec 14 featuring paintings by New York City artist and designer Lacey Korb. Sean and I had great fun meeting new people in the neighborhood and introducing them to our go-to Indian finger food. Here’s what we prepared — all vegetarian, healthy, and easy to make:
- Baked Samosas with Potatoes & Sweet Peas topped with Tamarind Chutney
- Crackers topped with Cream Cheese & South Indian-style Grape Tomato Chutney
- Tostito “Scoops” filled with Masala Chick Peas & Apple
- Sweet & Spicy Glazed Cashews
If you’re looking for holiday appetizer ideas, these are nice additions to any holiday table!
#1. Baked Samosas with Potatoes & Sweet Peas (adapted)
Makes 25 samosas
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-inch piece ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
- 1.5 teaspoons kashmiri red chilli powder (you can substitute with a combination of paprika and cayenne)
- 1.5 teaspoons dry mango powder (amchoor)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1.5 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/2 cup sweet green peas, frozen
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 package spring roll wrappers, medium-size (25 total), defrosted in the fridge the night before (I used TYJ Spring Roll Pastry, which can be found in the frozen section of Indian and Asian grocers)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 egg, lightly beaten for egg wash (to seal the samosa wrappers)
- Tamarind chutney & mint chutney (for serving)
Preparation
- In a wide non-stick skillet over medium-high eat, combine oil and cumin seeds. Once the seeds begin to move a little, add the garlic and ginger and saute. Add mashed potatoes, followed by spices (kashmiri red chilli powder, dry mango powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and salt). Mix well to combine. Add frozen peas and continue to saute. Reduce heat a bit so you can turn your attention to the coriander seeds.
- In a small non-stick frying pan, heat on medium flame and dry-roast whole coriander seeds. When they begin to change color slightly and begin to smell, remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cooled (about 5 minutes), gently crush in a small mortar and pestle to release the flavors. Add the roasted, crushed coriander seeds to the potato-peas mixture and mix well. Your samosa mixture is now ready! Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Wet a clean, dry kitchen towel so it’s quite damp. Gently remove 2 sheets of spring roll wrappers and cover the remaining with the kitchen towel. On a clean surface or cutting board, run your knife down the middle of the 2 sheets so you have 2 rectangles. Starting at the bottom, spoon about 1 tablespoon of the samosa mixture in the left-most corner. Then fold up the corner so it creates a triangle. Keep folding it up into triangles until you reach the end, then with your fingers, use a little egg wash to seal all the edges. Repeat for the entire package of 25 spring roll sheets.
- Brush each samosa generously with olive oil and place face down on a non-stick, greased cookie sheet. Once they’re all face down, brush the other side with olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once.
Recipe adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor Khazana’s Punjabi Samosa
#2. South Indian-style Grape Tomato Chutney (adapted)
Serves 18 – 24 bites
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds (if you can’t find black mustard seeds, see if your local store has yellow mustard seeds like this one by McCormick)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 pints grape tomatoes
- 1/2 onion, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
- 8 oz container cream cheese
- 1 box Carr’s water crackers
Preparation
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine oil and black mustard seeds. Cover tightly with a matching lid. Listen carefully for the seeds to start popping. Once the popping has stopped, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle, then add the grape tomatoes, onion, garlic, vinegar, water, salt, pepper, and brown sugar (be careful to hold the saucepan away from you, as the mixture may splutter as you add things to the saucepan).
- Bring the mixture to a boil, and then simmer on low heat for 1 hour. Gently mash the tomato mixture with the back of a large wooden spoon or potato masher. Stir and season with salt, pepper, and brown sugar to taste. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool.
- Once cool, blend the mixture in a food processor or blender until it’s smooth.
- Top each cracker with a small spread of cheese, followed by a dollop of chutney.
Recipe adapted from Tallegio Toasts with South Indian Tomato Chutney
#3. Masala Chick Peas & Apple
Serves 8 (I quadrupled the recipe to serve 32 bites at the event)
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger, minced
- ½ apple peeled, cored and finely diced
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 pinch chili powder (1/8 teaspoon)
- 1 pinch salt (1/4 teaspoon) to taste
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- 14 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 bag Tostitos ‘scoop’ chips OR 16 Belgian endive leaves (about 2 heads)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced (for garnish)
Preparation
- Heat oil in saucepan on medium heat with cumin seeds. Sauté onion, garlic, and ginger until golden. Add garam masala, coriander powder, chili powder, salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes, watch that it doesn’t burn.
- Add apple and continue sautéing until the mixture is coated well with the spices.
- Add chick peas and continue sautéing, reducing the heat if necessary.
- Once it’s cooked through, adjust spices and salt to taste. Let it cool to room temperature
- If using ‘scoop’ chips, gently fill each chip with 1 teaspoon of the mixture. If using endive leaves, remove each leaf and assemble on a large platter and fill each leaf with 1 tablespoon of the mixture.
- Top with fresh cilantro before serving.
#4. Sweet & Spicy Glazed Cashews
For the recipe, see our previous post on the Sweet & Spicy Glazed Cashews we made for Election Night. Whether it’s holiday season or not, these cashews fit any table, any time!
I met Ina and Sean at a yoga studio party in December. They had set up a table and were feeding us all some of their totally delicious Indian appetizers – Samosas w. Tamarind Sauce, Chick Peas and Apple Scoops, Grape Tomato Chutney w. cream cheese on Crackers and Spicy Glazed Cashews.We got to talking and Ina told me that I could make all this and much more myself following the recipes that she and Sean had created which were posted on their blog for all to follow. I might add that these appetizers weren’t just delicious but tasted totally authentic too, and I’m half Indian and really picky about all things food!
It was getting close to family holidays and I thought “wouldn’t it be great to make samosas with my nieces?”….we had lots of fun making these together. We had to substitute lemon juice for amchoor at Ina’s suggestion and some other kind of wrapper for the ones that Ina had used because we couldn’t find them in the grocery stores up in Cape Cod. MA. The potato and pea stuffing tasted exactly like the best Indian restaurants I have dined in. This is a taste I didn’t think was possible to make at home!
I can’t wait to try out more of Ina’s recipes.
Hello Sham! Sean and I enjoyed meeting you, and how terrific you made the samosas over the holidays! I stayed away from making samosas for quite some time because I wasn’t sure where to begin, so wanted to share a recipe that was authentic and anyone could make at home. I used spring roll wrappers and baked them, but you can use any wrapper just as you did, from wonton wrappers to making the traditional dough yourself. I’ll keep experimenting for you and share the recipes here!
What fabulous recipes! I made the Indian-style grape tomato chutney, but instead of serving it as an appetizer, I served it with our traditional French Canadian tourtière. Every French Canadian family has their own recipe and their own way of serving, but we have always served it with relish and pickled vegetables. This year I thought I’d replace the relish with chutney (really the same thing afterall). It was a big hit with everyone, and I was even asked for “my” recipe. (I was honest and didn’t take credit – I sent the link to this blog!)
Dear Jacqueline! I’m so glad the tomato chutney was a big hit for you and your family over the holidays. What an inventive way to serve it! I was born in Quebec and love tourtière but would’ve never thought of something so creative!