This recipe is inspired by the popular technique in Indonesia or most Asian countries, to wrap food with leaves. Perfect as a beautiful starter, my leek samosa recipe will wow your guests. More importantly, using the outer leaves of leek which are often overlooked and most of the time end up in the bin, actually plays a crucial part in this samosa leek recipe and so supports zero waste principles.

Go ahead, try these wonderful recipes to create the perfect alfresco lunch and dinner this summer.

Leek Samosas – serves 3

What you need:

• 1 clove of garlic
• 6 outer leaves of the leek
• 100g minced meat
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• ½ courgette, cut into small cubes
• Salt
• Pepper
• Vegetable oil

How to make it:

First step: The wrap part

• In a big pot, add 2 litres of water. Wait until it boils then submerge the outer leaves for around 5-7 minutes until they have softened enough to bend.
• Once they are all softened up, drain and pat them with paper towel. Let them cool off, set aside.

Second step: the filling part

• In a pan, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, then add minced meat for 2 minutes.
• Add garlic and chopped leek. Mix them all well for around 5 minutes until cooked through. Then season well with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Third step: the fun part

• In this step, we are going to wrap the filling like wrapping a samosa (triangle shape).
• Start from the white part of the leaf. Add 1 teaspoon of filling, take the end of the leaf, then fold it to the upper part. Do the same until you are right at the end, then tuck in the excess part into the side of the folded part. Please see pictures for more details.

Fourth step: the sizzling part

• Last but not least, in a frying pan, set stove to a high heat and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
• Fry the samosa for about 2 minutes on each side. – it should give them a charred look (these work well on the barbecue grill).
• This dish is best served as an appetiser. Wow your guests this summer with some garnishes, such as pansies, nasturtium leaves, and other herbs.

Dina Watt grew up in Bandung, West-Java, Indonesia. Now living in Aberdeenshire, she is known as The Indonesian Cook. Dina’s love of nature and gardening fuels her passion for cooking. In her column, Dina shares her own adventurous recipes for delicious home-cooked meals that are easy to make, mostly using homegrown, seasonal fruits and vegetables from her own kitchen garden. She is passionate about using every bit of the plant in order to practise zero waste principles.