Queen Esther’s Story Inspires Purim Recipes with Hidden Fillings

I’ve often thought of Purim as the official holiday of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America because Henrietta Szold, the organization’s founder, was inspired to name the nonprofit after Queen Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah.

The subterfuge of Hadassah changing her name to hide her Jewishness from King Ahasuerus is just one reason why hidden fillings are a common theme of Purim foods. I’ve adapted Ashkenazi knishes to reflect the flavors of an Indian samosa (popular Indian pastry) and the similar sambooseh (also called sambose or sambuseh) from Persia, the setting of the Book of Esther.

These Indo-Persian Spiced Knishes are vegetarian (with vegan and parve/dairy-free options) since tradition has it that Esther maintained kashrut (followed the Jewish dietary laws) by only eating plant-based foods.

Serve the knishes with one of the sauces below or make a quick curry mustard by combining curry powder or garam masala with mustard and a little mayonnaise to taste.

Purim knish recipe courtesy of the author.

Indo-Persian Spiced Potato Knishes
Makes 8

1 lb. gold or Yukon potatoes
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
2 Tbsps. vegetable oil, divided, plus oil for baking sheet
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tsp. finely chopped green jalapeño chilis
2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1 tsp. garam masala
1/4 tsp. dried, ground turmeric
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 Tbsps. lemon juice
2 Tbsps. finely chopped cilantro or parsley
1/8 tsp. cayenne, optional
1 (17.3 – 18 oz.) box frozen puff pastry (see notes), defrosted
About 1/4 cup flour
1 large egg, beaten

Put potatoes in pot. Cover with water. Add 1/4 tsp. salt. Cover. Simmer over medium-high heat until fork glides through potatoes. Drain. Let cool until the skins can be rubbed or peeled off by hand. Discard skins. Mash potatoes until almost smooth.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add cumin seeds. Sauté for 15 seconds until they sizzle. Add chilis. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until chilis start to brown. Add garlic. Sauté 1-2 minutes until golden.

Stir in garam masala, turmeric and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Add 1 Tbsp. oil. Sauté 1 minute, then add potatoes and green onions. Stir until combined. Turn off heat. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Mix well. Taste. Stir in cayenne and additional salt as needed.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper with oil.

Take out the 2 pastry sheets from box. Lightly dust work surface with flour and unroll first sheet. Sprinkle a little flour on top. Use a rolling pin to lightly roll out into as square a shape as possible, roughly 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 inches. Cut into 4 equal sections as close to square as possible. Place 1/4 cup filling in middle of each section.

Using finger or pastry brush, brush water on top of the outside edges of the section. Fold over one corner of the section up and over the filling. Tuck in the adjacent edge, then fold over the next corner, overlapping the first section, and then tuck in the adjacent edge.

Repeat until the filling is fully enclosed and is totally sealed. Brush seams with water. Press seams, pinching together any weak spots. Place seam down on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining squares and second pastry sheet.

Brush tops and sides of knishes with beaten egg. Bake 28-30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Serve with Yemeni inspired Jalapeño Z’hug, Indian inspired Coconut Cilantro Chutney and/or Near Eastern inspired Tomato-Tamarind Sauce.  Or try with tahini sauce, yogurt, silan (date syrup), or amba (an Iraqi-Israeli fermented mango sauce).

Jalapeño Z’hug: Roughly chop 3 oz. (2-3 medium) green jalapeño chilis. Put half in blender with 2 tsps. olive oil. Process until finely ground, stopping and scraping sides of blender jar as needed. Add remaining jalapeños and 1 tsp. olive oil. Process again until smooth. Add ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. ground black pepper, ½ tsp. ground cumin and ⅛ tsp. ground cardamom. Blend until combined. Makes about ¾ cup. Refrigerate up to two months.

Coconut-Cilantro Chutney: Combine ½ cup dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut with ½ cup water. Let sit 5 minutes. Add 2 Tbsps. additional water in bottom of blender jar with 1/2 small, chopped jalapeño, ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves, ½ tsp. finely chopped ginger and 2 Tbsps. coarsely chopped mint leaves. Blend until almost puréed, adding water by the tsp. and scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Add soaked coconut with water, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or tamarind paste, 1/8 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. sugar. Blend again. Taste and correct seasonings. Makes about 1 cup. Stir before serving. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Tomato-Tamarind Sauce: In a pot over medium-low heat, combine 8 oz. can plain tomato sauce with 1 Tbsp. tamarind paste or concentrate and 1 tsp. sugar. Simmer, stirring often, until reduced to the consistency of a thick pasta sauce. Taste and add more tamarind or sugar if needed. Makes about 1 cup. Refrigerate up to 5 days.

Notes: Frozen puff pastry comes in dairy and non-dairy (parve) versions. Most brands weigh 17.3 to 18 oz. with 2 sheets to a box. Adapt measurements if sizing is different. For vegan knishes, use dairy-free pastry and brush lightly with oil instead of egg. Seed green chilis for milder filling and sauces.

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Faith Kramer is a member of the Hadassah Writers’ Circle, a dynamic and diverse writing group for leaders and members to express their thoughts and feelings about all the things Hadassah does to make the world a better place. It’s where they celebrate their personal Hadassah journeys and share their Jewish values, family traditions and interpretations of Jewish texts. Since 2019, the Hadassah Writers’ Circle has published nearly 500 columns in The Times of Israel Blogs and other Jewish media outlets. Interested? Please contact hwc@hadassah.org.