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Any childhood memory for Indians who grew up in the 90s and the early 2000s is incomplete without that birthday party filled with friends, cautiously wrapped gifts, potato chips and lots of candies. The delicious smell of hot samosas wafting from the kitchen would draw everyone’s attention alike. The party games (musical chairs anyone?) would come to a halt and everyone would line up next to the dining table. An occasion to be remembered with the bonds of childhood friendships being celebrated through this humble samosa. If you remember carrying the left-over samosa in your tiffin for the next couple of days you are now part of the gang of Samosa stans. For some people, Samosa is like a once-a-month reward for their tremendous dietary self-control and then there are some who just work around this chai-samosa time of the day. Your commitment to samosa will never be undervalued, nor will you be left with bad memories of it, unlike modern-day relationships. While your local samosa-vendor has served you the best he has to offer, we take you around India to show you the different kinds of samosas you may be missing out on.
I. Delhi
Japani Samosa is the unique offering of Manohar Dhaba situated in Old Delhi. The outer pastry is prepared in a way that would not qualify the dish under the samosa category. But bear with us, this is a samosa! It’s actually a kind of a puff pastry or a layered samosa. Like a samosa, it’s filled with potatoes and served with chholey. Head to this small eatery to add it to your samosa bucket list.
II. Ahmedabad
From the filling to the outer covering, everything about Navtad Na Samosa is unique and ever so exciting. If you visit Ahmedabad and don’t end up eating this, you will probably end up feeling sorry for yourself. The samosa is filled with moong dal and the outer covering is similar to the Patti samosa. The chutney is touted to be as unique as the samosa. For the most part, this native to the state of Gujarat isn’t sweet.
III. Kolkata
Ghughni Singhara Chaat is a name given to a Kolkata special item which would never strike the ordinary man as a moniker for the samosa chaat. Food lovers from all over India flock to Kolkata for its rich and diverse street food menu. Locals love ghughni or boiled yellow peas with a pinch of salt, in everything. So, the combination of samosa and ghughni is bound to be a hit, unquestionably so.
Ever heard of sweet samosas? Yes well, Mishti Singara is a must-eat sweet in West Bengal. Found in every sweet shop in Kolkata, this pastry is filled with sweetened milk solids or khoa, deep-fried and then dipped in sugar syrup to give it an ever glistening exterior. If you’re looking to expand your range of samosas, this one should definitely be on your list.
IV. Hyderabad
Irani Samosa or Onion Patti Samosa is a Ramzan special item. It is mostly available in Irani Cafes year-round. The onions are beautifully caramelised with a secret spice mixture and wrapped in a thin pastry before being fried to perfection. Once fried, the outer cover is so crispy that the sound of your first bite will be audible to everyone around. The inner filling has a slightly sweet tinge from the onions and the rice or poha add a different texture to it. for a detailed recipe of the same, click here.
Lukhmi is the Hyderabadi variant of the samosa. If anything, it is a defector in terms of its shape, which, unlike its counterparts, is square. But the inside is stuffed with deliciously cooked minced meat and spices. We’ve known that the samosa is a versatile entity and this combination just knocks the traditional samosa out of the park. Follow the recipe for the Lukhmi here.
V. Kerala
The Malabar style special chicken samosa is a rarity for most samosa lovers. Experience the beauty of Malabar cuisine wrapped in the thin pastry of the samosa. The aroma of curry leaves hits you the moment you take your first bite. This combination is quite unassuming as the usual ingredients of the Indian samosa like potato and peas are missing in the filling. Once you learn how to make it, it is surely something you would recommend to your fellow samosa stans.
Feature Image Credit: Quora, Wikimedia
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