“Jab tak rahega samosa mein aloo, tab tak rahoonga main...." goes the Bollywood song and highlights the importance of aloo aka potatoes in a samosa. For the uninitiated, samosa is a conical deep-fried flaky pastry, usually stuffed with diced potatoes. An evening snack or appetizer for desi gatherings, a samosa is quite filling and heavy. Served with tomato and tamarind chutney, the crispy delight comes in a variety of fillings and options. Classified as a largely vegetarian snack, you’ll find matar samosa, gobhi samosa, paneer samosa, mix veg samosa, Chinese samosa and even noodle samosa.
The creative bent of mind of the experts of the culinary world has led to a re-imagination of this simple household snack into something versatile and exquisite. Known by several names like sanbusak, sanbusa or simply samosa, the snack has its origins in the Middle-Eastern regions of Zanzibar and Egypt. The stuffed patty finds mention in the 9th century records of the Mughal dynasty. Scholars like Ibn-Batuta and Abu Fazl have talked about the samosa in their writings too. This period of the rule of Delhi Sultanate gave rise to samosa, which was at once loved by the rich and the poor. Without any sort of discrimination, the same samosa was relished by the local subjects and the royalty alike.
The samosa was not only stuffed with vegetables but minced meat too. This gave the otherwise humble aloo ka samosa an interesting shape. Today, we have plenty of non-vegetarian fillings to stuff the samosa and satiate the meat-lover in you.
Here are some hearty non-veg samosa fillings which will make you taste samosa like never before.
1. Chicken Samosa
Well, the topic of meat and non-vegetarian fillings cannot start without a spicy chicken mixture. Chunks of succulent chicken pieces are diced into even smaller bites and mixed with a host of spices, coriander, green chillies and onions to give a flavourful mix. This is then stuffed into the samosa dough that has been rolled out and given a conical shape. The deep-fried patty tastes heavenly when cut open into a chicken filling.
2. Beef Samosa
Freshly ground and spiced beef is mixed with peas and carrots to be stuffed into the samosa patty shell. The crispy outer layer of the samosa pairs really well with the chunky and extremely flavourful beef filling. Peas and carrots lend a certain crispness and freshness to the mix.
3. Egg Samosa
Love to have eggs for breakfast? Well, now eggs can become a part of your favourite evening snack too. The creamy and mashed eggs lend the samosa a smooth and soft filling. Make a spicy bhurji of eggs with cilantro, green chillies and a range of spices. Dunk this in the samosa sheet and deep-fry till it turns golden brown.
4. Thai Samosa
These flaky and crunchy thai samosas are slightly different from the regular samosas in taste and shape. They are relatively flat, with a paper-thin outer layer. The filling is usually that of ground chicken, mixed with fish sauce and soy sauce, along with green onions. The crunch of the samosa determines the perfectness of the dish.
5. Keema Samosa
Keema is nothing but minced meat. The mutton is finely ground and minced to form a keema-like texture. This is then mixed with coriander, green chillies and onions along with salt, red chilly powder and ginger-garlic paste. This is then stuffed into the samosa and relished with chutney.