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Declaring samosa as a popular Indian snack is an understatement. If there was a scale to measure how much Indians love samosa, it would be lighting up the top numbers. If you are an active user on Instagram or YouTube, you would have come across NRIs relishing this deep-fried snack abroad and comparing it with the authentic ones that have had the chance to savour in India.
Video Credit: Your Food Lab/ YouTube
Though samosa did not originate in India, its popularity will convince you otherwise. Stuffed with juicy and spiced fillings, the snack is best served with hot tea or coffee. Often accompanied by spicy green chutney and tangy tamarind sauce, this Indian snack is available with a variety of fillings across the country. Here are some variations you must note.
Fish Samosa
Across the coastal belt of India, especially Kerala and Goa, you will find vendors selling fish samosa. Minced pieces of fish are cooked and combined with local spices, curry leaves, and coconut. This flavourful mixture is stuffed inside the cone-shaped dough and deep-fried until crispy. If you love seafood, you should give this a try.
Aloo Samosa
This filling does not need an introduction because it is the most authentic and original variant available throughout the country. Some vendors will stuff only spiced aloo, others will add aloo and matar to the rolled pastry before sealing its edges and tossing it in hot oil. Once the crust turns crispy, samosas are served with chutneys and tea.
Bengali Shingara
Needless to say, this variant of samosa originated in West Bengal. A delicious blend of peanuts, potatoes, raisins, and cauliflower is prepared. Panch phoron or a popular blend of five spices is added to amplify the taste of the ingredients before stuffing them into the pastry. The subtle sweetness from raisins and heat from the spices make it a tantalising delight to savour during monsoon.
Paneer Samosa
Paneer is among the most common milk-based products savoured across India. The cottage cheese is crumbled and mashed with spices like roasted cumin powder, red chilli powder, and black pepper, boiled peas, and chopped green chillies. The delicate stuffing is added to the cone-shaped pastry, the edges are sealed with maida slurry, and samosas are tossed in a kadhai with bubbling oil.
Dal Samosa
If you head to Gujarat or Rajasthan, you will witness a different variant of samosa with lentil fillings. This filling increases its shelf life, especially if it does not contain onion or garlic. Chana dal or moong dal is roasted with spices like carom seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds. A coarse paste is stuffed inside the pastry and tossed into oil until you get crispy samosas. You can pack this snack while travelling.
Keema Samosa
In North India, you can find keema samosas, especially in Delhi and Punjab. Minced chicken or lamb is cooked with garlic, onions, ginger, and a few spices and herbs until the mixture is slightly dry. It is filled inside the pastry which is sealed tight before tossing in hot oil. The crispy samosas are served with chutney and relished with cold or hot beverages on the side.
Coconut Jaggery Samosa
If you are looking for a sweet variant of samosa, you will find it in a few regions of South India. A mixture of coconut and jaggery is prepared and flavoured with cardamom. It is stuffed in pastries which are deep-fried or air-fried. In North India, the filling is prepared using sweetened khoya, nuts, and dry fruits. It is flavoured with saffron and cardamom.
