Samosa and Chutney- Ek Amar Prem Katha

Synopsis: Experience a wedding like never before! I have been part of the royal wedding of Samosa and Chutney, and now it’s your turn to be a part of it.

All these years, you have just heard the love stories of Romeo and Juliet, Heer-Ranjha, Laila-Majnu, and many more to add to the list. But there is one more love story that has been hidden from us. Yes, secretly, romance has popped up between Samosa and Chutney. We didn’t even realize when the International Samosa met our Desi Chutney and got married. Are you excited to know what’s next? Nothing, they are living happily, and what we see is love, love, and more love!

But, it is important to know how exactly this happened. So, let’s pack our bags and go back to the past to see this royal wedding and the journey of Samosa from birth as an International kid to becoming the Jamai of India.

Origin of Samosa:

As per the research, Samosa is said to be born in the 10th century somewhere in the Middle East. Iranian historian Abolfazl Beyhaqi mentioned Samosa for the first time in his cookbook Tarikh-e Beyhaghi. The people there named it Sambosa. They used to eat these mince-stuffed triangles during travelling on long journeys. This is how Samosa got the tag of a snack. The snack was very easy to carry along while travelling without facing any difficulty.

History of Samosa:

With the Middle Eastern people travelling to many other cities and countries, the Samosa arrived in the kitchens of South Asia and then further to the entire world. This is how our very own Samosa reached India and got immense love.

Names of the Samosa and the history behind it:

The word Samosa was initially named ‘Sanbosag’, which is a Persian word. After that, many other derivatives came into the picture named Sanbusaq, Sanbusajm, Assanbusak, Samsa, etc. But, the commonly used name was Sambosa.

Then, arrived the 14th century, when this traveller named Ibn Battuta mentioned Sambusak with walnuts, pistachios, almonds, minced meat, spices, etc. and whatnot. Spices that were part of a royal meal in the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq. You won’t believe that our very own ‘Jamai Raja’ has its recipe which has been written by Ain-i-Akbari, in the popular historic document on the Mughal dynasty.

Samosa and diversified India:

The tag associated with Samosa was Royal, but the moment it reached India, the tag Royal got vanished, as India is all about street food and snacks. And, the Samosa became part of India’s most celebrated street food where he also met chutney and many other side dips and sauces. But, chutney attracted him with her spiciness.

The people of India completely changed this Royal snack. Since we Indians are big fans of spicy and chatakedaar food, we replaced the filling of Samosas with boiled potatoes, peas, onions and so on. But, the main part is that with this twist also we were not satisfied, so, we started eating it with different types of chutneys and sauce. So, Samosa is finally married to our Chutney and next, they go on their honeymoon.

Samosa- off for honeymoon:

Samosa, also like every other couple, is off for a honeymoon. Just the difference here is that we go to one place for a honeymoon, but Samosa, not only added the domestic places but international places as well. Let’s see the places included in the list.

North India: The North-Indian version of Samosa includes the stuffing that is a mix of potatoes along with spices, peas, raisins, etc., served with tangy imli chutney on the side.

Hyderabad: With a thicker crust and stuffing that is of minced meat, this Hyderabadi version of Samosa is also known as ‘Lukhmi’.

South India: South Indians are at the next level! They added cabbages, carrots, and curry leaves to their Samosa stuffing. Not just that much, but also added their very own spices and gave no chance to anybody to call that particular Samosa their invention. The moment you taste them, you can blindly say that these are the South-Indian samosas. Side dip or chutney remains the same. After their invention, South Indians were like, dude, this is our creation!

Bengal: Popularly known as Shingaras, the Samosas here are filled with both sweet and savoury stuffing. The texture is made with a light puff pastry and is flakier. The filling usually consists of cabbage or potato when it comes to savoury stuffing, and the sweet stuffing includes khoya. The Shingaras are then dipped in syrup, which then gets a glazed look.

Gujarat: Gujarat is all about sweet food. Their regular food which includes Roti, Sabji, Dal, and Chawal, is also sweet. Then, how can they leave Samosas? The stuffing is made using french beans, sweet peas, etc. whereas the non-vegetarian version includes the filling of minced meat.

Goa: Goa is not only famous for parties and alcohol, but also the Samosas. People in Goa call it ‘Chamucas’. The samosas are filled with a stuffing of minced beef, chicken or pork.

An International tour:

We might not have travelled across the globe, but the Samosa did. Let’s take a look at which part of the world has Samosa been to.

Portugal, Brazil and Mozambique: The samosas in these 3 places are known as ‘pastéis’, which is just a version of the Goan chamucas.

Arab countries: The Samosa filling in Arab countries includes a mix of minced meat or chicken, onions, spinach and feta cheese.

Israel: Here, the Samosas are filled with mashed chickpeas.

Maldives: The Maldives, just like us, is also on the list of Samosas for a honeymoon. “The local version Samosa- ‘Bajiyaa’. The filling includes tuna or fish mixed with onions.

Central Asia: Maybe considering the health factor, Samosas here are baked and not fried. Plus, there are a variety of fillings, ranging from a mix of minced lamb, and onions to minced beef, chicken, and different types of cheese, potato or pumpkin.

OMG! Such a long honeymoon right? Hmm, that’s interesting. We must learn from this stud boy!

Types of Samosas and the fillings:

India is filled with a lot of food enthusiasts who like to give their unique touch to the recipe. They keep trying new-new dishes and keep giving end several twists and turns. The same goes for the Samosa. Here are some of the variants of Samosa, though I am not sharing the recipes of these Samosas, as the article will then bore you a lot.

Vegetarian types of Samosas: Corn and Cheese Samosa, Moong Dal Samosa, Paneer Samosa, Gujarati Samosa, Noodle Samosa, Mushroom Samosa, Aloo Samosa, Khoya Samosa, Sweet Samosa, Shahi Paneer Samosa, Curry Samosa, Sprouts- Poha Samosa, etc. and the list is endless.

Non- vegetarian types of Samosas: Chicken Samosa, Mutton Keema Samosa, Tuna Samosa, Pork Samosa, Beef Samosa, Butter Chicken Samosa, Beef and Lentil Samosa, Crab Samosa, Kashmiri Chilli Chicken Samosa, etc.

Other types of Samosa: Pasta Samosa, Pizza Samosa, Cheese Samosa, Chowmein Samosa, Noodle Samosa, Chinese Samosa, Pastry Samosa, Khoya Samosa, etc. (The last two being the sweet ones).

A List of Ingredients You Can Add to Your Samosa Stuffing:

1. Like in Delhi and Punjab, you can also make the stuffing by not mashing the potatoes and peas. Instead, keep the pieces of potato. You can add green chillies, dry mango powder, spices, etc.
2. To add the sweet taste to your Samosa, add raisins, cashew nuts, etc.
3. You can also add ginger-garlic paste to give that extra spiciness and also chopped carrot pieces.
4. A mix of vegetables is also good. Include veggies like peas, carrots, cauliflower and potatoes.
5. A cocktail samosa is a small-sized samosa filled with dry spices, nuts and dry fruits.

Again, as I said there’s a lot more to it. You can also add some of your ingredients and create an entirely different Samosa. Just believe in creating something unique and different.

After this entire list of types of Samosas, one recipe is a must. So, here’s a recipe for how to make Punjabi Samosa.

Recipe- Punjabi Samosa:

Samosa is the best snack ever. Be it any house party or family get-together or any other occasion, Samosa can be served, and people will love it. No one can resist Samosas. Samosas are the best when you get that hunger pangs. They are sure to satiate you to the full and still crave more and more. Though the best time to consume these Samosas is the evening, Gujaratis have started eating them for dinner as well, and many eat them during breakfast as well. So, what’s stopping you from reading the recipe? Go ahead and read this amazing Punjabi Samosa recipe and surprise everyone in the house.

Ingredients:

For Samosa Dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water + more

For Samosa Filling:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• A pinch of fenugreek seeds
• 1 tablespoon ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon garlic paste
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped green chillies
• 2 teaspoons red chilli powder
• 2 tablespoons coriander powder
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon raw mango powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 2 large potatoes- Boiled, peeled, and mashed
• 6-7 curry leaves
• Salt as required
• Oil for frying

Samosa Dough:

Take a bowl and add flour, salt, and oil to it. Mix well and knead into a soft dough. Add water and again knead well. Once the dough softens, cover it with a damp cloth and keep it aside.

Samosa Filling:

1. For making the filling of the samosa, coarsely grind the coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and fennel seeds and keep them aside. Now, heat some oil in a pan. Once the oil gets heated, add the coarsely ground spices to the pan along with the curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste, and chillies and saute well for one to two minutes.
2. Then add the masalas, and mix well. Then, add in the mashed potatoes, and salt and mix well. Switch off the gas, keep the mixture aside, and allow it to cool.

Wrapping the Samosas:

1. Take the dough and divide it into small portions. Take one portion and roll it between your hands. Place it on a flat surface and sprinkle some all-purpose flour.
2. Roll it in the same way as you roll a Chapati. But, not as big as the Chapati. Then, cut the Chapati in half. Then, starting from the edge of the horizontal part, fold the Chapati inwards, making a cone shape.
3. Fill the stuffing inside the cone. Apply some water at the edges of the cone. Once done, seal the open part by pinching the edges together.
4. In the same way, prepare the remaining Samosas and place them on a tray.

Frying the samosas:

1. Take a Kadai and heat the oil in it. To check whether the oil is heated or not, put a tiny piece of dough in the oil, and if it bubbles and floats on the surface, then the oil is ready for frying.
2. Place the samosas in the oil. Don’t place too less or too many samosas in the Kadai. Fry the samosas on a low flame and correctly on both sides until golden brown. Frying them on a low flame will ensure that the samosas won’t remain raw from the inside.
3. Take out the samosas and place them on a plate with tissue paper on it. The tissue paper will absorb the excess oil. Serve them hot with ketchup or green chutney or tamarind chutney.

The Samosas are ready to be relished with everyone in the family along with relatives, friends, neighbours, etc.

So, this is how the Samosa, by changing its name, reached India. Here, he met Chutney and fell in love with her. The other dips and sauces became friends and were also part of their big-fat Royal wedding. In fact, along with me, you also were a part of this wedding.
Okay, so bye guys, I am going to eat the Samosas and satiate my craving for it. You too go and have the lip-smacking Samosas or whatever you feel like.