The Beginning
For me the golden crispy savoury triangles more commonly called samosa( or shingara as my wife calls it) came straight from ‘Heaven’ for the hungry soul. My love tryst with the humble samosa started from my school canteen days.
After having our tiffin during lunch hours I used to loiter around the school campus with friends; sometimes that loitering would be near the canteen.
I noticed that, a particular corner of the counter always remain crowded with students yelling at ‘Suren da.. One for me, Two for me’, so on and so forth.
That, my friends was the ‘samosa counter’. I have seen many disappointed faces who couldn’t make it on time before ‘the main thing’ got over. I have to mention Surendra da because whenever I have samosa I remember his face. How he fed us this wonderful snack and always gave me special treatment whenever he saw me amidst the crowd.
He was (or may be still is) one of the many drivers of my school bus who also doubled up as a canteen guy during lunch hours. His son was of one of my class mates. He was an excellent cook whose ‘khichdi’ was the most sought after during Saraswati Puja celebrations at our school.
There was a classmate of mine who did not use to bring tiffin and mostly had his lunch from the canteen. He was the one who told me that if we want to get samosa from canteen, we have to rush just as the ‘lunch-time’ bell rings. And, yes he was right! On the very first day, I got to know what it takes to successfully get hold of a samosa from our school canteen.
There used to be literally a sprint race to reach to the canteen. Students from all sides run from their respective classrooms towards the canteen.
It was a matter of minutes, the crowd settled in and the samosas got over. The samosas were bought from outside (Jalajog Mistanna Bhander, Kalapahar). My friend gave me this detail since that sweet shop was near his house.
The taste of the samosa was out of this world…..could actually qualify as a ‘culinary orgasm’!
The stuffing had the usual mashed potato, green peas mixed with spices and ‘crunchy’ peanuts . That was the best part of that samosa.
Since then, I realized that whatever pocket money I used to get (weekly once) during school, I would have to save up primarily to have a samosa among other goodies. I was now like the ‘Vampire who had tasted blood’ for the first time.
The samosa journey continues..
My weakness towards the samosa has not stopped ever since. I travelled throughout the country for my higher studies and job. I made it a point to taste a samosa from every place that I visited.
Hilariously enough, I judged a place based on the quality of samosa it offered. Although the recipe and methodology for samosa is more or less the same, but still you get to taste so many different tastes and versions of the same thing.
Towards the southern part of our country, you might get one or two ‘curry patta’ embedded inside it. In northern India, samosa is mostly served with ‘khatta-meetha’ chutney or curry.
In Rajasthan, which was my workplace for around seven years, I have seen samosa served with deep fried and seasoned green chilies along with diced onions especially in the small towns and villages. I kind of like this combination.
My job needs lots of travelling which include hiking in hills and valleys. For each hill I would climb, a samosa was marked for me in my mind. This gave me an inspiration to climb more and more hills so that I can gorge on samosas without any guilt. 😀
One such samosa joint was a roadside stall in Morchana village, Rajsamand, Rajasthan. They prepared samosa and pyaz ki Kachori. Both are excellent in terms of taste.
During my recent visit after around 4 years to this place I saw that the owner has rented a bigger shop just adjacent to his usual location. But, I still miss the crunchy peanuts in the samosa of my school canteen.
My office room on the third floor was strategically located above the canteen . Everyday the canteen prepared fresh batches of samosa and the aroma of freshly fried delicacy would hit my nose and acted as a stimulus. Me and my bunch of ‘never say no to samosas’ buddies would gorge on those freshly fried golden triangles of heaven to help us perform better in office.
My ‘better half’ also loves them but, she loves to stay fit even more and there comes a hindrance in my samosa journey. Hence, I see her as an obstacle between me and my samosa. I have cheated on her with samosa a few times (LOL)!
Now I have limited my consumption, but I never miss a chance to have it in a new place and my marked favourite places. I am sure my love for this wonderful snack has not and will never wane by an ounce!
I’m taking my blog to the next level with Blogchatter’s #MyFriendAlexa
Samosas are humble and yet a soul satiating food. At 12:30, almost 4 hours after eating dinner, now I am craving for a samosa!!! 🙁
Oops.. bad timing! 🙂
I smiled throughout reading your post and can relate to it because I too love samosas… 🙂
Thanks a lot.. 🙂
just reading your post makes me hungry for samosa. i totally loved it
Thats a great compliment… Thanks! 🙂
Now, that’s a yummy read
loved to know about your samosa journey and experiences
true said its flavor changes from place to place…in northern India, u will find pieces of panner, in central India peanuts and in southern India curry leaves are hidden in our favorite samosa’s.
samosa kachori vada are soul food for Indians
Thanks a lot. 🙂
Samoas are my all time favorite. Whenever it rains, the first thing I can think of are samosas.
🙂
Rain and samosa/pakodas are synonymous.
There are Lots of Samosa
I had it all over india
But the Northern Samosa is always best
Agree to some extent. Kolkata samosa is good too.
One of my favourite snacks while i was in the North, samosa is missed now that I’m in Kerala.
Keep searching in kerala. You might get a Malyali version of it someday. For eg. Like dosa ..being primarily a vegetarian dish from south, when diffuses towards east and further north eastern part of india, we do get Mutton keema dosa. 🙂
Samosa is certainly an Indian fast food. Bengali singara (not the fruit) and North Indian samosa have certain differences. Probably outer casing in Bengal is made of maida and not atta. But both test equally good, and taste seems to linger in your mouth and your mind if there is acidity. But acidity or no acidity, there is no doubt samosa is popular among us Indians. We love it and continue savouring it till our last breath.
Haha .. rightly pointed out. We love it so much that we keep a Digene ready always. But, still we eat it with all passion. 🙂
Who can refuse a fried hot samosa is a fool? It’s a delicious treat, I can never refuse. Loved your post.
Thanks a lot. 🙂
Indeed, a gift to mankind. Need to have one now!
Great.. I just had one today. 🙂
This was such a fun read.I like freshly made samosa too.Crunchy peanuts are extra special.Very interesting samosa journey indeed.
Thanks a lot. 🙂
Kolkata boasts of seasonal “phulkopi shingara” too. I have to try those once too.
I love eating samosas.. yummy taste and keeps you full for a longer time.. #MyFriendAlexa #DigiMotherReads @blogchatter
Exactly! 🙂
My husband loves Samosa and it is kinda his favorite. So, I have made them at home and my recipe is almost similar. I have a food blog too – Somethingiscooking.com 🙂
Great to know that. Do try with the pea nuts 😀
My wife had ordered an air fryer esp. to prepare healthy home made samosas and other fried stuff!
Will go through your blog.
Not too fond of Samosas ,but well written
Thanks for your comment. You might give it a try again at the right place, right time at right temperature.. 🙂
hahhaaha this is so true! I remember we use to wait for breaks in school so that we can have samosa!
Exactly! 🙂
A poetical description of the humble samosas😋
Enjoyed reading every bit of it.
#MyFriendAlexa
#AditiReads
aditikapur.com
Samosas have been a constant from childhood till now. I really enjoy them and so does my son. In fact we can never stop at one and mostly have at least two at once. Craving them now thanks to your article!
Completely agree..Samosa is out of the world..my all time favourite
Samosa is one of my favorite snacks for breakfast or sometimes for refreshments.
Samosa is one of my favorite snacks for breakfast or sometimes for refreshments😊😊
Can I agree more with you on this
As much as you want. Good to see samosa loving people around! 🙂
Oh, you brought back the days of samosa munching in school and college canteens. Over the years, I have lost appetite for samosa…maybe it just needed this post. Nicely written!
Hey, thanks a lot. Your comment has made this post even more worthwhile. Happy indulging!! 🙂
one of my favourite snacks, well written
Thanks 🙂
Loved your samosa story. Everyone has a samosa story but everyone is not a storyteller but you are. The best part about samosa is every vendor has it’s own style of making it.
Thanks a lot .. 🙂
I am from Bengal too and the shingara there cannot match any other. It’s unique to say the least. Memories came flooding back as all those from Bengal have some samosa or jhal moodi stories to share.
one of my fav street food and home food lovely post on samosa ty for sharing such a yummy post 🙂
🙂
One. I really was intrigued by the title. And I thought you were going to share some samosa recipe but you shared your samosa journey! Which was so much fun to read. I hope your better half decides to join you in your samosa adventures!!
Yes she does join me.. She loves mainly the corner part.. LOL!
Thanks a lot for your comment. 🙂
Samosa are everyone weakness, you should try Hyderabad alpha hotel samosa.
#millennialscribbler #myfriendalexa
I will try it.. on my next trip to hyd!
Samosas should probably be our national dish! Lovely article.
Thanks .. 🙂
Yeah.. could be.. But its origin is somewhere in Central Asia i think. It wasnt created in India.
ha ha loved your samosa tale and me too I big fan of this wonderful snack, but now I had also restricted the fried snack up to minimum. great post and i had a great time while reading it. #Surbhireads #Myfriendalexa
Thanks.. 🙂
I never knew one could express his/her life scenarios or moments with a Samosa post 🙂 I’m more of a VadaPav person, I only like the crispy samosas. These I can have only when the filing is tasty 🙂
#MyFriendAlexa #vigorousreads
Thanks.. glad you liked it. 🙂
I love samosa and wanted to have one right now after reading this post. Indeed a gift to mankind.
If my post inspired you to have one right after reading it, then i consider this post as successful. Thanks.. for your comment 🙂
I would be lying if I said I never had samosas or don’t like them. Everyone loves it. Samosa is the staple for school and college kids . #damurureads #myfriendalexa damurucreations.com
For me, samosa is a gleeful food. It makes me happy when I feel a dull moment. Makes me super happier, on special occassions. Most humble and quintessential snack (forget abt the calories)
Makes me happy too.. 🙂
Wish you many many more Samosas from every corner of India. 😀. I like Samosas too, but at the age of 53 I have to watch what I eat. So I am careful what I consume. I really enjoyed reading your post.
Thanks a lot for your wishes.. You can go for an air fryer where samosa can be prepared in minimalistic use of oil.
And now I’m craving for Samosa. 😄 Thanks for sharing this. #MyFriendAlexa #CloudandSunshineReads
🙂
Singara! not Samosa. We love our singara and the simple aloo filling with peanuts.
Oh, for the love of Samosa! Seems like u r a Samosa epicurean! The samosa we get here is totally different and I love it. Made with makki aata it is very crisp and filled with onion and mutter only. Thanks for sharing #wordsmithkaurreads #BlogChatter #MyFriendAlexa
Thanks a lot for your comment! 🙂 I learnt a new word from you.
If you love samosas have one from .U.P… I have also been to several places in India and first thing I always wanted to lookout for the samosa.. couldn’t believe someone can love samosa to write an interesting article about it.. 😊
Thanks Akanksha! I have had once in Lucknow. It was great. Btw, lucknow is a foodie’s paradise.
Samosa are our favorite food at home.Thanks for bringing this yummy food to the forefront once again.
Samosa is a favourite across regions. I like it too. A great snack during monsoons. In Mumbai it’s served with pumpkin chutney, chillies or pav, tastes yum.
Your love for samosas is oozing off this blog post. And your description of samosas has managed to make my mouth water! Looks like I’ll have to hold off till tomorrow to quench my samosa cravings!
Your blog post was an absolute delight to read, full of wit & relatable anecdotes; your love affair with samosa may remain long standing! Not to hide, mouthwaters here too!
Reading this early in the morning and I am craving for some hot Samosas and tea. Cannot agree more on this.
I am a die-hard fan of samosa. if my digestion permits me I will eat samosa for lunch, breakfast, and dinner too 🙂
This reminded me of my own school days when we used to also love having samosas. I especially loved having samosas with lays waffers. Lol… This blog post really won my heart. Samosas are really yummy. But yeah! Your wife is not wrong😛 health also matters.
Mouthwatering 😍
This is my one of the fav and nothing can beat this !! yummy and tasty!! Thanks for writing about it!!
Oops, relishing on a samosa while reading your post. Making me laught on the telepathy between samosa in my hand and your post
Wow! Perhaps the best way to read this blog! Thanks 🙂
Samosas are life, a synonym of outing and fun for me..I can have them anytime without any guilt
Who doesn’t love samosas! It’s one dish relished in most households.
Indeed Samosa is a gift to the mankind. I remember in my school days a vendor use to come and sell samosa with imly ki chutney in just 1 Re.
Samosas are a complete winner all the way. Nice to read about your journey.
Ha Ha… Your love for Samosa is unparalleled for sure. I love eating them during Monsoons and Winters. And I completely agree with your observation about the change of taste in Samosa with the change of regions. I have seen Samosas in South having, not only curry leaves but chana dal as well. North Side the Samosas have variety as well.. We can get paneer samosas- an elite class in Samosa community 🙂
Nicely written
#readbypreetispanorama for #MyFriendAlexa
Thanks a lot! 🙂
I once had paneer samosa.. although i like the classic aloo-matar samosa better.
Great read and we love having samosa. Thanks for this awesome post
Thanks.. glad you liked it!
Samosa, if done well makes a brilliant snack. The crispy outer cover and soft savoury stuffing makes it a perfect thing to have on a rainy day
I’m a huge Samosa lover too. In fact my younger one loves these more than anyone I know. A great post I must say . Loved reading about your journey with Samosas
I love samosa, thanks for sharing a lot more about this savory snack. That’s an intriguing read, Loved the post and your unique writing style.
Thanks Bushra for your encouraging words ! 🙂
Samosas are my absolute favourite too. I mean, how can you say no to samosa? Thoroughly enjoyed reading your samosa journal. Very unique indeed.
Surbhi #surreads
https://prettymummasays.com
Thanks a lot.. Good to know that you like it too!!
One samosa for a hill.. what a wonderful way of motivating. Loved your writing. Never knew one can write such a detailed post on samosa 😉
Very nice read, could totally relate! I had my journey from 1 rupee samosa gugunee (Odisa) to chhole samose northern style.
We will meet up sometime over a chai samosa 🙂
Padhy.. for sure. Would love that. Since, mumbai doesnot offer much in this particular field, you are most welcome to kolkata! There are some amazing street food joints here in kolkata. Do drop in sometime.