Experts from Hyderabad discuss the infinite possibilities of samosas and the bright future of this staple snack

Old City shops make kheema samosa (Luqmi), Hyderabad’s own variation of samosa for ages. Sarvi at Banjara Hills makes samosas stuffed with onions (Irani samosa)
Samosa. Image used for representational purpose only. (File Photo)
Samosa. Image used for representational purpose only. (File Photo)

Old City shops make kheema samosa (Luqmi), Hyderabad’s own variation of samosa for ages. Sarvi at Banjara Hills makes samosas stuffed with onions (Irani samosa). Morine Bakery makes baked samosa stuffed with mashed potatoes. There are places in the city that make scores of samosas, some of them stuffed and coated with chocolates.

CE speaks to Deccan culinary experts and samosa makers from the city about the infinite possibilities of samosas and the bright future of this staple snack. Dilnaz Baig, a connoisseur of authentic Nizami cuisine, says, “Luqmi is a variation of samosa. I am not sure if it originated in Hyderabad or not. But, for the last six decades, it is a snack that’s proven to be the best companion to Irani tea among the old Hyderabadis. Besides, it is also the dish served as a starter in all the muslim weddings.”  

The connoisseur adds, “The Irani samosas we get to taste in Hyderabad are otherworldly. The restaurants these days make it spicier, but the original Irani samosa is light. In fact, it's not too oily too. All the Irani families who migrated here, centuries ago still make these onion samosas.”   

Mir Muzzafar Ali, one of the managers at Sarvi restaurant in Banjara Hills, said, “Our Irani samosas are the most popular kind in all of Hyderabad. Around six years ago, we used to make fresh samosas at 4 pm, and they were sold out by 5:30 or 6 pm. Now, they are available fresh, every hour — all day round, and the sale has only gone up.”

Diksha Pande, co-founder of Samosa Party, a new pan-India startup that has found its ground in the city, says, “We have travelled to many cities in India to try and understand the samosa market, only to learn that Hyderabad is among the top three cities in terms of samosa consumption. We created a new menu for Hyderabad, a special range that consists of Irani style patti samosas. We have three different variants in Hyderabad special samosas — onion, chicken and mutton.” 

Apart from this, Samosa Party also says that Hyderabad likes their Peri Punjabi aloo samosa bucket, Corn Cheese Samosas, and Bbq chicken samosas. “It’s just been a couple of weeks since we launched in the city with seven stores, but we are receiving amazing responses, and it has exceeded all our expectations. The future of samosas is indeed bright in the city,” says Diksha.  

“Last year we discovered that the much-loved snack was missing from our menu. We upgraded the menu with baked samosa. We wanted samosas to be an oil-free and healthy snack. There’s mashed potato stuffing along with boiled peas and secret masala that makes our samosas perfect. One will not miss oil — because baked samosas are flaky and crispy too,” Akeel Ahmed, one of the managers at Morine Bakery, Nanal Nagar, said.

Samosa Singh, another startup that has a store in Banjara Hills serves around 20 varieties of samosas — including the ones that are coated and stuffed with chocolate. Say cheers to evening adda with samosas!

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