Samosa vs Momo
Its India versus China all over again. Okay so not China actually but close. I mean how far is Tibet?
Our humble samosa. Loved, revered, devoured. It enjoys cult status in India. For the uninitiated (I doubt there are any in India at least), it’s our favourite street snack in north India. (Almost a national snack.)
It is made of everything sinful. White flour, kneaded and flattened, stuffed with potatoes and lots of spicy masala, deep fried in oodles of oil and served with tangy chutney which is in turn made with a liberal amount of sugar and tamarind. The result is heavenly. Mouth watering and delicious, you–cant-eat–just-one type. And never mind that it goes and settles around your waistline like so much fat. The fact is that it also settles in your heart and soul via your taste buds. And we Indians just can’t resist it. All the international fast food chains have not been able to diminish its charm. No burger, no fries, no pizza comes close. No doubt they are great in their own right but the true Indian’s heart lies with the samosa. It appears in front of you at the drop of a hat. Raining today? Samosa? Tired after a bout of that street shopping? Samosa. Yaar kuchh mazedar khaya jaye? Samosa. Need a snack on the run? Samosa.
And now gaining alarming popularity is what the cynics call in Punjabi, ‘ublya samosa’. They might look down at it with superior disdain, but the Momo, a staple from our neighbours up north, is fast becoming a hit snack too. The ingredients in the Samosa and Momo are more or less the same. White flour, kneaded and flattened and a stuffing of spicy vegetable mix. But this is where the similarity ends. The Momo is steamed instead of being fried like the Samosa. And it is served with a spicy hot dip. So for the discerning health freak who also likes his street food, the Momo is a winning bet.
And then there are the variations common to both. The stuffing can be of variety of yummy ingredients, chicken, keema, dry masala, tangy masala, sweet masala etc.
After all remember the echo of long ago, ‘Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai’?
