RAWALPINDI: Although the city has much to offer when it comes to a quick lunch, from shawarmas to biryani or channay, many people seem to be opting for samosa chaat for a light lunch or even a tea-time snack.

The golden-fried pastries, stuffed with spicy potatoes and garnished with onions, mint and various chutneys is a ubiquitous menu item at tea stalls and restaurants in the city and cantonment areas.

However, a few outlets are best known for their take on samosa chaat.

Samosas are a traditional snack of the Indian subcontinent believed to have come from Iran, where they are called sanbusaq, which were introduced to the subcontinent during the rule of the Delhi Sultanate.

Samosas are equally famous in Punjab and Sindh,and there are regional varieties found all over the country.

Samosa chaat is a dish featuring samosas, served with chickpeas and chutneys.

A few yards from Saddar, the commercial hub of the cantonment areas, down a narrow street in Dehri Hassanabad is the famous Babar Samosa, which is known for its samosa chaat.

Babar Samosa’s specialty is the potato filling of the samosa and the variety of chutneys it comes with.

They serve samosas with apricot chutney, plum chutney, a sweet and sour tamarind chutney, a mint and green chilli chutney and ketchup, as well as chickpeas.

The preparation of the samosa is simple, and similar to those prepared by other outlets. Potatoes are boiled and flavoured with black pepper, green chillies and other spices before being wrapped in the triangular, baked pastry.

The samosa is served with various chutneys and cooked chickpeas.

Humayun Taj, the owner of Babar Samosa, said the samosas are made using the traditional method, with his mother’s recipe.

He added that the recipe is simple but the presentation and flavour is what sets their samosas apart from others.

“We made the dough from wheat flour samosa patti at home, and we make the filling ourselves at night to maintain quality. We then fry them in shallow pans with good quality oil,” he said.

An engineering student, Mr Taj said he opened the outlet two years ago. “I started with French fries, but then I started bringing samosas and gradually people began demanding samosas,” he said. The shop opens at 9am and finishes its stock by 6pm.

“My brother and I work with a helper for all nine hours, and due to the popularity, we are planning to open another shop in the main commercial areas, as people come to our shop demanding that we establish a shop in Saddar,” he said.

“I love to eat samosa chaat with different types of chutney,” said Westridge-III resident Hassan Ali, who added that he comes to Babar Samosa twice a week to pick up samosas for his family and his colleagues in Islamabad.

“The potato stuffing of the samosa is better because there are no large chunks of potato,” he added.

Harley Street resident Usman Haider said he has been visiting the shop for two years.

“Most people don’t know about this shop, otherwise I am sure they would love it. The best thing is that all the samosas are fresh and the chickpeas and chutneys are as well.”

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2018