Who doesn’t love biting into a hot, crispy samosa? Commonly stuffed with spiced potatoes, this fried snack is a tea-time favourite across the country. This popular snack is said to have originated in the Middle East — a triangular pastry stuffed with spiced meat called sanbusak. In India, samosas are commonly stuffed with spiced potato, cauliflower or even kheema.

However, this versatile snack lends itself to many kinds of fillings. Here are some unusual ones.

Boiled egg

If you love eggs, here are two variants of the stuffing — make anda bhurji with boiled eggs, lots of sliced onions, coriander and green chillies. An alternate method would be to shallow fry the boiled eggs (either whole or sliced in half) until they turn light brown on both sides. Sauté chopped onions, ginger and garlic pastes, spices of your choice, salt and chopped tomatoes. When the mixture dries out a bit, add the boiled eggs and mix gently. Let it cool down and the stuffing is ready.

Chatpata aloo-corn

This filling is a quick fix. Steam Godrej Yummiez American Sweet Corn and chopped potatoes. Season this mixture with red chilli powder, chaat masala, chopped coriander, diced onion and lemon juice (for extra tanginess) and mix it well. You can also add your choice of dried herbs.

Chilli cheese

The gooey, stringy cheese stuffing beautifully contrasts with the crisp, golden-brown crust of the samosa. Mix grated or shredded mozzarella cheese, finely chopped green chillies and diced onions. You can even replace the green chillies with chopped jalapenos and add dried oregano and herbs for a more western take.

Seekh kabab

This one is a good example of convenience cooking. Crumble Godrej Yummiez Chicken Lucknowi Seekh Kabab till it has a kheema-like consistency and sauté with chopped onions, coriander and green chillies. Roll out portions of the dough, add a spoon or two of the seekh kabab mixture, seal and fry the samosa until it turns golden brown.

Apple ‘pie’

A sweet samosa? Why not? While khoya-based samosas are a crowd-favourite, here’s a fruity, spicy treat that is a desi take on the popular apple pie. Chop apples and stew them in a syrup made with sugar, lemon zest, orange peel and spices such as cloves and cinnamon. Add raisins or chopped dates to this mixture (if you’d like extra sweetness) and cook for a minute until they turn soft. Let the mixture cool, add chopped almonds or cashews fried in ghee for extra crunch and use as filling for samosas.

Have you tried any unusual samosas? Share with us in the comments below.