Writer Ellen had little expectations for the supermarket samosa offerings, but was left wanting more
A Friday night takeaway is not complete without all of the fixings and trimmings. Whether you're a fan of a classic chicken tikka masala, madras, balti - you name it - the feast comes together when you've got your naan, poppadoms, onion bhajis, and of course, samosas, reports MyLondon.
But can supermarket own versions match up to the freshly crisp snacks you get from an Indian takeaway. I headed out to a few local supermarkets to see how they fare, with the prices updated to show what they cost now
I wanted crisp, flaky shells and a generous helping of aromatic veg. It didn't quite go to plan.
Sainsbury’s - £2.75
Sainsbury’s stumbled at the first hurdle, as their shelves were left barren by the lack of vegetable samosas. Luckily, I located a smaller version in their Indian Snack Selection as a handy replacement.
Despite being half the size of the rest, Sainsbury’s samosa managed to be the only one to crisp up. The centre of the triangle felt softer, failing to crack with a satisfying snap, even if it did it more than the rest.
Predominantly, its taste was of the booked veg, more specifically the spinach. However, the distinct lack of spicing was palpable. No tang of garam masala, ginger, coriander seeds or cumin appeared in the tiny triangle.
Its only saving grace was its hardened, crisp edges. I wanted to enjoy it more than I had but as it was void of its main flavours - the spicing - Sainsbury’s could only do so much.
Total - 2/5
Aldi - £1.19
Aldi ’s yellow tinted pastry allowed the samosa to stand out from the rest. As with Sainsbury’s contestant, the corners managed to crisp up, but sadly the pastry case was too thick to harden all the way through.
It was the complete antithesis of its predecessor, warm and aromatic with spices and a balanced ratio of filling to pastry. Although the vegetables were nothing special, with a lot of their textures melding into one another.
Despite Aldi’s samosa being a clear step up from Sainsbury’s, its pastry thickness knocked off a point, because no one likes eating a flabby pastry. Take it from Dame Mary Berry.
Total - 3/5
Tesco - £2.30
From first touch, Tesco’s samosa almost broke away in my hand - in a good way. Its top layer flaked away but underneath was rendered limp and lifeless. It reminded me of a squidgy pillow, not helped by the mushy potato-veg combo mix stuffed inside.
I couldn’t quite figure out where the soft pastry ended and the filling started. There wasn’t enough of a contrast between the textures, making it for an underwhelming and slightly off-putting mouthful.
I’m not sure whether the mulchy potato was a purposeful move, but it reminded me too much of baby food. Although its flavour profile and added spices were pleasantly adequate, my mind (and tongue) couldn’t see past the squashing filling. It could’ve been a clever idea to fill the empty space inside the pastry shell, but Tesco didn’t quite manage to achieve it in an enjoyable way.
Total - 2/5
M&S - £2.75
Where Tesco lacked in distinguishable textures, contained the complete opposite. Each individual vegetable was easily identifiable from the other.
I easily spied chunks of potato, peas and so forth in the centre, but this method meant there were glaring and growing gaps between the pastry and filling. My first mouthful consisted entirely of pastry, meaning it really needed to dig deep just to find the flavour punch.
It was less of an uppercut and more of a gentle tap. M&S’s samosa exuded smokiness but not the pang of spices I’d expected, lingering over my tongue with no real burst zing or kick.
Out of all of them, M&S’s was by far the greasiest, leaving my fingertips covered in oil. It’s no wonder the pastry around the centre couldn’t crisp up, a soggy bottom it was indeed.
Total - 3/5
No supermarket samosa can quite live up to a freshly fried pocket of flavour. They all needed to be heated in the oven, the complete opposite of how samosas should actually be cooked.
They serve a purpose but they don’t meet quality Indian cuisine standards. I can’t say I expected much and each of these supermarkets delivered on underwhelming promises. Personally, I’ll stick to takeaways.
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