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Samosa thoke
Samosa thoke: Yangon's chopped samosa salad in spiced lentil broth
Samosa thoke is pure Yangon street food, born from the city's Indian-Burmese communities: vendors on Mahabandoola Road chop crisp samosas into a bowl with cabbage, onion and mint, ladle over a thin, spiced lentil broth (pe hin ye), and finish it with tamarind, chilli and a squeeze of lime. The samosas soften at the edges while the middle stays crunchy, and the whole bowl is hot, sour and savoury. Use vegan samosas made without ghee. Chef's tip: ladle the broth over at the very last moment and eat straight away; samosa thoke left to sit turns soggy fast.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the lentil broth
For the salad
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Simmer 3 ½ oz chana dal (split chickpeas) or yellow split peas in 4 ¼ cups water over a medium heat for 30–35 minutes, until very soft and starting to break up.
35 minStep 2: Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium heat and fry 1 onion for 6–8 minutes until golden. Add 2 garlic cloves, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin and ½ tsp garam masala and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
8 minStep 3: Stir the onion mixture and 1 tsp salt into the lentils and whisk to break up some of the dal. The broth should be thin and soupy with soft lentils floating in it; add hot water if needed. Keep it hot.
Step 4: Cut the warm 8 vegetable samosas into bite-sized pieces with scissors, straight into four bowls.
Step 5: Top each bowl with 5 ½ oz white cabbage, 1 red onion, 1 handful fresh mint leaves and 1 handful fresh coriander, then drizzle with 2 tbsp tamarind paste and sprinkle with 1 tsp chilli powder and 2 green chillies.
Step 6: Ladle 2 big spoonfuls of the hot broth over each bowl just before eating and squeeze over 1 lime. A common mistake is drowning the samosas; use just enough broth to soften the edges while the centres stay crisp.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does samosa thoke take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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