ATP is always searching for tips on good Pakistani food (see here), and as I have a long history with food experiments myself (see here). So here is my new discovery.
On our last trip to buy oriental grocery we were surprised beyond words to find ‘Tsingtao Curry Samosa‘ and ‘Paratha – which taste like authentic Indian’ in a refrigerator.
Both of these items were made in China. We immediately bought both items and I must confess they both tasted very good. Samosa filling was made of Chinese curry and Parathas were puff Parathas. You gotta taste them to believe me.
Today I couldn’t resist and took these photos of ‘made in China’ samosa box to share with all of you.
For those who are really interested in knowing the recipe’ of this Chinese samosa, here are the ingredients which I am faithfully copying from the box:
Cabbage, Wheat Flour, Water, Potato, Mushroom, Onion, Carrot, Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Salt, Soy Sauce and Curry powder.
I believe there is a big food export business going on between China and South Asia. On a trip to China in 2001, I met a businessman from Mumbai who was manufacturing ‘Chinese dumplings’ in India and exporting them to China.
Now after writing all this I must also state that – with all due respect to China or India – no one can beat the taste of Samosas sold in United Bakery, Karimabad Chowrangi Karachi.
As the poet says:
jo maza chajjoo de chobaaray
O na Balkh na Bukhaaray
The enjoyment that one gets on a native street corner
cannot be found in either Balkh or Bukhara
I remember this from when it was first posted.
This is really a story about a lost business opportunity. With globalization of food, sellling South Asian packed food in Europe and Americas is a BIG business. Go to a desi store in the US and you will find how Pakistanis and Pakistani companies are nearly absent in this market.
Another missed opportunity.
Caveat Emptor about Chinese Food Products and Medicines !
According to a recent news, Chinese food and medicinal items imported into the USA have caused tremendous harm and concern to both the Americans as well as the exporting Chinese.
The cough syrup which China exported to the USA contained some poisonous chemical labeled as Glycerine as a result of which some human casualties occurred. The Chinese pet food was also adulterated and led to harm hundreds of pet cats and dogs. Chinese toys for children were found made of injurius plastic material deadly for children who usually put their mouths to such toys. Based upon these incidences, there are strong grounds to suspect all food and medicinal stuff exported by China to Pakistan as ”injurious to human health”
and warrants that this stuff better be avoided .
Although China taking an immediate cognizance of the above situation has already hanged its concerned high official or minister holding him responsible for reported adulteration and bringing bad name to China and Chinese products , at the same time issuing warning its manufactures and producers not let such incidence happen in future lest they wanted to lose their lives as per law. i wishe d if similar laws are also enforced in Pakistan and unscrupulous people are stopped from playing with the health and lives of fellow citizens by marketing adulterated and spurious food and medicinal stuff in the country, especially the rural areas and smaller towns.
How Hazrat Ameer Khusro regrets being not able to taste samosas has been captured by him in his following riddle:
SAMOSA KHAYA NA GAYA
JOOTA PEHNA NA GAYA
WHY???
Then he goes to reply himself: TALA NA THA ( means Samosa wasn’t cooked whereas the Shoe had no sole !)
Samosa thus has a long past history in the sub-subcontinent.
Fold, seal and fry anything edible, sweet or salty and spicy) in a thinned round sheet of unfermented tough dough and there you get one of the most delicious snacks, the SAMOSA.
You can eat it ‘neat’, with tea, lassi, sherbet or any other drink. you can even crush a samosa in Dahi Baras and have it! I have also seen Samosas made our of bread slices with some filling inside. In any case Samosa is a Samosa,,,an inexpensive snack food for any time, all times !
When filled with sweet filling, the Samaso is termed as Laddoo though some call it Malai Khaja ! Samosas could be of several shapes and sizes but only two or three wrapping/folding styles are commonly popular. Our samosa compete well with Chinese dumplings, ravioli, wontons, puddlings,rolls etc and are realtively cheaper. I have seen Samosa and rolls being produced in bulk on complete automatic plants in the United States where these products are sold to caterers and food chains as fresh or frozen. The products in this case are more hygenic and not like our Samosas (of Burns road) wherein I once found cigarette butts and hair and all sort of extraneous mixture getting in the filling ! Also, most of the samosas sold in halwai shops are fried in cheap dirty oil and are a threat to health. Better be careful when buying samosa or any fired stuff fom bakeries or halwais as they are usually produced no under strict hygenic conditions or with the pure igredients.
samoosa is so nice and you should try them
mmmmmmmmmmmmm :)
Good to read about Thsingtao Samosa products, I guess samosa product of this company is only available out of china, I live in Beijing, I havent seen any of this kind of products available on shelf in any grocery store. There are not many asians living here. There are some indian restuarants, which are bad, not only for price reasons but also for their bad quality products. urusman@gmail.com