JOIN USPower puff delicacy
Say Japanese food and sushi is what comes to the mind immediately. But mix Indian and Japanese culinary fare and what you get is a Japanese samosa.
Set in a narrow lane of Old Lajpat Rai Market of Walled City, Manohar Dhaba running since 1949 serves the most unusual dish in the world – Japani samosa – served with chole. The combination is as unique as the dish. When asked about this Japanese samosa, JK Dogra, a patron here says, “Many years ago I got introduced to this samosa and fell in love with it. I have not been able to find a dish like this anywhere.”
Owner Umesh Kumar shares, “My tayaji, Lala Manohar Lal started making Japani samosa in Lahore and owned a shop at Nispat Road opposite Dyal Singh College in pre-independent India. After partition, he came to India and ended up being in Chandni Chowk area, where he began his Japani story again.” Talking about the texture of Japani samosa, Umesh says, “Every Japani samosa has 60 layers, 30 on each side. The layers are so fine that you will not be able to count them even with a magnifying glass.” Inside the samosa, one finds a simple stuffing of mashed potatoes and peas with fresh coriander and pieces of green chilies.
Even the chole or Pindi chana served along with this unusual snack has an unmatched taste. Umesh says, “We put only spices and ghee in our Pindi chana and keep them over burning coals. We don’t use the gas stove. This is what makes them the best.” Even Indira Gandhi could not resist trying this one of a kind samosa. Umesh recollects an incident from his childhood, “Indira Gandhi was fond of cooking and her personal assistant came to my father to get the technique for making the samosa.”
Customers Harish and Renu Anand from Gurgaon say, “We have been eating Japani samosa for the last 40 years but after we shifted to Gurgaon from Daryaganj we miss eating this delicacy. There is absolutely no snack that can beat its taste. We have come here after a gap of three years and have also got some samosas packed for our kids.”
A usual samosa may become soggy and lose its taste in a day but these samosas remain crisp till for as long as 15 days. Umesh says, “The preparation starts at 4 am and takes three to four hours, unlike a normal samosa.”
H S Chadha travels from New Rajinder Nagar to get a taste of these Japani samosa. He says, “We have been eating Japani samosa since it was priced at Re 1 and now it costs Rs 10 but tastes just the same.”