Samosa Pav

Samosa Pav is a popular Mumbai street food made by stuffing a crisp, savory samosa inside a soft pav. Green chutney, sweet tamind chutney and optional dry garlic chutney add spicy, tangy and sweet flavors. This filling snack is easy to assemble at home with homemade or store-bought samosas and pav.

About Samosa Pav

Samosa Pav is similar to Vada Pav, but it uses a samosa instead of a Potato Vada. The samosa is placed inside a sliced Pav along with green chutney, sweet tamarind chutney and, optionally, the dry garlic red chilli chutney commonly used in Maharashtrian street food. Fried green chillies may also be served on the side.

In Mumbai, pav (dinner rolls) is an important part of the local food culture. It is used to make popular street foods such as vada pav, samosa pav, bhajiya pav and the simple samosa sandwich. Pav is also served with curries and sabzis, much like chapati or roti.

For this recipe, you can make Punjabi Samosa (fried version), Singara (Bengali Samosa), Onion Samosa or the healthier Baked Samosa.

You can also use samosas and pav bought from a shop. If pav is unavailable, use burger buns or bread to make an Indian-style Samosa Sandwich or slider.

Use any or all of these chutneys for layering inside the pav:

1. Green Chutney
2. Imli Chutney (Tamarind Chutney)
3. Dry Garlic Chutney, optional

You can prepare the green chutney and sweet tamarind chutney a day in advance and refrigerate these. Store-bought sweet tamarind chutney can also be used for convenience.

More Maharashtrian Street Food Snacks To Try

• Pav Bhaji
• Misal Pav
• Masala Pav
• Kanda Bhaji
• Sabudana Vada

How to make Samosa Pav (Stepwise)

1. Firstly, assemble all the ingredients mentioned below: 

• 4 pav (dinner rolls)
• 4 medium to large samosa
• 1 small bowl green chutney
• 1 small bowl sweet tamarind chutney
• 1 tablespoon dry garlic chutney

2. Slice the pav in half, without breaking it.

3. Spread some green chutney on both sides as required.

4. Now, spread some sweet tamarind chutney on both sides as required.

5. If you have garlic chutney, sprinkle it on one side or both sides of the pav.

6. Slightly flatten the samosa and place it on the pav.

7. Close the pav and serve Samosa Pav as soon as you make it.

If kept for a long time, then the pav becomes soggy due to the chutneys. While serving, you can serve with a few fried green chilies, green chutney or sweet tamarind chutney.

Helpful Tips

1. Bread options: If pav is unavailable, use burger buns, dinner rolls or regular bread. Choose soft bread so that it holds the samosa and chutneys without breaking.
2. Dry garlic chutney: The dry garlic chutney adds a spicy and garlicky flavor. You can skip it if you do not have it or prefer a milder Samosa Pav.
3. Fried green chillies: Fried and salted green chillies pair well with Samosa Pav. Serve them on the side if you prefer some extra heat.
4. Homemade or store-bought: For the best flavor, make the pav, samosas and chutneys at home. When short on time, you can easily assemble this dish using store-bought ingredients.
5. Serving suggestions: Samosa Pav is filling enough for breakfast or brunch. You can also enjoy it as an evening snack with a cup of Masala Chai.
6. Healthier option: For a lighter version, use whole wheat pav with a baked or air-fried whole wheat samosa. You can also spread less chutney if you want to reduce the sweetness and spiciness.

A few leftover ideas with samosa that you can try:

• Samosa Chaat
• Samosa Sandwich

Samosa Pav recipe from the blog archives was first published on Jan 2018.