Starters
Samosa, pakora or chaat? Choose your Indian starter
Samosas, pakora and chaat are three different ways to start an Indian meal. One centres on a filled pastry, another on battered ingredients, and the third combines crisp elements with sauces and toppings. At Samway Grill in Saskatoon, choosing between them is easier when you think about the texture you want before dinner.
Samosas: a filling inside crisp pastry
Samway’s Vegetable Samosas contain potato and peas in crisp pastry. Chicken Samosa is listed separately with chicken and potato. Read each menu entry carefully: the listed quantities differ, so do not assume two similarly named starters come with the same number of pieces.
A samosa is useful when you want a starter with a filling as well as a crisp outside. It is also a good example of why the complete menu name matters. Samosa Chana Chaat uses chopped samosas with chickpeas, yogurt and chutneys; it is a different dish, not just another serving of the plain starter.
Pakora: compare what is inside the batter
Crispy Vegetable Pakora is described as vegetables battered in chickpea flour, with mint and tamarind chutney. Paneer Pakora uses stuffed cottage cheese, and Fish Pakora uses marinated basa fish. The word pakora describes a family of choices, so the ingredient that follows it is important.
If your main already contains paneer, vegetable pakora can bring a different ingredient to the table. If you are building a meal around vegetable curries, you may prefer the contrast of a filled paneer starter. Explore the starters and chaat menu to compare descriptions together.
Chaat: crisp elements, sauces and toppings together
Chaat Papri on the Samway menu combines flour crisps with seasoned yogurt, chickpeas, potato, mint and tamarind chutney. Tikki Chana Chaat starts with potato patties, and Dahi Bhalla Papri Chaat includes lentil fritters. These are useful options when you want a sauced starter with several textures in each spoonful.
Because the toppings are part of the dish, chaat is a different eating experience from dipping a samosa or a piece of pakora. Think about whether you want a shared plate with sauces already combined or separate pieces that everyone can dip for themselves.
Match the starter to the rest of the table
Before adding more than one starter, look at the mains and sides you have chosen. A rich curry, naan and several filled starters can be a very different order from biryani with one small shared plate. There is no need to add an appetizer simply because it is the first section of the menu.
Check current quantities, descriptions and availability in the live ordering menu. For more help choosing the main, compare curry styles or read our first-order guide.
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