Bolivia Goes Bollywood: Samosas and Salteñas
Concept and Feature By Sue Menon @snack.with.sue
Illustrated by JW @hungryartistny
Illustration by @hungryartistny.
When I visited Bolivian Llama Party for the first time, I already knew I had to get a salteña. After waiting a few minutes, a chubby golden pastry with a tidy braid on top appeared. I had read online that a salteña is a savory pastry with stew inside. I was eager to try it. However, not being accustomed as to how to properly eat a salteña, I admit I spilled some of the delicious stew inside - what a waste! I’ve since discovered one secret is to hold the salteña upright so the liquid doesn’t spill out. The salteña came with a green sauce which I learned is called llajua. To my Indian eyes, this pairing reminded me of samosa and green chutney.
A salteña is a Bolivian savory pastry traditionally filled with chicken or beef stew. But how does one get stew inside a pastry? The answer is by adding gelatin to the soup mixture and having it set overnight. The dough is a golden color because of ají pepper paste, made with ají amarillo, a yellow pepper traditional to the Andean region. Salteñas are accompanied by llajua, typically made with tomatoes, locoto, a hot pepper and quilquiña, which is an herb that can be compared to cilantro, but has its own flavor. BLP doesn’t use tomatoes, so their llajua has a bright green hue.
Photo by @snack.by.sue.
Samosas are also a savory pastry beloved in India. I was surprised to learn that this iconic Indian snack was actually introduced to India by traders from Central Asia and known as samsa. The dough is made with all-purpose flour, locally known as maida, and traditionally filled with potatoes and peas. This mixture is combined with spices, enveloped in dough and deep fried in vegetable oil. Samosas are accompanied by red chutney, made with tamarind, or green chutney, made with cilantro. A quick poll of Indian friends and family did not reveal the names of these chutneys. They’re simply called by their colors, lal (red) or hari (green). Note: The samosas pictured here are from Cardamom Indian Cuisine but the samosas are not the star at this restaurant! Cardamom offers dishes from Goa, a very interesting part of India. India was a British colony, but Goa was controlled by the Portuguese. Try their Indo-Portuguese dishes!
In reality, salteñas and samosas aren’t all that similar. They’re not the distant cousins I wanted them to be. They are from different continents, have distinctive preparations and different spice blends. Samosas are deep fried and salteñas are baked. Betraying my own Indian culture, I must admit, samosas are missing the magic of capturing a stew inside of a pastry. However, they are both golden in color and of course come with their respective vibrant green sauces.
Samosas or Salteñas, either way, you can’t go wrong. Enjoy & Provecho!
The salteñas pictured here are from Bolivian Llama Party. The samosas are from Cardamom Indian Cuisine. Both will be participating in this year’s Sunnyside Restaurant Week, happening April 14-20. For more information, visit sunnysideshines.org/sunnysiderestaurantweek.
For more Queens food content on Instagram, follow Sue on @snack.with.sue!
Bolivian Llama Party is located at 44-14 48th Ave, Queens, NY 11377.
Cardamom Indian Cuisine is located at 43-45 43rd street, Queens Blvd, 11104.