I love samosas.
I have been privileged to eat quite a few of those delectable mini-dinners while traveling in India, at home in Canada and a few other locales as well.
But today I discovered a new, and rather unlikely, source of samosa heaven.
We were on our way home. We had just left Kamloops and had not yet reached Merritt. We stopped in at the Britton Creek rest stop on the No. 5 Highway in British Columbia.
I saw the snack truck and assumed it would be the usual fare of potatoe chips and hot dogs. Then I saw that the banner also listed samosas.
I asked the man in the truck, “Are your samosas any good?”
“No,” he said, “I don’t know why I drive 63 kilometers from Merritt every day to set this truck up and try to sell those awful samosas.”
I tried again, “No, seriously, who makes your samosas?”
“My wife makes them. But she can’t really cook. I don’t know why she bothers. They’re not any good.”
By this time Kevin had joined me. Now we were both laughing.
“How big are they?” I said.
He held up his hands and made a teeny-tiny triangle with his fingers, “They’re really small and terrible.”
I grinned.
“I’ll try the vegetable samosa.”
He went to the back of the truck and came back with a wax paper bag holding a perfectly-sized hot & crispy treat. “Make sure you try the tamarind sauce,” he said, handing over the plate with the little tub of red sauce.
I drizzled some sauce on the corner and took a bite.
“Oh,” I said.
I looked at him and smiled. A big veggie samosa smile…
Kevin had finished his smokie, so he reached over and took a bite from samosa. Clearly a dangerous move on his part. I had truly bonded with that samosa.
“Oh,” he said, wiping his lips, “I’d also like a veggie samosa, please.”
I waved at the man to stop. “Wait. I’d like another one. Please add a chicken samosa to that order.”
If you’re traveling the Coquihalla Highway, between Merritt and Kamloops, stop in and grab some samosas from Manjit Ahuja’s snack truck.
You can also buy them from his wife and fabulous-samosa-maker, Sumati Ahuja (aka Bala) at the Visitors Centre in Merritt.
Tell them you want lots of those really small, truly awful samosas.
The best samosas I have ever had in my life!
I’ve never been in India but there was a time where I volunteer at the Wildlife Trust, an Indian young boy used to bring all sorts of goodies that his Mom had cooked for us, among those were some veggie samosas and Mmm….. they were good. Everybody appreciated them and they were gone in no time. I too love samosas.
What a wonderful story Catherine. Food connects us all in such a meaningful way. One day I’d like to get back to India, meanwhile, I will keep looking for good samosas.
What time is the food truck open? We’re heading through for Easter (Friday) and don’t want to miss samosas!
I’m sorry but I don’t know. I’m traveling in Greece right now. I think it’s still there…good luck!
Hi Colleen thanks for the post Samosas in Merritt that’s my little bro he is awesome yeah his wife Bala makes the Samosa fresh every morning we all there Samosas. Thanks again
My pleasure, it’s always a treat to go by and get some of those tasty treats 🙂
And where are you now that the rest stop has closed. I want a dozen of your samosas please. Love them. I tried to find some I. Merritt, but couldn’t find anything that compared.
Sorry to hear that they’re no longer there. Those samosas were fabulous.
I was just there Aug 26th and they were there. And the samosa
was delicious
That’s great news! Thanks for letting me know.
Thanks for the tip. We might be passing through on our way home from our golf getaway at the end of Sept.
In my quest to find good accommodation in the Phoenix area for next Feb, I discovered through our FB connection that you’re either a member or have tried “Airbnb.” Do you recommend it?
Hey Martha, say hi to Manjit for me if you stop in 🙂
I haven’t actually used Airbnb but a fellow travel-writer told me it worked well. The other one that I know people seem to have success with is Vacation Rental By Owner. Not sure if you’re familiar with that one, but I know quite a few people that use it.