Burmese samosa soup is a popular street food in Burma. It is a hearty and delicious dish that is quite easy to make at home. There are 2 main components in this samusa soup - samosa and dal.
The spicy lentil soup aka dal is quick to make. I use the Instant pot but you can either make it in a pressure cooker or even on the stove top. Serve hot soup with chopped samosa, falafel and shredded cabbage.
Table of contents
About the recipe
You know my love for street food. In that quest, I have tried quite a few different dishes from around the world, like this scrumptious Indian bread omelette or this amazing Polish Zapiekanka.
Here, I have a popular street food from Burma/ Myanmar. This Burmese samosa soup or thouk is spicy, hearty and absolutely delicious. The best part is this recipe is easy to make at home too. Whenever I have extra samosa, this is the first dish that comes to mind.
The soup part of this dish is basically a spicy lentil soup similar to everyday Indian dal. Samosa and falafel are dunked into the hot soup and then topped with a crunchy cabbage topping. A generous squeeze of lemon juice perks everything up.
There are quite a few variations of this Burmese samusa soup recipes available. But, this is a very easy version with toor dal. I use the Instant pot to cook the dal and store bought samosa for convenience. All in all this is a filling meal for any time of the day.
Ingredients
For the details of the exact quantities of each ingredient and the list of ingredients needed, check the printable recipe card below.
Here are the ingredients to need to make Burmese soup:
- Lentils ~ I use toor dal, but you can use red lentils or masoor dal instead. I have also seen recipes that use black chana/ chickpeas.
- Onions, green chilies and cilantro.
- Tamarind paste
- Spices - red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt.
The other ingredients you need are:
- Samosa ~ feel free to use store bought or frozen samosa. You can of course make your own samosa.
- Falafel ~ optional, but I highly recommend adding these. I use frozen falafel here.
- Shredded lettuce or cabbage for topping. I sometimes even use store bought coleslaw mix.
- Lemon wedges and scallions, for topping.
Instructions
For the detailed instructions on how to make the recipe with exact timings, check the printable recipe card below.
Here is how to make Burmese samosa soup recipe:
Make the Lentil Soup
Turn on the Instant pot on Sauté mode. Add oil and once hot, add the dry chilies and once they start to change color, add onions and green chilies; cook till the onions are soft.
Add the drained toor dal along with water, ground coriander, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and pepper. Mix well and make sure to remove any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan to avoid any burnt dish.
Turn off the 'Sauté' mode and lock in the lid. Turn on the 'High Pressure/ Manual' mode and cook until done. Once the pressure subsides, open the lid and whisk the dal to make it creamy and smooth.
Stir in tamarind paste and ½~1 cup of water to thin the soup. Cook on 'Sauté' mode until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Assemble Samosa Soup
Divide the soup evenly in 4 serving bowls. Add 2 small samosa or 1 big chopped samosa and 2 falafel. Top with the sliced cabbage, lemon wedges, cilantro and scallions. Serve hot and Enjoy!!
Expert Tips
- To make the soup, you can use either toor dal or red lentils/ masoor dal. You can also add some black chana/ chickpeas.
- Feel free to use store-bought or frozen samosa. Just make sure to reheat them thoroughly before serving. You can of course make your own samosa.
- Falafel are optional, but I highly recommend adding these. I use frozen falafel here.
- You can use either shredded lettuce or cabbage for topping. I sometimes even use store bought coleslaw mix.
- Make the lentil soup up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. Reheat until heated through before serving.
You might also like
Here are few more delicious lentil recipes that you might want to try:
I love hearing from you!! If you’ve tried this and liked it, then don't forget to let me know. Give a star rating and let me know in the comments below. Also tag me in your creations on Instagram @cooks_hideout. I love sharing photos when people make my recipes. You can use the hashtag #cookshideout too.
Recipe Card
Burmese Samosa Thouk
Ingredients
For the Lentil Soup:
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1~2 Dry Red chilies
- 1 Small Onion, finely chopped
- 2 Green Chilies, slit
- ½ cup Toor Dal, rinsed and drained
- 1½ cups Vegetable stock or Water, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- ½~1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- To taste Salt & Pepper
- 1~2 tablespoons Tamarind pulp
Other Ingredients:
- 4 Samosa, warmed
- 8 Falafel, warmed
- As needed Cabbage, very thinly sliced
- As needed Cilantro, finely chopped
- As needed Lemon wedges
- As needed Scallions, finely chopped
Instructions
Make the Burmese Soup in Instant Pot:
- Turn on the Instant pot on Sauté mode. Add oil and once hot, add the dry chilies and once they start to change color, add onions and green chilies; cook till the onions are soft.1 tablespoon Oil, 1~2 Dry Red chilies, 1 Small Onion, finely chopped, 2 Green Chilies, slit
- Add the drained toor dal along with water, ground coriander, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and pepper. Mix well and make sure to remove any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan to avoid any burnt dish.Turn off the 'Sauté' mode and lock in the lid. Turn on the 'High Pressure/ Manual' mode and cook for 8-10 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and quick release the rest.½ cup Toor Dal, rinsed and drained, 1½ cups Vegetable stock or Water, plus more as needed, 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander, ½~1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili powder, 1 teaspoon Garam Masala, To taste Salt & Pepper
- Open the lid and whisk the dal to make it creamy and smooth. Stir in tamarind paste and ½~1 cup of water to thin the soup. Cook on 'Sauté' mode for 3~4 minutes or until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.1~2 tablespoons Tamarind pulp
To Serve:
- Divide the soup evenly in 4 serving bowls. Add 2 small samosa or 1 big chopped samosa and 2 falafel. Top with the sliced cabbage, lemon wedges, cilantro and scallions. Serve hot and Enjoy!!4 Samosa, warmed, 8 Falafel, warmed, As needed Cabbage, very thinly sliced, As needed Cilantro, finely chopped, As needed Scallions, finely chopped, As needed Lemon wedges
Video
Notes
- To make the soup, you can use either toor dal or red lentils/ masoor dal. You can also add some black chana/ chickpeas.
- Feel free to use store-bought or frozen samosa. Just make sure to reheat them thoroughly before serving. You can of course make your own samosa.
- Falafel are optional, but I highly recommend adding these. I use frozen falafel here.
- You can use either shredded lettuce or cabbage for topping. I sometimes even use store bought coleslaw mix.
- Make the lentil soup up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. Reheat until heated through before serving.
M.Gayathri Raani
Oh, yum yum. What a fantastic street food! That samosa with the soup and cabbage looks absolutely inviting..
Karyl Henry
I love eating all kinds of ethnic foods, but I don't think I've ever tried Burmese food before! I definitely need to change that. This soup looks really delicious and comforting, perfect for cold winter weather
Claudia Lamascolo
this sure looks like a hearty flavorful soup I am not familiar with this but I would sure like a taste right now looks good
Gloria
This sounds like such an interesting soup. I love samosa's. I love trying new flavours of the world. This would make a great dinner any night of the week, and I can imagine the leftovers would taste even better.
harini
That is a definitely appealing street food from Burma and love the addition of falafel as well. That is new to me.
Vanessa Price
This has my name written all over it! My husband and I are crazy about samosas. We will definitely be giving this one a try.
Veena Azmanov
Oh, I love Burmese samosa. In California, there used to be the wonderful Burmese restaurant that served these and we always ordered it. Now I know how to make it. Sounds easy. Love it.
Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth
Running through the ingredients and looking at the pictures, I can't help salivating! I love a good samosa chaat and this soup sounds just like that... Looks totally lipsmacking!
Mahy Elamin
I love this soup! An interesting mix of ingredients! My family will definitely like it!
Priya Suresh
Omg, this is too much.. Am already drooling over that bowl..What a fabulous soup.. Would like to finish that bowl immediately. Hearty and comforting ..
Marisa Franca
The soup looks so good and the ingredients you use in it would give the dish an exotic flavor. We love to try new recipes and the soup plus the samosa would be a welcome change. Your photos are definitely drool worthy.
Dan Zehr
Wow, how amazing does that look! I'm sure this is incredibly delicious! YUM!
Tammy
Your samosa looks so good in that soup...it's truly a perfect pairing. This dish is hearty and so flavorful...sure to hit the spot! I wish I could have some right now 😀
Natalie
This soup sounds wonderful. True Fall warming soup perfect for chilly evenings. Love the spices you used here and flavors sounds amazing. Love it!
Padmajha PJ
Such a yummy and filling soup / meal. I must try this one though it has been in my bookmarks for so long! Awesome clicks Pavani.I first admire your pics and then only go on to read to recipes 🙂
Suma Gandlur
I remembered Vaishali as soon as I read your recipe name. 🙂 Your clicks do justice to this yummy street food. Samosas and falafel dunked in a spicy base. What is not to like there?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
I remebber Vaishali's post as well and was very curious then to see how this would taste. Now that you are comparing sambhar vada to the spicy dal and samosa, I really want to taste some! I have some frozen mini samosas. I will try this recipe with that.
Chef Mireille
what a unique soup - I don't remember seeing it on Vaishali's site but we read so many recipes - easy for us to forget isn't it - but I would definitely want to try this
Ritu Tangri
You have put me in dilemma. By looking at your pics and reading your description, I'm tempted to have this soup but I love samosas so much that there are never leftover samosa. So, should I eat samosa or use it in soup is a dilemma. I think I should go for later to know which one tastes better. Isn't it?
Renu
Wow samosa dunked into Dal, I second you for wada sambar or you can even say our very own samosa chole chat, except it's a Dal here. Loved your clicks they are making me drool.