If you have ever had tikone in Lucknow, you know what a samosa should truly be. Smaller than the common samosa, the shell must always be khasta (loosely translated as crisp yet flaky), and the filling must be mildly spiced to highlight both, the inside and outside. And it should be hot—straight off the wok. It’s been a long time since our last tikone, savoured on the banks of Gomti river, watching the sun go down. You just don’t get them elsewhere.

Then one evening, when friends dropped by impromptu, we called in some ready-to-fry snacks from the neighbourhood store. Among the plethora of non-veg snacks was Goeld’s Punjabi Samosa, which raised our expectations to the bare minimum, considering that it cost just Rs 180 for 15 pieces.