The monsoons have arrived. The skies areovercast, there are constant traffic jams and kids are jumping vigorously into puddles, taking much too literally the ad campaign that tells them “stains are good”.
Anyone and everyone who has a social media account makes it their moral responsibility to inform people about the arrival of the season – with an armoury of hashtags at their disposal. There’s the ubiquitous #Petrichor and #Rains and then just about everythinggoes.
Of course, some people have an inherentlove for clichés and run down to the tapriwala for some chai and pakoda.
If you don’t like clichés, however – or simply can’t find achaiwalla that shares your enthusiasm for the season, we’ve picked out 5 fooditems you can enjoy this monsoon. Go ahead, have a sample!
1. Mughlai Parantha
The people of Bengal are partial to theMughlai Parantha during the monsoon and with good reason. This flatbread made of refined flour isstuffed with potatoes or lentils – or even meat – and generously spiced up withgreen chilies. Lip smacking and with a kick of spice, it makes for the perfectmonsoon snack. It’s served warm with a curry.
2. Corn
Having bhutta while getting drenched hasalways been a favourite. But if you would rather not venture out or just wantsomething at home, corn is still your answer. Corn kernels served with generousdollops of butter, salt, masala and a squeeze of lemon can warm the cockles ofyour heart. Their sweet taste provides a refreshing contrast to the tanginessof lemon and the masala gives it a hint of spice making sure that this dish hasa lot of takers.
3. Bombay Sandwich
You haven’t tried a good sandwich till youhave tried a Bombay Grill Sandwich. We are talking 3 layers of yummy veggiesand crunchy bread – topped off with an enormous helping of cheese. The sandwichalso features chutney, butter and for those looking to be extra healthy,beetroot. You can’t go wrong with this one in the rainy season.
4. Garlic Bread
You can rarely go wrong with recipes thatinvolve butter and cheese. Throw in some bread and some garlic and this becomesthe stuff of legend. Bread is slathered with soft butter that has the flavourof garlic, sprinkled with lots of cheese, and baked. This is love at first bite.
And while theseason makes you want to throw caution to the wind and go on a romantic drive,kissing doesn’t come recommended after copious amounts of garlic bread have beenconsumed. Remember you heard it here first!
5. Hot Chocolate
While chai will remain a favourite, youcannot deny the fact that hot chocolate can give tea some serious competition.Warm milk mixed with chocolate and topped with cream can make for a decadent,fun alternative. Add some chocolate shavings on top and you won’t want to tryanything else this season. Let’s show the hot chocolate some serious love.
(Mansi Shah is founder of the blog Damsel in Destress which reviews experiences as varied as spas, books and plays. Mansi is, by her own admission, “clueless” at 30 with an easy penchant for humour.)
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