If there’s one thing about the monsoons that the quintessential Mumbaikar looks out for, it’s the cuisine that comes associated. It’s a regular sight: Kebabs on skewers being readied for customers huddled in groups below umbrellas at corners of lanes or ready-to-binge on bright-yellow bhuttas lines up on wooden planks; amidst marketplaces even on the pavement.
Nagpada and all along Mohammad Ali Road are known for roadside vendors making brilliant kebabs that come meaty and so soft that they almost melt in the mouth. The boti kebabs garnished with onions, chopped tomatoes and fresh mint leaves are simply too good to be avoided.
And then, there are the usual sheesh kebabs which turn out to be the best bets for meals. Sheesh kebabs permit one to use any combination of meats, seafood, fruits and/or vegetables to please any palate, making it the most preferred choice. Kebab buffs swear by the multiple uses of the food item.
The mouth-watering world of kebabs
Kebabs can be prepared well in advance as opposed to most other foods that need to be cooked and served fresh. It’s the best thing to make when you want to indulge in a social gettogether without having to stay in the kitchen for long hours
For the uninitiated, it may be news to note that Reshmi Kebab’s origins can be traced back to the Moghul era. The name is derived from the succulence of the meat after prolonged marinating and light braising. While usually, chicken, beef or lamb meat is used, sometimes prawns or scallops are good substitutes too.
And, the monsoons associated with kebabs aren’t restricted to benefit non-vegetarians only, there’re the luscious Hara Bhara Kebabs that are ‘hot favourites’ among vegetarians.
People enjoying corn bhuttas on the roadMade with a mildly-spiced mix of various greens according the name ‘hara bhara’, the kebab’s mix is precooked and comes in the form of patties. They’re so simple to make even at home.
Whenever one’s ready to serve, all that’s needed to do is deep-fry the kebabs in hot oil. One could serve with sweet and spicy jelly dip. All it takes is less than five minutes to prepare.
Corny ways of cooking corn
After a wet-to-the-bones bath in the monsoon rains, one craves for a cup of hot adrak chai (ginger-tea)and a delicious hot bhutta (corn). The monsoon experience is incomplete without a nice sumptuous corn binge. And, that’s not all…there are umpteen ways in which one can prepare corn, to satisfy one’s ‘snacky’ craving
Here goes a rundown of a few corn recipes you must try at home itself now in the monsoons:
Corn Bhel
Ingredients: 300 gm boiled corn, three onions, three tomatoes, three boiled potatoes, one capsicum, 100 gm paneer, 50 gm sev, some chat masala, chilli powder, coriander and salt to taste.
Method: First, finely chop all the above-mentioned vegetables. Then, mix the boiled corn with the vegetables in a bowl. Add salt, chilli powder and chat masala to taste. Don’t forget the garnishing: sev and corriander!
Fried Corn
Ingredients: 200 gm corn, one tomato, one onion, oil, paneer slices and coriander leaves for garnishing.
Method: First, fry the finely chopped onions in a pan till they turn golden brown. Then, add the tomato and after a couple of minutes, mix the corn. While you let the mixture fry, add chilly powder, paneer slices and salt to taste. And, the fried corn is ready!
Makai Masaledar
Ingredients: 200 gm corn, three potatoes, three onion, some green or red chillies, garlic paste, sugar, lime juice, oil, jeera powder, coconut, coriander and salt to taste.
Method: To start with, boil the makai and finely chopped potatoes. Then, take a bowl and mix the oil, garlic paste, jeera powder, lime juice and chillies. Once that is done, all you have to do is add the corn, potatoes, chopped tomatoes and onions to the mixture. Now, garnish it with some coriander leaves and freshly grated coconut…you’re ready to serve!
Cheese Corn
Ingredients: 300 gm corn, ten cheese cubes, three onions, two tomatoes, two potatoes, oil, green chillies, garam masala, lemon, jeera powder, coriander and salt to taste.
Method: Crush the boiled corn and add finely chopped boiled potatoes, tomatoes and onions to it. Later add it to a pan in which you’ve heated chillies and jeera. After frying the mixture for about a minute, add coriander, garam masala (mixture of powdered spices) and salt. Follow this with a lavish sprinkling of finely grated cheese cubes and then, lemon juice and coriander leaves.
Chatpata Corn
Ingredients: 300 gms corn, three potatoes, two onions, one spoon mustard seed, oil, green chillies, coriander leaves (optional), lemon juice, water, asafoetida (hing) and salt to taste.
Method: You need to soak the corn kernels in water for about six hours and then boil it. After that heat some oil in a pan and add mustard seed, green chilli, lemon juice and some salt. Then, chop the boiled potatoes and fry it. Serve the cooked corn and fried potatoes in a plate. If you wish, you could garnish with coriander leaves.
Fried all the way
The monsoon experience is incomplete without a plateful of mouth-watering pakoras or bhajias (as known in Mumbai) and a cup of hot adrak (ginger) tea. Pakoras or bhajias can range from onion pakora or kanda bhajji, potato pakora or batata bhajji, cauliflower pakora, bell pepper pakora, paneer pakora or as assortment of pakoras called mix bhajias or bhajji.
Bhajias, vada pav and samosa are the favourite (as Maharashtrians call it). For those looking for that extra tinge of taste, a serving of imli or tamarind chutney or mint chutney does it all.
The mere mention of Samosa triggers all kinds of gastric senses and more so during the monsoons. And, samosas too have graduated from just a potato-filled samosa to veg samosa, pasta samosa, paneer samosa, kheema samosa, and so on and forth.
And, last but not the least, kachoris too have come a long way in becoming a permanent feature of the fried items stall in markets, tourist places, etc. A dal kachori or a onion kachori are the perfect answer for that snacky craving of the monsoon evening. And, just like samosa and pakora, a cup of hot ginger tea will be the best accompaniment to go with hot kachoris.
Despite all the inconveniences they cause, monsoon rains are the most beautiful in Mumbai and are the perfect reason to binge on Mumbai’s staple food, the vada pav. It tastes even better when served with a red chutney powder or green chilli or coriander chutney.
Monsoon food cravings
Monsoon is the best time to visit India, especially for the foodies. If you enjoy eating street food, the many monsoon special food items are just what you’re looking for. Each state in India offers a different speciality of monsoon food.
In West Bengal, for example, aloo chops (a fried dish stuffed with mashed potato) and egg rolls (similar to spring rolls) are a favourite during the monsoon season. The stuffing used for the popular aloo chops dish is made of mashed potato, flavoured with tomato slices, green peas, ginger paste, spices, etc.
People from the northeast states like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, etc., are fond of momos, more so during the rains. Served hot, this dish offers an unforgettable experience to the food lovers during monsoons.
In Gujarat, monsoon is a snacky affair where Methu na gota, made of chickpea batter mixed with dried fenugreeks and fried golden brown. Hot dal vadas are also extremely popular during monsoons on the streets of cities in Gujarat. Dal vadas are served with raw onion slices and fried chillies.