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If it wasnt for that piping hot masala chai and vegetable pakoras to go along with it,not many of us would have continued to enjoy the persistent downpour thats been on for the last couple of days! Be it a timid drizzle or a more generous downpour,its reason enough for all of us to be indulgent with our meals. Interestingly,that holds true for the rest of the country as well. From the countrys southern tip to its northern peak,its eastern side to its western…kitchens and those who work in them have relentlessly brought out meals to match the monsoon. As we took a bite into our pakoras,it got us curious about other stately cuisine as well. Luckily,the city boasts of varied communities and everyone it seems has a lip-smacking dish best dug into when its going pitter-patter outside.
ROYAL LINE-UP: Rains are a much celebrated phenomenon in Rajasthan and we all know why! Not surprisingly then theres a huge menu to match. Oh,yes! The rains bring with them all new vegetables and fare, Panchkula-based Rekha Bagri tells us enthusiastically. Originally from Bikaner,the last couple of days have seen Bagri put together Gud Ka Churma and Dal Ka Seera. The dishes range from both sweet to salty. Theres Dal Ki Pakodi,Badam Ka Seera as well but one of my favourite monsoon meals include Moti Roti which is made from ajwain and namak as well as Panchmel that brings in five different lentils, lists out Bagri as she stirs Mava shes making in her kitchen. Elsewhere,city-based food and diet consultant Aditi Mehrotra is reminded of dhoodh-jalebi she used to relish back home in Jaipur. Enjoying the rains would have been incomplete without this sweet concoction, she admits.
PIPING HOT: The rain usually sends the mercury dipping and when that happens the craving for something warm is natural. In Tamil Nadu,they have the perfect combination in Melag Rasam or Pepper Rasam. Runny noses,colds and coughs during the rains were best kept away with this. I remember as a child,as soon as it got chilly,we would slurp up pepper rasam, reminisces city-based restaurateur S Sundaram. Another must-have dish during the monsoon for him is Kara Kuzhambu. Its a spicier version of sambhar and is thicker in gravy. Its best teamed with rice, mentions Sundaram who can dish out this special fare on request at his Sector 26 restaurant. Speaking of specials,the rains reminds Sandeep Makroo,who hails from Srinagar,of a traditional non-vegetarian dish Dabne Rajma. Though it rains often in Srinagar,there are many dishes best suited to go with the weather, says Makroo who is presently working with Taj Chandigarh. Made from Kashmiri kidney beans teamed with forcemeat,Makroo vouches for the one his wife Babita makes. Its the most popular albeit traditional Kashmiri dish made when it rains and each time I am reminded of home, he shares.
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