Itsy-misty bites

Monsoon,theseason for romance, also brings a yearning for good food, served leisurely. And what can be better than piping hot chai and some teekha pakoras and mint chutney, served while rain drops burst into a million crowns on concrete outside. Palate season Food expert Jiggs Kalra says monsoon doesn’t really call for an elaborate fare and recommends black pepper and fennel flavoured maalpuas, dipped in a saffron syrup, or topped off with rabri for an exotic touch.
The food you have should be in keeping with the weather, says Gunjan Goela, food consultant. For a perfect monsoon platter go in for seasonal veggies — snack out with a crisp alocasia leaf (arbi) preparation. Making this delicacy is quite easy — a coat of thick spicy gramflour barter is applied on alocasia leaves, which are then made into rolls, steamed and fried to a reddish hue.

Besides, you can go in for ghia ka palao, bharwa tinda, tori and pakori ki sabzi. Ghewar and feni make for great desserts. Goela also recommends a plum sherbet to soothe the stomach. Eating healthy Dietician Shikha Sharma feels vegetables like bitter gourd that have an astringent, bitter quality, do you good. Besides, onion, ginger, etc. which have warming /drying qualities, are good for monsoons when there is too much moisture in the air. They help in maintaining the body water balance. Leafy vegetables, besides seasonal fruits are good options too. But a word of caution before you go and indulge those taste buds — maintain hygiene to steer clear of tummy troubles. Pampering the taste buds Hotels and restaurants too are doing their bit to welcome the rains, with foods that pamper. The Claridges is offering the desi taste buds some cutting chai and street foods like pakoras, bhajias etc. Besides, they are serving up a variety of risottos. Uppal’s Orchid recently held a Coorg food festival. Coorg, gets heavy rains and has a meat-heavy cuisine with full bodied spices, explains executive chef, Uppal’s Or chid, Devraj Haldar. And now throughout August, some Coorgi dishes like Pandi Curry (a spicy pork dish) would be on offer at its restaurant, Bonitos. Monsoon goodies Perennial favourites: Bite into plump kachories, amraties, jalebis, and let the weather take care of the guilt pangs. Kitchen-happy: There are many home-made preparations like steamed cake made of ghia, curd and gramflour, tempered with sesame seeds and green chillies. Besides kheer and maalpuas are also relished. Corn delight: A walk down the street on a rainy day is never complete without biting into a bhutta. Fresh from the tandoor : For health freaks, who want to steer clear of everything greasy, kebabs are a good alternative. Vasant Continental is offering a variety of kebabs on a sizzler platter. Moti Mahal is also dishing out kebabs at its Tandoori Trail outlets. Rustic flavours: Try Punjabi food typical of melas across Punjab at Dhaba (The Claridges) from August 12 onwards. On offer will be kulcha chhole, shalgam gosht etc.