Greenery, cheerful animals & birds, and beautiful weather around – yes, Monsoon season is back! The gentle raindrops and earthy petrichor are a treat to the senses. To add a cherry on the top, some hot and delicious food is all you need on a drizzling day! Undoubtedly, Monsoon is one of the most amazing seasons in India.
And while food delivery apps might not deliver your food due to heavy rains, cooking your food cravings is a great activity for rainy days. Moreover, cooking that food together with your loved ones and enjoying a break from your routine is a great idea to spend a rainy day!
Suggesting a few ideas for the dishes you can cook as further:
1. Rainy day calls for a 'Cutting chai'
On a rainy day, a cup of hot masala cutting chai is the first idea which pops up in everyone’s heart, isn’t it? So, why not make this first idea come true in your kitchen? Moreover, it is so easy to make!
Just need to add some milk, water, sugar, and tea powder and tea masala in a vessel and heat it for a while. Once the sugar dissolves and everything mix well, take it off the flame and enjoy a cup of hot masala cutting chai.
2. Momos – A healthy fit
If you want to enjoy delicious food in these rains but yet want to stick to healthy options, then here’s some. Steamed momos are not only healthy for a quick bite but also utterly delicious. Being hot and served with spicy garlic chutney, Momos are also a great snack for any rainy day.
To make momos, prepare a basic filling by using garlic, ginger, chilli, black pepper, salt, and your choice of vegetables. Fill it in the small balls of dough prepared by using maida. Steam the filling for a while and have it along with spicy garlic chutney!
3. And some fried Pakoras!
Rains often bring cold weather with them which demand something hot and fried to eat. So, how about some hot, fried pakoras served with green chilli chutney and tomato ketchup along with cups of hot chai? It is a great combination to enjoy a rainy day with your loved ones!
For pakoras, you don’t need to stick with a single vegetable. You can use whichever vegetable you want to use or the ones which are available at that point. Just add those vegetables to a gram-flour batter made with water. Add a few tablespoons of red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and chaat masala powder. Mix well and fry it in hot oil. Serve it with freshly-made green chilli chutney and tomato ketchup!
4. Something as tempting as a 'Samosa'
The coriander powder present in Samosa often manages to create a temptation in the heart of people. On a rainy day, this temptation only gets doubles. The only difference here is that coriander powder does not create a temptation here but the rains do. So, make this tempting Samosa and enjoy your break!
To make a Samosa, prepare a potato mixture by mixing boiled potatoes, peas, ginger, coriander powder, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, and coriander leaves. To make it spicy, you can also add a few finely chopped green chillies. Meanwhile, use all-purpose flour to knead soft dough. Make small balls from it and flatten them to give a round shape with the help of a rolling pin. Further, add the potato mixture in it, cover in the shape of a triangle and fry in hot oil. Serve your samosa with green chilli chutney and tamarind chutney.
5. Spicy spicy corn-cob
Haha, don’t get confused! Spicy corn-cob is a funky name for the traditional Bhutta! Quite a popular snack across India, Bhutta is a must-have during the rainy season. And the best part is that you don’t have to hit the streets for it. You can enjoy your juicy Bhutta right at home as well!
Just grill the corn on your gas-stand till it is a bit charred. Take it off the heat and squeeze a lemon, add a bit of red chilli powder, and sprinkle some salt evenly. If you like chaat masala then you can sprinkle some of it as well! Serve hot!
6. Simple, quick, and tasty - Instant noodles
A saviour of your hunger pangs – Instant noodles are an all-time favourite dish! In fact, enjoying a bowl of hot Maggi when it is drizzling heavily is sheer bliss to enjoy! Sharing it with your loved ones is fun as well! Moreover, making instant noodles is extremely easy and quick! So, how about cooking some instant noodles?
You just have to boil some instant noodles in a pot of water. Add a bit of tastemaker or the spices you prefer to it. Cook it for a few minutes and serve.
7. Health is wealth with a hot Soup!
While monsoon season is one of the most beautiful seasons, it also brings many health-related diseases like cold, flu, fever, etc. Thus, it is advisable that you must take care of your health this season and consume healthy food in your diet. And who says that indulging in healthy food means that you should compromise on taste? Soups are a great way to keep up your health while enjoying the good taste as well.
There are many varieties of soups and their recipes are easily available on the internet. You have to choose one based on the type of vegetable or taste you prefer. To make the soup healthier, you can even add a pinch of turmeric powder to it. Doing so will also give a beautiful colour to your soup.
8. Easy-peasy Paneer tikka!
Grill on any day is a preferred choice. Be its warm summers, shivery winters, or peaceful monsoons, the grill is preferred choice on any given day. Especially in the monsoons, it is a great way to fight the cold. So, how about hitting the grill and making Paneer tikka? What’s more, is that it is simple and takes only 10 minutes to make if it is marinated before!
So, marinate paneer cubes with curd, besan, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, chaat masala powder, kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves), ginger-garlic paste, ajwain (carom seeds), and some oil and lemon juice. Leave it for an hour to marinate. After an hour, take a skewer and line up one onion petal, one cubed capsicum, and one cube of paneer. Repeat the same until the skewer is full. Grill it till everything is charred. Serve hot and enjoy!
9. The rainy season, be as amazing as a Vegetable Biryani
Imagine this. You are at home and it is raining heavily, outside. The environment is dark, lightning strikes are quite bold and the air is pretty cold. Even the lights are gone. But your food craving is still high. In such a situation, you and your loved ones cook a delicious Biryani together. Won’t it be wonderful?
And trust us when we say that preparing a perfect Biryani is an easy task. You just need to use a well-balanced Biryani masala and your Biryani will turn out be a hit! A perfect dish for a cold rainy day! Not to forget, its heavenly aroma is worth the effort!
10. All-time favourite - Aloo Tikki Chaat
Enough of all the good about rainy days With nothing to do, those days can turn boring as well. But remember, life is a short ride and hence, you must embrace every bit of it. Haha, don’t worry. We don’t aim to diminish your spirits. Instead, we have come up with a solution for it which is an Aloo tikka chaat! Brings a rush of joy, doesn’t it? A dish is full of spicy and tangy Indian flavours of chat masala powder, red chilli powder, tamarind, green chilli and to balance these flavours Potato is added.
So, just mash some boiled potato and add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, chaat masala powder, amchur powder, garam masala powder, ginger-garlic paste, corn-flour, and salt. Mix well. Make small patties and shallow-fry it. Top those patties with curd, green chilli chutney, tamarind chutney, red chilli powder, cumin powder, salt, and some sev. You can also add chopped onions, tomato, a pinch of chat masala powder, and coriander leaves.
So, this monsoon eat healthily and stay healthy. While making these recipes, use good quality vegetables and good quality packaged spices. For good quality packaged spices, opt for Vasant Masala. Our exotic spices are manufactured in fully-automatic machines that require no human touch. Furthermore, these processes are supervised by expert technicians. Hence, our spices stay fresh for a long period of time. Thus, explore our Indian spices at vasantmasala.com