Lesser-known monsoon snacks to brighten your rainy days

Chef Pawan Bisht’s Urad Dal ke Bade
 

Who: Chef Pawan Bisht is the R&D Executive at one8 Commune by Virat Kohli and Culinary Advisor at Neuma by Karan Johar. Hailing from Chhoi, a village near Nainital, he’s an expert on the cuisine of Uttarakhand. His food mantra is to have patience, cook from the heart, and to use local ingredients as much as possible: something he follows at his restaurants, where he changes the menu to align with the seasons.

Seasonal favourites: “Kaddu ke tukul (soft pumpkin veins), colocassia leaves, linguda/fiddlehead ferns, especially linguda pickle. I also serve linguda in the form of soup at our restaurants.”
 

When you cook for King Kohli, you know a thing or two about plant proteins. Black urad dal (which he deems a ‘super lentil’ due to its iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium content) is ground and mixed with spices and sesame seeds to make a heart-healthy, easy-to-digest snack.

Urad daal ke bade

Ingredients

• 500 grams urad dal, soaked overnight
• A pinch of cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 2-3 green chillies, chopped
• A handful of chopped fresh coriander
• 1 teaspoon chopped onion (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Sesame seeds
• Oil for frying
  

Chef Sushil Dwarakanath’s Stir-Fried Peas in a Pod
 

Who: Bengaluru-based Chef Sushil is a culinary veteran with 21 years of experience behind him; at the Taj Group of Hotels and later as the HOD of the Culinary Department at Christ University, Bangalore. He loves hyper local cuisine, with a focus on seasonal and sustainable foods, sourcing vegetables, greens, fruits etc from small-scale vendors and farmers markets.
 

Seasonal favourites: “Fresh crabs during the early monsoon are fantastic, especially after the full moon. Malabar spinach, water spinach, paddy field crabs and certain storm water fish are available in rural Karnataka.”
 

Chef Sushil says that while peas are considered a winter vegetable, the season starts in August, with the first harvest making an appearance in July during the monsoon. This is more a guideline than a recipe; the level of spice can be adjusted to your liking. 

Stir-Fried Peas in a Pod
 

Ingredients

• Green peas (in their pods)
• Water for boiling
• Cumin seeds
• Turmeric powder
• Oil (not too much)
• Salt to taste
   

Method

• Boil the green peas in their pods.
• Drain.
• Heat some oil in a pan.
• Add the cumin seeds, splutter.
• Add the turmeric.
• Add the peas, toss, add salt and toss again.
• Serve.

SaiPriya’s Odia Nimki
 

Who: SaiPriya is a food stylist and blogger with her roots in Odisha, currently living in Fort Kochi where she’s researching her latest food project. Her food choices are influenced by the changing weather, and a wish to supporting the ecosystem: so, whether she’s at home or travelling, eating local is her mantra.

Seasonal favourites: “During the monsoon, we avoid leafy vegetables. Pointed gourd is a vegetable I use often, and root vegetables like sweet potato, elephant foot yam for Odia dishes like dalma, ghanta.”

Nimki
 

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp onion seeds/kalonji
• Salt to taste
• Warm water, as needed
• Oil for frying