Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Those rains are most definitely an all-time favourite, but only when sitting indoors, by the window-sill, and not having to deal with the muck. Yet again, man is known for never being satisfied and keeps exploring ways to enhance his experiences. Which is why there is always the comfort food that adds more warmth to your soul on a rainy day.

Bindiya Chotrani empathises and suggests food that goes well with those rains and a quilt.

Vada Pav
A quintessential comfort food – the Vada Pav is a hot favourite. Smear dollops of butter onto the pav, place the vada –made of boiled potatoes, dabbed into flour paste and deep fried – into the centre and team it up with some lasoon chutney. Easily accessible at most commute joints, the vada pav has no substitute when it comes to comfort food for the rains. The combination of steaming vada pav and a downpour can never go out of fashion.

10561648_10154397868050532_3493082951190059992_nFlavoured Chai
Well, you’re never going to need an excuse to sip onto some chai, but the rains create that perfect setting to enjoy your cuppa. Choose between a number of spices – peppercorn, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom etc. There has been no standard recipe to make that flavoured chai ki pyaali. Bring out the chef in you and experiment with your masala chai. Team it up with some kanda bhajjis and you’re good to go for an hour or two.

Maggi
This one is arguably every Indian’s favourite comfort food. Don’t wish to put aside that quilt? You’ll only have to do that for ‘two minutes’. Add a dash of oregano and chilli flakes, or cook the ‘meri maggi’ with some sausages and vegetables to give it that spicy meaty flavour.  Try it soupy or semi-dry, but there’s no way you’re not going to like this one. Don’t blame us for that second serving you end up taking.

Sizzling brownie
Now pick up that sundae spoon and dig into a sizzling brownie. Look at it from a perspective that doesn’t spell just dessert and you’ll discover magic in form of food. Well, atleast figuratively if not literally. A visual treat – the sizzling brownie looks as enticing as it tastes. With a scoop of vanilla ice-cream precariously placed over the brownie, the combination of hot with cold does more than just comforting you. The drizzle is the perfect occasion to indulge into some ‘sizzle’ afterall.

Corn grilled-corn-on-the-cob
The monsoons can never be consummate without some bhutta from the roadside. Watch the bhaiyya roast the corn on the cob, sprinkle a spritz of lemon and generously rub salt and chilli powder onto it. Unless you are a fean, add some butter onto and you aint complaining. Alternatively, you could try a cup of hot steamed corn, which uses American corn with butter thrown in for good effect, grated cheese or spices. We promise there’s nothing corny about it.

Hot chocolate
Could there be anything more comforting than chocolate? Hot chocolate, that most sinful of drinks, is the only beverage that we can turn to for solace on a rainy day. A blend of shaved chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, is strong competition to the cognacs of the world.

Khichdi
Surprised to see khichdi listed as one of the items here? Don’t be! The khichdi has attained celebrity status on a romantic rainy day. Healthy, light, easy to make – it is all of these. Moreso when you have tired of all the restaurant food and need some home-made food, this one is sure to warm the cockles of your heart.

green-goddess-soupSoup
If there’s been a veritable concert of sneezing and coughing going on in the neighbourhood, we suggest you consider the old flu-staple. SOUP! Any kind – Manchow, Vegetable, Tomato. There’s no dearth! It promises to do a lot to cosset you. Broths and soups are easily digested, and the restorative power of chicken soup isn’t merely an old wives’ tale.

Along with the intoxicating smell of wet earth fresh from the falling raindrops, you can experience gourmet bliss when you savor a plateful of your favorite comfort food. Have more to add to our array of ‘rain’ comfort food? Well, we’d happy to oblige.