In India, the summer months bring intense heat and humidity. Therefore, it's important to eat foods that are cool and hydrating. In India, summertime cooking is all about cooling, light, and easily digestible foods. It consists of dishes like salads, chaats (street snacks), raita and other yoghurt-based dishes, cool drinks like lassi and lemonades, and seasonal fruits like watermelon, mangoes, and lychees.
These foods offer comfort from the heat, restore electrolytes, and fight dehydration. Flavours and spices are frequently kept subdued to avoid raising body temperature further. Generally, to keep people cool and healthy during the hot season, Indian summer cuisine places a strong emphasis on freshness, hydration, and nutrition.
Here is a list of dishes from Indian cuisine to withstand the hot summer:
1. Aam Panna:
Aam Panna (raw mango-flavoured juice) is one of the famous drinks on the Indian summer food menu. It is prepared with raw mangoes, sugar and spices such as cumin and black salt. Making this dish starts with boiling or roasting the raw mangoes. After that, mash it and mix it with sugar, roasted cumin powder, black salt, and mint leaves. This beverage is known to have a soothing effect. Aam Panna is high in vitamin C, antioxidants, electrolytes, and energy to bear the scorching heat of India.
2. Dahi Vada:
Dahi vada is the rescue foof that acts as a cooling and refreshing item to energise you in this hot summer. It is made by soaking lentil dumplings or vadas in yoghurt and then adding crispy sev (a sprinkling of gram flour noodles), spicy green chutney, and tart tamarind chutney. It really refreshes the body and replenishes and hydrates the body. This dish is served during many Indian festivals and celebrations that take place in the summer season.
3. Mango Lassi:
Mango lassi, a well-known summer drink, is one of the most classic dishes. To make it, take some ripe mangoes, yoghurt, sugar, and a small amount of milk and mix everything with a hand blender. This provides a delicate, frothy, tantalisingly aromatic, ice-cold drink made with a pinch of saffron or cardamom for the extra aroma.
4. Kulfi:
Indian summertime cuisine's beloved kulfi is a renowned frozen dessert known for its rich flavour and creamy texture. The recipe calls for cooking milk with cardamom, saffron, and sugar until it thickens, at which point it is frozen in moulds. Kulfi is important throughout the summer since it offers a delicious and refreshing refreshment to combat the heat. It is a popular option for cool sweets during the sweltering Indian summers due to its rich flavour and dense texture, which are sometimes augmented with nuts or fruit flavours.
5. Chaas:
In Indian cuisine, buttermilk or chaas is a drink to count. The essential ingredients to make this are yoghurt, chopped fresh coriander leaves, cumin powder, and water. In summer, chaas, because of the cooling and hydrating properties aligned with digestion, is quite a beneficial drink. It cools and soothes the body, gives relief from heat (be it cramps, blisters, or a headache) and replaces the electrolyte load that you will lose through sweating.
6. Mango Dal:
A right summer accompaniment to an Indian meal would be mango dal. Get the dish ready by simmering lentils until they attain a soft texture, then simply incorporate spices like red chilli powder, cumin, and turmeric, along with bits of fresh mangoes that will be pureed. Mangoes are available during the summer, and this seems to differentiate the overall dish. It brings a sweet and sour flavour to the dal. It’s a cool dish that can help in the hydration process and is an excellent choice for all sorts of nutrients and things.
7. Tamarind Rice:
In Indian summer cuisine, puliyogare, or tamarind rice, is a popular dish. It is produced by combining cooked rice with a delicious and acidic paste made from tamarind pulp, peanuts, curry leaves, and mustard seeds. Because it is cooling, helps with digestion, and gives a blast of acidic flavours that stimulate the appetite, tamarind rice is a pleasant and fulfilling meal choice during the hot weather.