The arrival of the rainy season means tickling taste buds, which crave fried, crunchy foods and spicy flavours. Eating spicy food during the humid monsoons can prove particularly useful in tropical climes, as the spice induces sweat that can potentially help with the release of toxins from the body. But its nutritional value notwithstanding, spicy food is still a tempting and welcome prospect during monsoons to get foodies salivating, particularly at tea time.
While chillies can add a ton of heat to a dish, it is not until several masalas and powders come together that gravy, curry, or even a pakora acquires a spiciness that is packed with heat as well as flavour. However, be careful not to overeat spicy food because it can lead to trouble the next morning! Read on below for some tasty spicy foods that can be sinfully devoured during afternoon tea in monsoons:
Chilli Pakoras
Deep-frying chilli coated in a batter of besan or gram flour and having it hot is an irresistible spicy food on rainy days. Deseed the chillies if the spice level is too much to bear, but a foodie who really loves the heat of green chillies will bite into it whole! Chilli pakoras are generally made without destemming moderately spicy green chillies, which taste great with the besan flour coating.
Spicy Instant Noodles
A steaming cup of masala chai accompanied by instant noodles is the perfect afternoon snack during monsoon showers. Adding a bit of extra chilli powder to the taste mix while making the noodles can enhance the spiciness of this bowlful of guilty pleasure. Nowadays, instant ramen of a spicier kind is also available in the market, which will definitely shoot smoke out of the ears and tears out of the eyes!
Kachoris
Hot off the stove, crunchy kachoris with spicy green chutney are a lip-smacking snack for monsoon evenings. There is sheer joy in taking a large bite of a crunchy Indori kachori infused with flavours of saunf, cumin, and onions. The pickled onions served as a side dish add a whole new layer of flavour to this spicy snack. You can try various kinds of kachoris with different fillings, like spiced green peas, moong dal, and hing kachoris.
Momos
It is not the momos but the chilli dip that comes with a plateful that adds spice and heat to this popular snack. In monsoons, gorging on warm momos dipped in hot chilli sauce is a singular delight. For a good amount of heat, dip momos generously into the chilli sauce, which has in effect made momos such a popular street food.
Vada Pav
While vada pav is spicy on its own, adding a bit of garlic chutney to the pav along with the potato fritter elevates its heat to a whole different level. Taking a bite of the spicy potato vada along with the crunchy salted and fried chilli makes for a snack packed with heat that can be watered down only with a cup of hot, steaming, sweet masala chai.