Monsoon Recipes: Warm Comforts for Rainy Days

As the monsoon rains bring cool relief, there’s nothing like indulging in warm, comforting dishes. These recipes, ranging from vibrant bruschetta to hearty curries, offer a delightful way to savor the season’s flavors while enjoying cozy, nutritious meals.

Mango, Avocado & Ginger Bruschetta by Chef Sumit Kumar, Leisure Hotels Group

Ingredients:

• Garlic bread loaf (8 slices)
• Olive oil: 2 tbsp
• Ripe but firm mango: 1
• Avocado: 1
• Onion: 1
• Tomato: 1
• Green chilies: 1-2
• Ginger: 1/2 tsp
• Green coriander: ¼ cup
• Lemon juice: 3 tbsp
• Black pepper, crushed: 2 pinches
• Salt: 4 pinches

Method:

1. Slice the garlic loaf into 8 pieces. Brush both sides with olive oil and toast until crisp.
2. Dice the mango and avocado.
3. Finely chop onion, tomato (seeds removed), green chilies, and coriander.
4. Mix the mango, avocado, onion, tomato, green chili, ginger, and coriander in a bowl. Add lemon juice, black pepper, and salt. Mix well.
5. Spread the mango salsa on the toasted bread and serve immediately.

Hot Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• Finely chopped garlic: 1½ tsp
• Finely chopped ginger: 1½ tsp
• Finely chopped green chili: 1 tsp
• Finely chopped spring onion: ¼ cup
• Carrot (diced): ½ cup
• Cabbage (diced): ½ cup
• Capsicum (diced): ½ cup
• French beans (diced): ½ cup
• Green peas: ¼ cup
• Sweet corn kernels: ½ cup
• Corn starch: 2 tbsp
• Bay leaves: 2
• Chili flakes: 1 tsp
• Cloves: 3
• Black pepper powder: ¾ tsp
• Lime juice: 1 tsp
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Oil or butter: 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Water or vegetable stock as needed

Method:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, add oil, green chili, garlic, ginger, cloves, chili flakes, bay leaves, and carrots. Cook on high power for 4 minutes.
2. Add spring onion, cabbage, capsicum, peas, and corn kernels. Cook for an additional 4 minutes.
3. Add water, black pepper, salt, lime juice, sugar, and corn starch. Cook for 6 minutes.
4. Serve hot.

Street Style Corn On the Cob with Kumaoni Noon (Salt) recipe by Chef Sumit Kumar, Leisure Hotels Group

Ingredients:

• Kumaoni Noon (Salt):
  • Garlic: 4 cloves
  • Green coriander: ½ cup
  • Green chili: 2
  • Salt: 3 tbsp
• For Corn on the Cob:
• Corn on the cob: 4
• Olive oil: 2 tbsp
• Lemon: 2
• Butter: 20 g

Method:

1. Preheat the charcoal grill.
2. Grind garlic, green chili, green coriander, and salt. Set aside.
3. Pull down the husks of each corn, remove silk, and brush with olive oil.
4. Dip lemon halves into Kumaoni Noon and press onto the corn to season.
5. Grill the corn, rotating regularly for 10-15 minutes until tender. Apply butter and a squeeze of lemon juice before serving.

Goan Prawn & Ginger Clear Soup by Chef Sumit Kumar, Leisure Hotels Group

Ingredients:

• King prawns: 6
• Baby spinach: 50 g
• Sliced mushrooms: ¼ cup
• Grated ginger: 1 tsp
• Lemon rind: 4 strips
• Chicken stock powder: 1 tbsp
• Rice wine vinegar: 1 tbsp
• White pepper powder: 1 pinch
• Salt: 1 tsp
• Garnishes:
  • Sesame oil: ½ tsp
  • Red pepper julienne: 1 tbsp
  • Green coriander: 2 sprigs

Method:

1. Slit the underside of prawns, press flat, and cut small slits. Boil whole prawns and prawn slices, then drain.
2. Boil water with spinach, mushrooms, ginger, and lemon rind for 5 minutes. Add cooked prawns and chicken stock powder.
3. Stir in rice wine vinegar, white pepper, and adjust salt if needed.
4. Serve in bowls with a drizzle of sesame oil and garnish with red pepper and green coriander.

Bajra Tikki

Ingredients:

• Bajra (millet) flour: 2 cups
• Jaggery powder: 1 cup
• Sesame seeds: ½ cup
• Oil for brushing: 4 tbsp
• Water as required

Method:

1. Cook jaggery in water for 2 minutes in the microwave until melted.
2. Sieve millet flour into a bowl, add oil, and mix with jaggery syrup to form dough.
3. Shape dough into small tikkis, brush with oil, and bake on a crispy plate in convection mode at 200°C for 12 minutes. Flip and bake for another 12 minutes.

Vegetable Dumplings

Ingredients:

• Dumpling wrappers: 12
• Chopped mushrooms: ¾ cup
• Chopped onion: ½ cup
• Grated carrot: ¾ cup
• Chopped spring onion: ½ cup
• Soya sauce: 2 tsp
• Chopped garlic: a few cloves
• Grated ginger: 1½ tsp
• Sugar: 1 tsp
• Pepper powder: ½ tsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil as required

For Dumpling Dough:

• All-purpose flour: 1½ cup
• Warm water as needed
• Corn/rice flour for dusting

Method:

1. Prepare dough by mixing flour with warm water. Let it rest covered for 1 hour.
2. For filling, cook onion, garlic, and ginger in oil in the microwave for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Roll out dough, fill with filling, and seal dumplings.
4. Arrange dumplings on a greased plate and bake in convection mode at 200°C for 12 minutes. Flip and bake for another 12 minutes. Serve with sauce.

Beetroot Kofta Curry recipe by Nitish Chandra Phani, Executive Chef, The Tamara Kodai

Ingredients:

For Beetroot Kofta:

• Beetroot: 100 g
• Garlic: 5 g
• Soft cheese (like Amul): 50 g
• Cumin powder: 3 g
• Green chili: 3 g
• Corn starch: 20 g
• Vegetable oil for frying: 200 ml
• Salt to taste

For Gravy:

• Ginger (chopped): 20 g
• Ginger (juliennes for garnish): 3 g
• Tomatoes (chopped): 100 g
• Green chilies (chopped): 5 g
• Onions (chopped): 50 g
• Beetroot: 150 g
• Khova: 20 g
• Cashew nuts: 20 g
• Tomato puree: 100 g
• Cumin powder: 10 g
• Turmeric powder: 5 g
• Kasuri methi: 5 g
• Kashmiri chili powder: 15 g
• Cream: 10 g
• Butter: 10 g
• Salt to taste

Method:

For Kofta:

1. Grate beetroot and cheese. Sauté garlic, add green chilies, and grated beetroot. Mix in cumin powder and let cool.
2. Add cornstarch and salt. Form into balls with cheese stuffing, deep fry, and cut into slices.

For Gravy:

1. Soak cashew nuts, blend into a paste. Blend beetroot into a smooth paste.
2. Sauté onions and garlic in oil, add tomatoes, spices, and tomato puree.
3. Stir in khova, beetroot paste, and seasoning. Cook, add cream and butter, and top with beetroot kofta slices.