Monsoon is one of the best times to teach ourselves—and our children—that delicious food does not always have to come out of a packet. The rain naturally makes us crave something hot, crisp and comforting, and this is where our own kitchens have so much to offer. We have inherited hundreds of snacks made from the grains, pulses, spices and greens that grow around us. We only need to rediscover them.
Here is a recipe that needs no fancy introduction. It is the kind of food that makes you pause and say, why did we ever think a packet was more exciting?
Monsoon cooking tips
- Don’t make raw food your default during the rains.
- Be more careful with raw salads and uncooked foods during the monsoon, particularly when we don’t know how they have been washed or handled.
- This is a good season to favour lightly cooked, steamed or freshly prepared foods.
- Don’t forget the local wisdom. Instead of following every new food trend, ask what your region traditionally cooked during the rainy season. Our food traditions were often shaped by climate, availability and experience accumulated over generations.
- Don’t make healthy food boring. A child should not have to choose between a packet of chips and a plate of something that feels like a punishment. Give them a warm chekkalu, a homemade paniyaram, a roasted snack or a regional favourite—and let them discover that wholesome food can be exciting, crunchy, fragrant and delicious too.
- We have so much around us—our grains, our pulses, our regional recipes and the wisdom of our kitchens. Sometimes, all we need to do is open the pantry, ask our elders what they ate when they were young, and start cooking.
Read the full story that first appeared in Seema Magazine here:
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