Monsoon Magic
One of my earliest monsoon memories as a young boy in Kolkata is of my school bag floating away in a waterlogged street as I stand chest deep in murky water contently nibbling at a bhutta (corn cob) just off the charcoal fire.
Monsoons have always fired the passion of us Indians and whether we like it or not, our lives — from the most urbane socialite to the poorest farmer — are inextricably entwined with the rains. And whether you live in a city that gets waterlogged with the first downpour or in the hills where your books get moist, not because of the spray, but because a cloud has wafted in your bedroom and left its moist fingerprints on the pages, as soon as the weather changes so does your palate.
As the rains start, Bengalis hunt for the quintessential Jora Ilish (two hilsa fish that are caught in the same throw of the net) parts of which they will fry and the rest steam in a heavenly mustard sauce.
Goans, who are as famous as Bengalis for their love of fish, are a sorry lot during monsoons thanks to a fishing ban during this time. They, however, make do with dried fish, painstakingly prepared before the monsoons. With the tourists gone, monsoons are also the time when Goans go for picnics. So out come the chorizo sausages that are used for pulaos and chilli fries. Goan chorizo is different from its Portuguese and Spanish counterparts because it has more vinegar, more fat, more spices… It is basically more Indian.
In the North East, from Gangtok to Cherrapunji, its momos and thukpa. This combination of dumplings accompanied with a fiery sauce that is often nothing else but a killer chilli paste and light noodle soup is just heavenly. It is impossible to describe the feeling when you come in from the rain, drenched and shivering and a plate of momos and a bowl of piping hot thukpa is placed in front of you. Also common these days in the North East and garnering popularity in the metros is the Burmese khowswey. No one seems to know the correct spelling, but no one seems to care either. You combine noodles, chicken stewed in coconut milk, chilli powder, fried garlic, chopped coriander leaves, boiled eggs, thinly sliced fried potatoes in a bowl and slurp away as the rain lashes away outside your window.
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