Pakoras and Rains!

It rains! And it rains as I speak! I write I mean… Its time for one seasons end and the beginning of a new food episode! Not that summer for me is gone completely but yaya! Rain! It wont be long before I start to feel irritated about the rains again though. They say too much off anything aint any good right? I feel so about the rains. There comes a time where Ive had enough of it actually. Too many wet clothes, too much breeze and too many pakoras and chai sessions!

Pakoras and Chai are the Romeo and Juliet of the Monsoon theatre. While one is incomplete without the other, kill the taste in one and you’ve murdered the other too. On a rainy day, pakoras with a cup of hot adraki (ginger) chai comes as a perfect blessing. Interestingly, even high-end hotels are offering special menu of pakoras and tea in this rainy season. Pakoras are made with different vegetables, which are dipped in a besan (gram flour) batter and deep-fried. Of course, if you are calorie-conscious then pakoras are not for you. But how about giving calorie thoughts a miss once in a while? And if you are still adamant, then there will be a time in these monsoons when you wont get your precious rickshaw from the station and that time you will have to walk home. Will it be worth it then? Why fuss so much and enjoy it before hand only.

The best pakoras are the ones accompanied with tea. I don’t think the chutneys that come with it make much of a difference. Ill tell you why. And ironically this was told to me by one of my favourite uncles, Naveen Shetty. His logic was simple. Pakoras are doused in oil. And when you eat too many of them, you tend to feel a little uneasy and heavy on the digestive system. This is because the oil on the pakoras manages to stick on your food pipe (I know you are grossed out but don’t worry ill pull you out of your misery). The tea, since it is piping hot, melts the fat in the way and clears your system out so that you don’t feel as uneasy as before. That is the reason if you have a few pakoras with tea, you don’t feel like you’ve swallowed an entire bucket of oil in the bargain (may be a tiny tub in the bargain).

My dad makes the best pakoras in town. By far they beat my mom too sometimes. We used to make them on Thursdays in Kuwait when I was young. It was like a welcome home present for my mom and symbolized the beginning of the weekend. 6 of us on a round table with tubs of tea and dad dishing out hot onion bhajiyas and potato pakoras at the same time. Yum! I never understood the secret of his recipe. They had this one distinct taste that even mom couldn’t decipher initially. But gradually and once I joined culinary school I got the hint. It was a pinch of Ajwain (bishops weed). That just lifted them to another level. You should give it a try.

I can hear the sizzle of the oil as the batter hit it right now in my house! We are having spinach and cauliflower today. My job is to make the tea and we will sit and reminiscence of our lives in a while at our window sill . Pakoras and chai are ordinary but when you sit to have them you have some of the best gossip and conversations around in hand. Think about the last time and you’ll break into the most randomest and broadest smile in town! It is also preferred in the rains solely because you wont sweat and soil in the summers to make them in the kitchen. And winters are the time for comfort food. Not pakoras. Pakoras are foods that bring memories and start chats with. They are shared to forget the inhibitions and to make you feel better even if you have an extra one.  I have my brother wanting to explain to me a new card game in some time. What is your conversation excuse? For a plate of pakoras ofcourse!

DADA'S PAKORAS!

Ingredients:
1 cup besan (gram flour)
1 tablespoon of coriander powder
1 teaspoon of red chilli powder 
2 chopped green chillies
2 tablespoons chopped hara dhania (coriander leaves)
2 large onions chopped
½ tsp jeera (cumin)

A pinch of ajwain
Salt as per taste
3/4 cup of water (Use water as needed)
Oil to fry

Method:
- Mix all the dry ingredients together: besan, coriander powder, and salt
- Add the water slowly to make a smooth batter
- Next, add the green chillies, onions and dhania patta. Mix well.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat (if the oil is too hot, pakoras will not be crispy)
- Make small balls of batters and slowly put in the frying pan
- Fry the pakoras in small batches and turn them occasionally. Wait till both sides are golden-brown.
- Pakoras taste the best when they are served hot. With tea of course!