Monsoon foods 101

As cooking aficionado Piyush Rai leaves for work, his mother reminds him to buy sonth (dried ginger) powder since the rains will have arrived. "Typically most Gujarati families stock on sonth, piprimul (piper longum), and jesthimadh (licorice) for the monsoon. All these powders are mixed up and made into small pills. One pill is enough to take care of the pith (bilious condition) which happens regularly in the rainy season," he says.

He also points out how the use of onions have increased this season. "Since this is also the best season to eat kanda bhajiya," he laughs, "Traditionally, we increase the use of garlic, lemon, honey, ginger, black salt, and pepper in the monsoon. While leafy vegetables are avoided, karela [bitter gourd], lauki [bottle gourd], parwal [pointed gourd] become staples in this season. We add to the variety by making moong dal bhajiyas or pudlas [dosas] which, are easier to digest."

Gujaratis are not the only ones to make changes for the monsoon. Kumbakonam Tam-Brahms also feel bitter foods help the constitution. "Digestion is poor and the system is sluggish, since physical exercise like the simple acts of walking on the streets is curtailed by the weather. So bitter foods give the system a push," says Matunga resident Kala Ramnath, who swears by the benefits of the neem. "We make rasam, chutney and kuzhambu from the dried neem flowers available through April and May. These are stocked for use through the monsoon and keep several monsoon ailments away," she says and adds, "There are days when I make just neem flower rasam and soft rice, which is wolfed down hot with crackling papad."

It is advisable to avoid buying leafy vegetables in the monsoon because the incidence of pests and worms is high. Kala adds, "Tubers like potato, suran (yam) and arvi (colocassia roots) are avoided because these are heavier to digest." The option then is on the many variations of pudis that the south is famous for. "I really like to have the roasted urad dal, red chillies, jeera and salt powder, which can be cooled and stored in air-tight containers. This is added to curd and mixed with rice as a great accompaniment. The dried curd chillies are also complementary to the hot rice and the pudi-curd combination," she points out.

From Kumbakonam to North Konkan in coastal Maharashtra, traditional monsoon dietary do's and don'ts take on a different hue. It is considered ethically wrong to eat seafood in the rains. Praapti Agare from Dapoli explains, "It is the season when fish reproduce and fishing in this season is wrong. Besides, the seas are rough and fishermen rarely venture out," she says. "Given the sluggish digestion, traditionally, we avoid eating any non vegetarian foods since these are hard to digest. The emphasis is more on aambil (sour and spicy gruel made with ragi or red rice), which is consumed with soft rice or dried powders like methkoot (lentils and fenugreek roasted and ground in powder)."

In upper Konkan, curd is avoided in the monsoon. "This region sees really heavy rains, which often don't let up for 4-5 days at a stretch. The temperature drops drastically and is a sharp contrast to the hot humid summer, which has just got over. Curd can give you phlegm or cold and even fever. A variety of dosa called ghaavan, eaten with great relish otherwise, is also avoided as are other foods needing over night fermentation. "The damp air and the moisture is perfect for spreading fungal infection. We avoid eating fermented foods since they make the body more susceptible to infection," says this 27-year-old mother of two.

Neelu Joshi from Dehradun says both tradition and good health practices come together in the monsoon lifestyle of the region. "These practices have come down as legacy from our mothers. Although we crave oily foods, our digestive system is most vulnerable."

In the hills, there is a conscious emphasis on chickpea, corn, gram flour, oats and moong dal. "These are nourishing and good for the system. Using pepper, ginger, asafoetida (hing), garlic, jeera powder, coriander and turmeric enhances the digestive power of the food being cooked. These spices have also been acclaimed in traditional Ayurveda for their ability to boost immunity significantly. "Turi (snake gourd), parwal (pointed gourd), dudhi (bottle gourd, karela (bitter gourd), gavaar (cluster beans), and tinda (apple gourd) are abundantly available."

Foods For Your Monsoon

Leafy vegetables are usually avoided in the rainy season. However, gourds namely karela (bitter gourd), lauki (bottle gourd), and parwal (pointed gourd) among a few others become staples

The rationale behind this is simple: human digestion is sluggish during the monsoon. Bitter foods tend to give a push to the body – therefore, neem and its flowers are a staple offering several benefits 

Spices such as pepper, ginger, asafoetida (hing), garlic, cumin (jeera) powder, coriander and turmeric don’t just enhance digestion but also help in boosting one’s immunity