'Listen to the rhythm of falling rain and enjoy a cup of coffee'
Trust you all have witnessed this year's monsoon by now.
Drenching yourself in rain is always a bliss, especially when your returning home from a tiring day leads you to some piping hot beverages and delicious snacks to relish on.
Last weekend, I was trying to find some of the best and easy snacks which I could quickly make before the rain runs out :p and found plenty of ones to prepare. However, I ended up preparing the one that took, well, a lot of time. And I couldn't help but wonder why do I have to make things complicated almost all the time. Nevertheless rain was generous enough to pour down that whole evening and I enjoyed my weekend blissfully.
And here below I'm putting together my favourite rainy days snacks that are actually less time-consuming
1. Eating green chilies with vada pav, we all have had them all the time. But vada out of a green chilly, you might haven't. Up north and down south India, Mirchi Vada (Stuffed chili Fritters) is a big hit spicy snack to drool over & treat your craving buds.
2. I was in Lonavala with a bunch of friends when I savored these fried goodness called Corn fritters with cuppa teas under pouring sky of July! You may replace the corns with your choice of vegetable in your fritter batter and viola! you will pat your shoulder with an oily palm for some finger-licking fritters.
I add a generous amount of ginger garlic paste along with some onion puree to the batter for even tastier result. Also, choose your favorite from 1) thick batter to roll balls out of it and 2) runnier batter will lead to crispy thin coating fritters. Diluting the batter with buttermilk will help it soak up less oil while frying.
3. For a chat-pata Grilled sandwich put some fine-chopped garlic, grated regular pizza cheese and a few sprinkles of salt and chaat masala over buttered bread.
4. Just like veg spring rolls, you can make rolls with noodles and bread. How? Simple. Just make your instant noodles, cook it dry enough to roll in pressed wet bread slices. pan-fry with butter/olive oil till turned golden/crisp. Enjoy with cheesy dips and hawt cawfee! :)
5. One of my comfort food is one aloo vada rolled in a chapati or classic pav with a fried green chilly on the side. Best vada recipe comprises of just boiled potato, grated ginger & little or no chilli paste all rolled in balls, coated with thick batter and deep fried to golden. *don't miss the salt, please.
6. Who won't like a Paneer Pakoda and need a recipe so easy. All it takes is to whip a good batter and you're all set with a smear of coriander chutney & chat masala to season the paneer.
7. And if you're not just a food lover but love to make things from scratch (well, sometimes!) just like me.
A batch of hand-rolled pasta loaded with seasonal vegetables can come handy on a rainy evening. (I make and freeze them in advance for those quick pick-me-up recipes)
8. And now ending with a sweet note. Pancakes. Eggless.
Mash some over ripe banana with your choice of flour (gluten, non-gluten, blah, Meh) pinch of baking powder & soda with a drop of vanilla essence. Use a non-stick I repeat use a non-stick or it's not going to be a made-quickly recipe. enjoy with chocolate sauce or date syrup if you like.
'I find peace in dark rainy nights.'
