4 Recipes To Try This Monsoon Season

The month of August brings with it dark grey skies, chilly winds and unpredictable showers across the country providing a much-needed respite from the still air and blistering heat. The monsoon season seems to be the most anticipated time of the year and is welcomed by all of us with open arms. Getting drenched in the rain, going out on picnics or curling up with a good book next to the window are just a few of the many things we enjoy doing when it starts to pour. We Pakistanis take immense pleasure in our food and certain scrumptious snacks are synonymous just with this special season. This rainy season, we put together a list of healthy and mouthwatering foods so you get to enjoy the monsoon showers in the best way possible.

Masala Chai:

Ingredients:

Chai:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 to 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp loose tea leaves

Masala:

• 160 g finely grounded peppercorn
• 50 g cinnamon sticks
• 50 g whole cardamon seeds
• 5 g whole cloves

Directions: 

For the chai masala:

Place all of the ingredients into a spice grinder and grind into a fine powder. Keep all of the spices in an airtight jar and store in a cool, dry part of your kitchen

For the chai:

Pour all ingredients into a sauce pan and place over medium heat. Allow the mixture to heat up until small bubbles start to appear around the perimeter of the milk. Keep stirring the chai and scraping the bottom as to avoid scalding the milk. Turn of the heat once the chai comes to a boil and stir well. Bring the chai to a boil once again before turning off the heat. Allow the mixture to seep for a few minutes, strain well and serve!

Baked Pakoras

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups chickpea flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp garam masala or curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp red pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 cauliflower chopped
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 1/3 cup peas
• 1 medium carrot grated
• 1 small potato grated
• olive oil to grease baking sheet

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500F. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Stir in water to create a batter which is slightly thicker than pancake-batter consistency. Put in all of the vegetables into the batter and ensure they coat well.  Using a spoon, take scoops of battered veggies and drop onto well oiled baking sheet as if making drop cookies Bake for 8 minutes, then flip and bake another 10 minutes, until the pakoras are golden brown. Serve with raita for additional tastiness.

Aloo Paratha: 

Ingredients:

Potato Filling:

• 4 potatoes boiled and peeled
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp black pepper corn powder
• 2 finely chopped green chillies
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• ½ lemon extracted juice

Dough:

• 2½ cups whole wheat flour
• salt as per taste
• 1 tbsp oil
• water to knead the dough
• oil/butter/ghee for applying over the parathas

Directions: 

Making of potato filling:

In a bowl, mash the boiled and peeled potatoes. Add salt, red chilli powder, black pepper corn powder, finely chopped green chillies, chopped coriander leaves. Add lemon juice into it, mix the whole mixture well with all the ingredients. Place the filling aside.

How to make dough for the paratha:

In a mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour. Add salt to taste, add oil, mix up well. Add water gradually, mix and knead into a soft pliable dough. Rest the dough aside for 20-30 minutes.

Method for making paratha:

Take a small portion of the dough, make a round ball. Thin all the sides of the edges of the dough ball. Press the dough ball at the center and fill it with 1 tbsp of potato filling at the center. Gather all the edges and bring the edges at the center and seal. Dust some floor on the rolling board. Place the dough ball and flatten the dough into a round circular disc very carefully. Heat the tawa and place the paratha on it. Cook the bottom side, flip it and apply oil all over the paratha. Flip again and apply oil on the other side too. Make sure both the sides of the paratha are done well. Take out and enjoy!

Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese: 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour, plus a little more for the pan
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil [or olive oil] 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 6 ounces cream cheese, soft
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour the inside of the baking pan and tap out the excess flour. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine the maple syrup, sugar, oil, and eggs together in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat the mixture with a whisk on high speed for about 3 minutes until it has thickened and become a light color. Reduce the mixer to low speed. Add half of the flour mixture, then the sour cream, and then the rest of the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until the batter is just smooth. Remove 1/4 cup of the batter and set aside. Add the carrots and walnuts, and mix until combined. Pour half of the batter from the mixer into the prepared pan, and the other half into a clean bowl. Beat the cream cheese, maple syrup, and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and light, about one minute. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved batter [without carrots and walnuts] and mix until incorporated. Spoon the cream cheese filling evenly over the batter in the pan, trying to keep it away from the edges. Spread the remaining reserved batter over the filling and smooth the top. With a butter knife, gently swirl the filling into the batter using a figure-eight motion, but don’t drag the filling to the bottom or the edges of the pan. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cake can be stored in the fridge for 2 days, wrapped in plastic wrap.

Try out these recipes to satisfy all those rainy day cravings!