Monsoon food adds a taste twist to rains in the hills

MUSSOORIE: For those who have experienced the magic of hills during the monsoons, there is always a magnetic pull for more. Be it the rolling mists, the magical sound of rain on a tin roof, or just sipping a hot cup of chai.
In fact, the monsoons are as much about food as they are about the magic that comes with it.
The hills of Uttarakhand have their own food traditions associated with most seasons and the monsoons are no different.From sweet treats to brilliant spicy variations, there is an array of food traditions that help comfort one during the long drawn monsoon months which start from June and usually last till the middle of September.
One of the dishes prepared during this period for example is pated (Caucasia leaves wrapped in chickpea batter, steamed and later tempered with jakhya seeds). Another variation of it is Ramdana leaves mixed in chickpea batter, steamed and fried. Since these leaves grow in monsoons, this preparation is restricted to the rains.
Another common preparation is a local vegetable called lingad or lingda (fiddlehead fern). Popular in both Kumaon and Garhwal, it is also used to make pakoras and pickle.
Anshu Wadhwa Pande, a food blogger and consultant says that she has experimented with the vegetable in continental dishes with excellent results. “I threw in some liddlehead with fern angel hair pasta along with garlic and herb. The pasta turned out to have a brilliant flavour,” she says.
Pakoras are a staple during the rains. Especially popular among hill families are pakoras made of pumpkin flower, also called patudi which grow in the monsoons.
Also thanks to monsoons and the abundant grass that the cattle get, milk quantities go up during the rains. What better way to use this than to make laangda which is wheat flour slow cooked in milk with a watery consistency. This is topped with jaggery and is a common comfort food. Another variation of it is called baadi which is a thicker version of laangda cooked with milk and ghee, the natural sweetness of the milk giving it a lovely flavour.
Chamandei Panwar recalls literally growing up on it. “Interestingly, most homes in the hills have always had abundant milk and ghee so these were common preparations. They still remind me of the simple flavours of childhood.”