16 July,2023 11:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Arpika Bhosale
Murungai keerai made of moringa leaves are healthier than processed snacks. Pics/Aishwarya Deodhar
When Kalina-based chef Shreejana Rai was 18, she would brave the raging monsoon to get out of her hostel at East Road to the main market in Kalimpong, West Bengal - all for a piece of shaphaley, a Nepali tea-time snack. The picturesque town that lies on a ridge between the Deolo and Durpin Hill is known for its sudden downpours. Studying away from her home at the Indian Hospitality Management, this piping hot snack priced at R10 was all she could afford on a tight budget. It had the perfect blend of flavours that went perfectly with the city's wet and cold weather. Obviously, it had to feature on the menu of her Nepali and Northeast influenced eatery called Dumpling Khang at Vakola. "Mumbai's monsoon is déjà vu; reminds me of my Kalimpong days. Shaphaley had grown on me during my time at IHM.
It saved me from going hungry and kept me warm when the temperatures dipped during the rains, making it impossible to string even two sentences together. It brightened a gloomy day," she adds. Shaphaleys are bread stuffed with seasoned chicken, beef or vegetable filling, which is then made into semi-circular or circular shapes and either deep fried or pan-fried. It is considered to be a culinary crime if not served with the trademark red chilli sauce, warns Rai.
Mildly-spiced boiled chicken or veggies are stuffed in a maida roti, folded like karanji and deep fried. Serve piping hot. PICS/AISHWARYA DEODHAR
On most Sundays when Vasai resident Akila Iyer Choudhary and her sister Sundari meet, they go looking for moringa leaves in the local market. These will go into the making of murungai keerai (moringa leaves) pakora which the duo prepare, while remembering their growing-up days at the railway colony in Valsad, Gujarat. Their parents were culinary enthusiasts and known among their friends for their love for food.
"Amma would make an array of authentic Tamilian tea-time monsoon snacks, including the lesser-known munthiri pakoda [cashew pakora] and vazhaipoo masala vadai [banana flower pakora] to name a few. When the sisters would make their way back home from school, the smell of the pakoras would waft from their bungalow's kitchen, even before their little fingers made it up to the doorbell, reminisces Choudhary.
Munthiri pakoda has cashew as the hero ingredient; can be replaced by groundnuts
Unfortunately, healthy snacks like the murungai keerai, which are known to improve immunity, and are widely used for treating anaemia are rarely made in Tamilian households anymore. It also regulates insulin, so is a favourite amongst those who have diabetes, but do not want to compromise on eating something scrumptious during this season. Family weekend gatherings give the Iyer girls a perfect excuse to cook and eat together. "My father hailed from Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu and the recipes have a bit of a twist from the region. Pakoras in the monsoons were a permanent sight in our home. Later on, they were also a part of the evening tiffin. Most railway colonies had front and backyards with a variety of trees. More often than not, the leaves were foraged from there. Moringa leaves, flowers, and banana flowers were always in abundance. Making them now is a way of honouring the life our parents built for us and the time we had growing up at the railway colony, which was like our extended family."
Munthiri pakodas use an expensive ingredient, cashew and hence, are not a common treat but their late mother, Rajalakshmi, would replace it with groundnuts and it was equally delicious. "The original dish is sweet and salty and the loud crunch you get as you bite into the popcorn-sized delicacy just makes it perfect with your evening cuppa," she adds.
With vazhaipoo vadai, cleaning the banana flower requires deft skills, "but once you get a hang of it, it's easy. Each floret has a white portion outside that is like a thin white skin resembling a plastic layer. It is inedible and must be discarded. At the centre of each blossom again, the white long stem [stamen] needs to be plucked out. Cut the florets and keep them underwater until you begin to cook them. While deep frying, keep the flame low so the raw florets are cooked completely," says Choudhary. Loaded with fibre and protein, vazhaipoo is known to promote gut health and treat digestive issues. The astringent flavour is more of an acquired taste.
Arbi Tuk
When home chef Daksha Jain married her Vile Parle East-based husband almost three decades ago, she missed her home and her favourite - vada pav. Bearing in mind the Jain dietary restrictions of her new home, she tried her hand at making kela vada. "I have never looked back," says the now 53-year-old, who started Tanu's Kitchen, years ago. Known as the kela vada veteran, her neighbours drop in the minute they know that Daksha ben has made a fresh batch. "News spreads fast here," she laughs. "If I haven't made it for a few days, they come to ask if all is well with us. The dish has become a barometer for people to know if we are okay and in town," she adds.
Kadhi Kachori
Beating popular perception, the kela vada is sweet. Sandwiched in a pav, this is her ode to the quintessential vada pav. Yoga and mindfulness coach, Vinam Bhagat grew up in Ujjain, a city that loves its tea-time snacks. "Most often, people head out for pakora and chaat during dinner time, going for just a plate and ending up eating a few more. At our home in Kharghar now, I try and recreate dishes for friends and family who come over for dinner parties, as most have not eaten these, the MP [Madhya Pradesh] way," says Bhagat, who loves cooking arbi tuk, kadhi kachori and ajwain ke pakode.
Akila Iyer Choudhary, Daksha Jain and Vinam Bhagat
"Even though these are deep fried, the fact that they are made with healthy ingredients makes it a better choice than outside food during the monsoon. The ajwain pakode is all about the batter - add salt, turmeric, garam masala, and chilli powder - coat the leaves in a generous amount of batter and dip in hot oil. A batch of crunchy, healthy pakoras are ready to satiate hunger pangs," she adds.
Ingredients
6 medium raw banana
A pinch mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
A pinch of turmeric
2 tblsp urad dal
1 cup of gram flour
4 chopped green chillies
Half a lemon
A few curry leaves
A pinch of baking soda
4 to 5 green chillies
Coriander to garnish
Salt
Oil to fry
Method
Put the bananas in a cooker and cook for four whistles. Remove, cool, peel and mash the banana and set it aside. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, turmeric and lots of urad dal and pour this tadka onto the mashed banana. For the batter, take gram flour, salt, lemon, green chillies, and turmeric and add water to make a thick coating. Make balls of the banana with the tadka, dip in batter and deep fry. Serve with pav.
Ingredients
1 small vazhaipoo (banana flower); approximately two cups of florets
1 cup chana dal
1/2 cup urad dal
1/4 cup tuar dal
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp finely chopped or grated ginger
8-10 medium spicy dry red chillies
1/2 tsp chopped curry leaves
1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp carom seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
Fennel seeds/cumin seeds (optional)
Garlic (optional)
Green chillies, finely chopped (as per taste)
Salt to taste
Method
Soak chana dal, tuar dal and urad dal and dry red chillies together for at least three to four hours. Churn in a mixer without water to make a coarse batter. Keep aside. In a bowl, beat ghee (clarified butter), salt and baking soda with your hands till it gets airy and light. Add all the remaining ingredients and make a tight dough. Flatten a dough ball with your hand, and drop these into hot oil, one after another. Remove when golden brown.
