Has the recent downpour got you humming ‘Idhar cha-la main udhar cha-la’? It’s the perfect weather to stay in and submit to the fried-food cravings with your cuppa. If you are in want of recipes, fret not! Just scroll down and find perfect fritters and tea recipes to bookmark for every rainy day. Now go and cook up a storm (no pun intended)!
Chicken pakora and ginger tea
Juicy chicken pakoras, some aada cha and brishti — did Tuesday just transform into a perfect weekend?
Chicken pakora
Ingredients:
- Boneless chicken (preferably chicken thighs) cut into small cubes: 300 gm
- Onion paste: 1 and ½ tablespoon
- Ginger and garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
- Green chilli, salt and lemon juice paste: 1 tablespoon
- Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon
- Roasted cumin and coriander powder: 1 tablespoon
- Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper powder: 1 teaspoon
- Garam masala powder: ½ teaspoon
- Beaten hung curd: 1 tablespoon
- Chopped coriander leaves: 2 tablespoons
- Cornstarch: 2-3 tablespoons
- Egg: 1
- Maida: 3-4 tablespoons
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
Recipe:
- Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients except the cornstarch, egg and maida. Keep the marinated chicken aside for a minimum of 15-20 minutes
- Right before frying, add egg and cornstarch and give a good mix
- Spread some maida mixed with a pinch of salt on a plate
- Heat enough oil in a frying pan to deep fry the fritters
- Coat each pakora in maida and deep fry till golden brown
- Sprinkle some chaat masala from the top and serve with ketchup or kasundi
Ginger tea
Ingredients:
- Grated ginger: 1 tablespoon
- Tea leaves: 1 tablespoon
- Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon
- Rock salt: 1 teaspoon
- Water
- Honey: 1 and ½ tablespoon (Optional)
Recipe:
- Pour water into a pan, add ginger and bring the water to a boil
- Add lemon juice, honey, and rock salt to the pan and let the water boil for another 2 minutes
- Turn off the flame, add tea leaves and cover with a lid
- Strain the tea after 2-3 minutes and serve hot with the pakoras
‘Dimer’ devil and masala tea
Nothing beats a dimer devil with kadak masala chai. Save a few of the dimer devils to go with dinner-time khichuri too, we say!
‘Dimer’ devil
Ingredients:
- Boiled eggs cut into halves: 6
- Boiled, mashed potato: 4 large
- Finely chopped onion: 1 large
- Ginger and garlic paste: 1 tablespoon
- Finely chopped green chillies: 2
- Finely chopped coriander leaves: 2 tablespoons
- Roasted cumin and coriander: 1 tablespoon
- Garam masala: 1 teaspoon
- Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder: ½ tablespoon
- Amchur powder: 1 teaspoon
- Bhaja masala: 1 tablespoon
- Eggs, beaten: 2
- Salt
- Sugar
- Breadcrumbs
- Maida
- Vegetable oil
Recipe:
- In a bowl, mix mashed potatoes, onion, ginger and garlic paste, green chilli, coriander leaves, salt, sugar and all the dry spices
- Take half a boiled egg for one dimer devil
- Take a dollop of the mixture you had set aside in the bowl in your palm and place the egg half at the centre. Cover it well with the mashed potato mixture from all sides and mould the whole thing into an oval shape
- Heat enough oil in a kadhai to deep fry the dimer devils
- Coat each fritter in beaten eggs, maida and breadcrumbs (in this order) and fry on medium flame until golden brown. P.S.: Don’t forget to add a pinch of salt to the breadcrumbs, maida and eggs
- Serve hot
Masala tea
Ingredients:
- Full-fat milk: 2 large cups
- Water: 2 large cups
- Grated ginger: 1 tablespoon
- Clove: 2
- Cardamom: 2
- CTC tea: ½ tablespoon
- Sugar
Recipe:
- Roughly grind cloves and cardamom and set them aside
- In a saucepan, add water, ginger, ground clove and cardamom. Cover the pan with a lid. On medium heat, bring the water to a boil
- Add milk and sugar. When the concoction is almost boiling over, add the tea and stir well. Keep boiling until you get the desired colour. Strain the tea and your masala chai is ready. Sip away!
Mixed vegetable pakora and liquor tea
Mixed vegetable pakoras are possibly the easiest of pakoras to make and take less than 30 minutes. Pair the fritters with some first flush tea and unwind in the aromas — of the food, the tea and the rain.
Mixed vegetable pakora
Ingredients:
- Roughly chopped pointed gourd (potol): 3
- Roughly chopped onions: 1 large
- Chopped tomato: 1 large
- Chopped carrots: 1
- Chopped beetroot: 1
- Chopped coriander leaves: 4-5 tablespoons
- Finely chopped green chillies: 2
- Boiled and mashed potatoes: 2 large
- Garam masala powder: ½ tablespoon
- Coriander powder: ½ tablespoon
- Baking powder: 1 tablespoon
- Amchur powder: ½ tablespoon
- Maida
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Chaat masala
Recipe:
- Mix all the vegetables together and make a dough. Add some maida if required. Point to remember, the dough must be soft
- Add the dry masalas, salt and sugar to the dough
- Form flattened round fritters
- Mix maida, baking powder and salt
- Coat the fritters in the mixture and deep fry on medium flame until golden brown
- Sprinkle some chaat masala, dip in tomato sauce and enjoy!
Liquor tea
Ingredients:
- First flush or tea leaves of choice: 1 pinch
- Water: 2 cups
Recipe:
- The key to good liquor cha is minimalism. You just need to bring the water to a boil and turn off the flame
- Add the tea leaves and cover for 30 seconds to a minute
- Uncover, stir and strain
‘Kada chingrir chop’ and turmeric tea
Kada chingri might not be a regular in the market, but if you spot some, buy ASAP. If there’s none in sight, kucho chingri or any other variety of small-sized shrimps is a good alternative. Turmeric tea might not sound very appealing, but it is definitely tasty (plus, healthy!).
Kucho chingrir chop
Ingredients:
- Shrimp: 300 gm
- Finely chopped onions: 2 large
- Finely chopped green chillies: 2-3
- Finely chopped coriander leaves: 2-3 tablespoons
- Grated ginger: 1 tablespoon
- Grated mango ginger: 1 teaspoon
- Tomato ketchup: 1 tablespoon
- Lime juice: 1 teaspoon
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Maida
- Beaten egg: 1
Recipe:
- Put the shrimp in a bowl and add onion, green chilli, coriander leaves, ginger, mango ginger, tomato sauce, lime juice, salt and sugar. Mix and mash all the ingredients well, and preferably use your hands
- Once the shrimp mix is ready, start heating the oil. You can either shallow fry or deep fry these fritters
- Add a pinch of salt to the maida and the beaten eggs
- Shape the fritters, dip them in eggs and then in maida and fry in a low to medium flame till golden brown
Turmeric tea
Ingredients:
- Water: 2 cups
- Grated raw turmeric: 1 teaspoon
- Green tea leaves: 1 teaspoon
- Honey: 1 tablespoon
- Cinnamon: 1
- Whole black pepper: 3-4
Recipe:
- Add all the ingredients, except the tea leaves, to a pot of water and boil for 2-3 minutes
- Turn off the heat, add the tea leaves and cover for 1-2 minutes
- Strain and your turmeric tea is ready!
‘Phuluri’ and ginger-lemon green tea
Whenever it rains, muri, phuluri and some cha have been the go-to combo for all generations of Bengalis. We might go fancy with the tea, but phuluri always reminds us of all those times thakuma, dida or ma would bring a baati full of these crispy wonders while it rained outside.
Phuluri
Ingredients:
- Bengal gram flour (besan): 1 cup
- Baking powder: 1 teaspoon
- Finely chopped onion: 1 large
- Finely chopped green chilli: 2
- Finely chopped coriander leaves: 1 tablespoon (Optional)
- Turmeric powder: 1 teaspoon
- Red chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper powder: 1 teaspoon
- Salt
- Water
- Vegetable oil
Recipe:
- Mix together gram flour or besan, salt, turmeric and red chilli powder, black pepper powder in a bowl
- Pour some water into the bowl and start mixing the ingredients
- Keep adding water in small quantities. Make sure the mixture has a thick consistency, and isn’t runny
- Add the veggies and baking powder and mix well
- Heat some oil in a pan to deep fry the phuluris
- Shape the fritters on your palm and slide slowly into the hot oil
- Fry till golden brown
Ginger and lemon green tea
Ingredients:
- Grated ginger: 1 tablespoon
- Lemon wedges: 2-3
- Lemon juice: 2 tablespoons
- Green tea leaves: ½ teaspoon
- Tulsi leaves: 3-4 (Optional)
- Water: 2 cups
Recipe:
- Add grated ginger, tulsi leaves and water to a saucepan and bring it to a boil
- Add lemon juice and green tea leaves. Let the water simmer for 45 seconds to a minute and turn off the flame
- Cover with a lid for about a minute to let the tea leaves open up
- Strain, pour, and add lemon wedges. The refreshing brew is ready!
