Chefs Share Gourmet Recipes To Elevate Your Monsoon Menu

As soon as the summer starts to fade away with heavy downpours, the cravings for cool, icy beverages shift to crunchy snacks and comforting bowls of soup. While the go-to options that will always remain a classic hit include bhajiyas, bhutta, pakoras, samosas, and so on, you’ll need to be a little creative when guests are on their way. 

To prepare a restaurant-style monsoon menu for your friends, family, or yourself, you’ll need chef-special gourmet recipes. Making the most of the seasonal ingredients and pantry staples, here are some step-by-step recipes shared by chefs across India to help you create a gourmet menu for a rainy-day get-together or house party.

Corn Khees With Mango Kimchi

By Chef Rijul Gulati, Executive Chef, Indian Accent, Mumbai

Ingredients for corn khees:

• 4 corn cobs, grated
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp jeera
• A pinch of hing
• 1 tbsp chopped ginger
• ½ tbsp chopped green chilli
• A pinch of turmeric
• 1 tbsp cream
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
• Salt to taste

Method for corn khees:

1. Heat the ghee in a pan. Temper with jeera and hing.
2. Add ginger and green chilli, sauté till fragrant. Add turmeric.
3. Add grated corn and sauté. Finish with cream and freshly grated coconut. Sprinkle salt to taste.

Ingredients for chilli chutney:

• 10-12 Byadgi chillies, soaked
• 5–6 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp jeera
• 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
• ½ tbsp jaggery
• 1 tsp salt

Method for chilli chutney:

1. Roast jeera and garlic in a pan. Set aside.
2. Blend soaked chillies, roasted garlic, and jeera into a smooth paste.
3. Add tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt to taste. Mix well.

Ingredients for mango kimchi:

• 2 tbsp kimchi
• 1 tbsp raw mango
• 1 tbsp ripe mango pulp

Method for mango kimchi:

1. Finely chop the kimchi and raw mango.
2. Add mango pulp and mix.
3. Spread chilli chutney on the plate, serve hot corn khees on a tart, or you can use matri/papdi/nachos instead of a tart. 
4. Garnish with mango kimchi and serve.

Mango Avocado Ceviche

By Porfirio Arturo Castro Salazar, Chef de Cuisine, Heliconia, JW Marriott Goa

Ingredients:

• 100 g mango
• 100 g avocado
• 60 g cherry tomatoes
• 60 g sweet potato
• 10 g fried quinoa
• 10 g chulpi corn
• 60 ml citric passion fruit dressing

Method:

1. Dice the mango, avocado and cherry tomatoes into small cubes. 
2. Add the sweet potato and gently toss with the citric passion fruit dressing until evenly coated.
3. Arrange the mixture neatly on a serving plate and garnish with fried quinoa and chulpi corn. Serve immediately.

Gourmet Nalli Nihari Recipe

Chef Taj Mohammed Sha, Indian MasterChef of Sahib Room & Kipling Bar, The St Regis Mumbai

Ingredients:

• 1 kg mutton shank (nalli preferred)
• 400 gm baby lamb boneless
• 2 black cardamoms
• 5 green cardamoms
• 6 cloves
• 1-inch cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pan ki jad
• 4 khus ki jad
• 10 black pappercorn
• 2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp fennel powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp yellow chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 onions
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• ½ cup ghee
• ½ cup mustard oil
• 2 tbsp besan
• 6 cups of water and mutton stock

Method:

1. Heat oil in a deep-bottom copper handi. Once hot, add the sliced onions and fry till they start to turn brown.
2. Add mutton pieces, whole spices, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, turmeric, yellow chilli powder and salt. Mix well to coat the mutton in ghee and spices. Sauté for 5 mins.
3. Add the 4 cups of water and mutton stock. Mix well, cover and cook on very low heat for about 4 hours until the meat is tender. 
4. Keep checking in between. The way to know that the meat is cooked is when it breaks easily with a wooden spoon.
5. Dissolve besan in a cup of water such that there are no lumps. Slowly add it to the gravy. 
6. Stir to mix it well in the gravy and let it simmer for another 10-15 mins till the gravy thickens. Serve hot.