Monsoon brunch: Eat your heart out - Hindustan Times
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Monsoon brunch: Eat your heart out

Hindustan Times, Delhi | ByAnjali Shetty
Jul 02, 2019 04:28 PM IST

With fresh ingredients and fragrant spices, monsoon brunches are becoming the next big thing.

Monsoon brunches are gaining popularity for its spread and options. Primarily, a combination of breakfast and lunch, brunches work well for lazy holiday and act as a great way to spend time with family. Initially, brunches were a summer concept as it gave the idea of fresh produce and lazy mornings. However, chefs are slowly welcoming brunches during monsoon.

Chefs are slowly welcoming brunches during monsoon.
Chefs are slowly welcoming brunches during monsoon.

Tushar Deshpande, executive chef, Arbour Kitchen, shares, “The trend of the Monsoon brunches are very common these days and have a significant importance in dining culture created by the age group of 22 to 35 age bracket. Monsoon brunches are to have a relaxed time with your close friends, family or for that matter couples can have a fantastic date brunch. The perfect weather and the coolness creates perfect memories which can last forever.”

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It is the beginning of the first session of schools so long weekends is thoroughly enjoyed by junior guests and that is mostly what we have observed in our brunches. Anirban Dasgupta, executive chef, Hyatt Regency, says, “The trend revolves around the Classic comfort food along with the street side specialties. One cannot ignore the Vada pav on a rainy evening and even if you offer him a Hot Burger or a Corn dog the Vada pav always wins hands down.”

People no longer prefer staying indoors while it’s raining outside in fact people have started to enjoy the rains more and what better when paired with some delicious food and cocktails. Rachel Goenka Khetarpal, CEO, The Sassy Spoon says, “Food in the monsoons have always been more associated with more street food like pakoras, Bhutta and ragda pattice but now chefs have started putting a creative spin on monsoon favourites and modernising the offerings.”

 

Biswas, executive chef, Playboy Beer garden, says, “The best part about monsoon brunches are definitely the live barbeque and pizza counter where you can not only see but also smell the aroma of lip smacking food while listening to the best of music to set the mood just right.”

Currently quite a few restaurants and hotels are having a monsoon brunch for ensuring to create a lovely vibe and memory domain for everyone. Rahul Ravi Kirtikar, chef consultant, Pesto Pesto, says, “To enjoy and share good warm food on a Sunday afternoon after which one can cosy up in his or her blanket, watching the rain drops splashing the window pane.”

 

Ubeid Khan, corporate chef, Sorted.Delicatessen, adds, “Monsoon brunches are becoming very popular now days as it gives an opportunity to people to spend time with their family and friends and enjoy the nature away from the flooded street

Health benefits of having a brunch

Brunch is not only just super fun but also healthy, health advocates always recommend a heavy first meal which is exactly what a brunch is. Dishant Pritamani, founder and owner, The Daily All Day says, “It not only gives you energy to last the day, gain healthy amounts of weight but also helps you deal with the hang over from the previous night.”

An early lunch automatically helps you have an early dinner. Goenka adds, “Early dinners have always been considered to be healthier since the body has enough time to digest food.”

The other benefits include, killing unnecessary hunger pangs, avoids long gaps between breakfast and lunch, you will improve memory, good for diabetes as eating on time keeps sugar levels at bay, A heavy meal prior to lunch will ensure good metabolic rate.

Khan adds that brunch can only be healthy, if you’re not overeating and pacing yourself through it. Going light and focusing on ingredients that aren’t too acidic or heavy in nature helps in digesting a brunch meal

Box 1: Speciality of a Monsoon brunch

Specialty of monsoon brunch would be warm and hot food products, more cooked items and less raw food, as raw food is highly prone to bacteria formation. As Karen Anand puts it, if you are going to indulge, the best time to eat really is brunch. Dishant shares, “Offering hearty and warm foods such as soups, stews and delicious fried foods that people love to eat in the monsoons.” Monsoon brunch is all about comfort food and to spend time and appreciate the nature with family and close ones.

Must have monsoon foods

-Tea

-Fritters

-Brun maska

-Potato chips

-Waffles

-Crepes

-Steaks

-Pizza

-Coffees & Dark Hot chocolate

-Dal Khichadi – homestyle

-Chicken Stew & Brown Rice

Recipes:

1. Emmental Soufflé

Ingredients: 225gm emmental cheese, 225ml milk, 150ml cream, 4 egg yolk, 64gm flour, 64gm butter, 6 egg white

Method: In a sauce pan heat milk and cream and keep aside. Make a blonde roux (Melt the butter in a hot pot or saucepan, being careful not to let it brown. Sieve the flour, add it to the butter and mix with a whisk until it forms a smooth, uniform mixture. Cook the roux for 4 minutes: the color should be blond or golden. Blond roux is used to bind dished like pureed soups and white meat dishes). And then add the cream and milk mixture to make white sauce. Add grated emmental cheese and egg yolk to it and mix well. Beat the egg whites till soft peak consistency and fold in the above mixture. Line the ramekins with breadcrumbs and pour the soufflé batter to it. Bake the soufflés for 10min at 1500c. During the second bake keep the demoulded soufflés upside down and bake for another 12min at 1800c. Serve the soufflé with candied walnuts and green apple salad.

By Rachel Goenka Khetarpal, CEO, The Sassy Spoon

2. Spinach, Golden Garlic and Mozzarella Samosa.

Ingredients: 100gm shredded spinach, 20gm fried garlic, 50gm mozzarella cheese, 20gm onion, 5gm cumin, 3gm green chilli, 5 phyllo sheets, 10gm butter, and salt to taste pinach Shredded 100gms

Method: Heat the butter and sizzle the cumin, after that sauté the onion in it. Blanch and shred the spinach and remove all moisture add it to the onion in the pan. Add in chopped green chilies, salt and pepper to the spinach. Remove aside and cool. Add in grated mozzarella cheese and mix it with the spinach mixture. Fill these up in lined phyllo sheets and seal them up with a batter mixture. You can deep fry this or bake it in the oven to obtain a crisp exterior

By Anirban Dasgupta, chef, Hyatt Regency

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