Delicious Summer Dishes Across 11 States To Make Summer's End More Bearable

Summer and its tag team partner, humidity, wait to envelope us the minute we step out into the streets of Mumbai these days. And still, we can’t get our minds off food. Luckily for us -  the perpetually hungry - generations of our ancestors have struggled through the lethargy and sorrows of Indian summers by zeroing in on the very best regional dishes that hit the right spot even as temperatures soar dangerously.
As usual, we don’t claim to know absolutely everything, so hit us up if you have any more suggestions that you feel belong on this list - or even better, if you know the perfect place to find the authentic dishes.Here are regional dishes, segregated down state-wise, that are the only things making this summer slightly tolerable:

I. West Bengal

Tauk fish (with mango)

Macher tauk or fish in a decadent dry mango and mustard gravy is a dish hailing from the coastal areas of Bengal. Heady with aromas, this strikes a balance between salty, sour and spicy flavours to make for a remarkably balanced dish perfect for the hot, hot heat.

Tauk Daal/ Aamer Tok (with mango) 

Tangy red lentils with green mangoes is at the divine crux of this dish, with green chillies, turmeric and salt boosting the flavours up a notch.

Panta Bhaat

Panta bhat, also known as poitabhat, is generally made of leftover rice, soaked in water overnight, and served in the morning, traditionally with salt, onion and chili. Now that’s a morning after we wouldn’t mind.

Bel Sharbat
Made from bel or wood apple, this sharbat is teeming with feel-good nutrients and is a soothing rejoinder to the nausea of summer, packed with fibre to boot.
Shukto

A Bengali palate cleanser, shukto is generally a melange of various vegetables, generally including at least one bitter vegetable (often bittergourd) and just a hint of sugar and milk is added to the curry to enhance the flavours of the fresh vegetables.

Aam Paana
Aam panna is probably one of the most legendary Indian drinks, a true talisman for warding off the worst of the summer heat. Made from green mangoes, this light green drink is your best bet at surviving this season, plus it’s delicious and healthy too.

II. Orissa

Pokhal Bhaat

A traditional Indian congee that is a variation of West Bengal’s panta bhaat, this dish has boiled and mashed rice served with roasted vegetables, such as brinjal, badi, potato or saga bhaja – or even better, fried fish – and can also be prepared with curd, cucumber, cumin seeds, fried onions and mint leaves. Refreshing and light, it has the perfect makings of your next lunch craving.

Macha Patra Poda 

This one’s quite the showstealer, with an elaborate cooking method that adds to the intrigue. The (river) fish is marinated in a masala paste consisting of mustard seeds, poppy seeds, cumin, garlic cloves and red chilly and fried in mustard oil, before being wrapped in banana leaves and slow cooked over a fire. Served hot with rice, it’s fresh and light, making it that much easier to survive the summer.

III. Punjab, Haryana & Chhattisgarh

Lassi

The reputation of lassi obviously precedes the refreshing traditional drink from North India. A blend of yogurt, water, spices and sometimes, fruit, this one’s carved its own snug niche amongst summer dishes as one to rule them all.

Tindora Fry

Another work of simple genius, tendli is stir fried with a few spices like amchur and garam masala powder to add a boost of flavour to make for a dish that is delicious when served with either roti or rice.

Punjabi Bhindi Fry

Light, crispy and delicious, bhindi or okra is shallow fried and cooked in roasted besan and curry spices in a ridiculously easy recipe that is easy to stomach for lunch on even the hottest day, and is always reminiscent of homemade food.

Turai Channe ki Dal

Soaked chana dal and cooked bittergourd are cooked with chopped onion, tomatoes, red chilli powder, turmeric and salt to make for a comforting curry that is excellent with both rotis and rice, and is light as it is wholesome.

IV. Tamil Nadu

Neer Mor

Delicious spiced buttermilk, this Tamilian specialty is prepared by churning yogurt using a wooden whisk, or matthu in Tamil, before being spiced with Tadka or Thallippu, made of mustard seeds, cumin, hing, curry leaves, finely chopped ginger and green chili, before being garnished with fresh coriander leaves and stored and cooled in a clay pot, until you err..neer mor.

Thayir Sadam

Essentially curd rice, this is the sort of dish that can convince you to swear off every other kind of food, just until the temperature decides to drop. Rice is boiled until it becomes almost like a paste, and brought to to room temperature before being season with finely chopped fried green chillies, ginger, and curry leaves, along with the invigorating cold dollop of milk and yogurt. Often, a tadka of urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and asafoetida is also added to give it that extra zing.

V. Karnataka

Thumbuli 

A cooling gravy, thumbuli is usually made in the summer using yogurt, ginger, pepper and other spices and served with steamed rice, a welcome respite from the summer heat.

Maavinakayi Chitranna

 This rice-based dish draws upon the powers of the flavours of raw mango with mustard seeds, chana dal and urad dal, curry leaves, red chilly and freshly made coconut paste to make for the classic South Indian comeback to the furore of the summer season.

Dahi chutney 

Usually polished off as a refreshing and cooling side, this simple dish combines strained yogurt that is mixed into a chutney of mint and onions.

VI. Gujarat

Aam Ras

Nothing spells summer like the first decadent spoonful of aam ras – the pulp of a ripe mango squeezed out usually by hand, eaten with ghee or milk if you want to enhance the flavour even further. Eaten with chapatti or puri, we’re more than happy eating it all on its own as well.

Raw Mango Kachumber

Eaten as a refreshing salad accompanying a meal, this is an incredibly healthy mixture of raw mangoes, freshly chopped onions with a few spices and jaggery thrown in for good measure.

VII. Kerala

Chakkakuru Mezhukkupuratti

Jackfruit, popularly known as chakka in the hilly Kerala terrains, is used quite remarkably in this curry, with the seeds cooked in turmeric, salt, crushed garlic, red chillies and garlic to make an aromatic dish that is just lipsmacking with appams, a combination that has been known to cause untold gluttony.

Jackfruit Halwa or Chakka Halwa 

Jackfruit is minced and cooked indulgently in ghee and jaggery syrup to make for a sinfully sweet halwa.

Parippu Vada

This deep-fried goodness is a greasy indulgence that you just can’t resist, especially when served with some Suleimani chai. Ginger, red chillies, shallots, salt and curry leaves add the body of flavour to this crunchy snack made of dal that’s guaranteed to induce some serious cravings.

VIII. Bihar

Matka Kulfi with Falooda

If ever there were soulmates, it’s probably these two. Ice-cold and creamy, the kulfi is flavoured with cardamom and saffron while the falooda or vermicelli noodles make this a fun summer treat to look forward to.

Kadhi Bari 

Fried soft dumplings made of gram flour are slow cooked in a spicy gravy of yoghurt and besan so they soak up the flavours, and this dish is divine when paired with plain rice.

Chura Dahi

Chura is basically beaten rice that is eaten with a thick, creamy layer of curd, and this is often seasoned with salt, green chillies and homemade pickles, which can be eaten as a side dish.

Chura Aam

Oh, did we mention - chura is that much better when accompanied with some mouthwatering mango pulp instead? It’s called summer for a reason, right.

Ammath

This Bihari specialty is a layered mango pulp with diced mangoes that have been dried in the sun and cut into small chunks.

IX. Madhya Pradhesh

Peas Poha

Practically a national staple, flattened rice is cooked with soft peas to make for peas poha, a light preparation that’s great to kick your day off with, or to enjoy as a summer evening snack.

Bagja

Made up of raw mango, cumin, salt, sugar, boondi and water, Bagja is a simple yet delicious dish that is normally served with rice. In addition to being tasty, it is believed to stave off ‘heat fevers’ and is a great for the summer.

X. Maharashtra

Sol Kadhi

If anything’s going to be rescuing us from heat-induced lethargy, it’s got to be this lovely, pink drink for the soul that has been a traditional respite from the summer for countless generations in the Western coastal regions of the country. A blend of sweet and tangy kokam and coconut milk is spiced with green chillies, and flavoured with fresh cilantro to make a life-givingly refreshing drink, of which one is just never enough.

Panha

Nothing like a glass of chilled panha, which is basically aam panna, to stir you from your afternoon reverie – this cold drink made from raw mangoes is truly heavensent and is a mantra that’s guaranteed to get you through the most scorching parts of the season.

Poha-Chivda

There is no escaping the poha in Maharashtra, a dish that you go from groaning at the sight of in your childhood, to accepting with almost tearful gratitude a couple of years later. Flattened rice cooked either with diced potatoes, spices and fresh herbs as batata pohe, to the simpler preparation with onions, spices and herbs – this is a perennial favourite for its countless variations as well as how filling it can be. It’s generally garnished with an array of toppings including grated coconut, crushed peanuts, fresh coriander or sev - and don’t forget that squeeze of lime juice either.

Aambyachi Daal

This traditional recipe from the Konkan includes lentils cooked with raw green mangoes, and flavoured richly with mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander and just a hint of dry red chilly and fresh, grated coconut to make for a delicious recipe that is almost maddeningly simple.

XI. Rajasthan

Rabri

Is there anything more glorious and rewarding than a bowl of rabri at the end of a long, hard day? It can be eaten hot, it can be eaten cold – and in Rajasthan, it is also eaten as a mixture of bajre ki roti, buttermilk and yoghurt that is finally garnished with jeera and onions, along with the more popularly known sweet variant that is enjoyed as a cold dessert.

Ker-Sangri-Kumatia

Whole red chillies and raw mango powder blend their goodness with wild berries or beans that can be abundantly found in the desert areas of Rajasthan to form this Rajasthani delicacy, with the name of this dish derived from the remaining ingredients themselves: dried unripe fruit (ker), dried wild beans (sangri) and dried flat pods (kumatia). The combination of these five really packs a punch and is also known as ‘PaanchKuta’.

Research By Sanyukta Shetty.