Seasonal munchies

Old Delhi is justifiably famous for chats and kebabs, both of which I devour at regular intervals. However the impending winter has brought forth a slew of snacks which I was previously unacquainted with. The first is the sweet potato chat. Sweet potato makes its appearance around the Navratras being a favourite of the fasting masses. The vendor piles up wood chips and coal in the centre of a rubber tyre and then slow roasts the sweet potato till it is tender and infused with the lovely wood smoke. He then peels the skin off, cuts it into bite sized pieces, adds masala powder and nimbu and serves it with a flourish and a toothpick. The combination of the sweet tuber with tangy  dressing is surprisingly great.

My second discovery this month are singharas or water chestnuts. When I saw mounds of the green-black singharas piled up on wayside carts, they looked alien and not very appetising. But they are a favourite of my mother in laws and have been appearing regularly as a evening snack. Wiki just informed me that these seeds have been cultivated for food for over 3000 years in India and China. Of course, they are also another Navratra favourite. These sham fasters-feasters I tell you. In my house, they are simply peeled, cut and sauted lightly with a little oil, zeera and salt. It is slow cooked with a lid on for a while so that the salt nicely permeates inside. I can easily eat a kilo at a time, the only problem is that it is so light that you are hungry again an hour later.

The last item is the perennial winter favourite – Roasted groundnuts. The sight of those huge mounds  by the roadside with a burly man incessantly stirring the groundnuts in an iron kadhai is a sure shot sign that winter is nigh. I got the shock of my life when I recently hopped out of the car to buy 20 Rs worth and got this measly packetful.  I remember buying the same quantity for about 5 Rs as a kid walking home form school. A visual reminder of our soaring inflation rates.

Groundnuts are more often boiled than roasted in Chennai. Boiled  peanuts with a dash of grated coconut, chilly and coriander  is the quintessential Marina beach snack. Fresh peanuts are available in super markets in those orange fish net like plastic bags.In a fit of déjà vu, I bought some non roasted groundnuts and attempted to pressure cook it with salt. They turned out a tad under boiled. A testimony to my cooking skills or are Delhi peanuts tougher than Madrasi ones ?