Hey Bhagawan, thank you for blessing us with the rains this season. It was looking to be a hot and humid rainy season again but with the Gods smiling down upon us we couldn’t be more thankful. What’s the best thing to do in the rains? Of course that’s – chai & pakode. Who can create a better combination than cutting chai and garam pakode? Maybe Munna Bhai & Circuit come close, but even they enjoy this combination more than their own company.
Chai is the fuel on which India runs, which is quite ironic knowing that we all slow down during the rains. One of the best ways to enjoy a cup of Chai is with lots of masala and adrak. We get that kadak after taste only when our chai waala uses the best quality of ingredients. That’s why certain places are now legendary, and they have a warm place in our hearts. Everyone knows a nukkad-ka-chaiwala or a chai-chain that serves up a decent quality of chai to the locals.
Chai and Pakode have been in a long-romance. What’s better than this combo?
Even the queen of getting caught in a “Bad Romance” agrees. Chai is life, and Pakore gives us jaan.
There’s even the versatility of this combination that has won our hearts. You can literally have any type of chai and enjoy the combination with any type of pakora. It just has to be crunchy and delectable. Sure, Parle-G comes in the way of the flirtation, but it can never compare to every foodies’ favourite Amitabh and Rekha pairing – Chai & Pakode.
It all started when the British would pair their favourite teas with biscuits and finger food. We took that concept and said -bleh! We made a better combination and now the whole nation runs on this food for long periods of time. You can go days without seeing your girlfriend/boyfriend but baarish mei agar pakode or chai nahi enjoy kiya toh phir mann nahi lagta.
What’s really interesting is that their romance is international as well, as many diners in UK and Europe enjoy this combination on a rainy day too. Their love story has become iconic throughout the years, as people go about their day counting the time until it starts raining.
For us, it started off when we were kids. We would see this combination, less with our eyes and more with our noses. We could sniff out their partnership brewing as our mothers would make some of the tastiest pakode and chai in the world. She knew exactly when we wanted it and the plate would be ready when our hunger would peak.
Next, we met this combination during long nights of studying and preparing for our exams. Eating a full dinner would make us sleepy but consuming a few pakodas and chai would keep us energized for the whole day. That’s why it became a part of our ritual.
Then, as we entered college, we rediscovered our love for this perfect pair when we would bunk classes during the rains. Chai and Pakode were our Brangalina and we knew we could rely on them to satisfy our urges. The problem is – is that if you eat them too much you’d enjoy it less and less. That’s why the more forbidden it was – the better it tasted. Imagine that – waiting for months for the rain to come and then finally enjoying a warm plate of chai and pakode in the rain.
The sounds of the rain instantly triggers happy thoughts and emotions in our minds as it slows everything down. For us, Chai and Pakode is the ultimate romantic story that deserves its own movie and Oscar category. It’s an iconic pair that has survived the test of time.
