By Raajwrita Dutta 21 August 2025
Monsoon greens come alive with personality, tradition, and flavour, each with its own story, quirks, and nostalgic charm that celebrate rainy-season favourites.
Lady Chaulai Bio: Light, earthy — just like Mum used to make on rainy afternoons. Status: Red or green — choose your childhood team. Quirk: Garlic is her best mate. Overcooking? A sin. Fun Fact: Still shows up at every festival thali like a favourite aunt.
Kochu Pata Bai Bio: The OG drama queen behind Patra and alu wadi, she takes time but never disappoints. Status: Can’t be eaten raw — she bites back. Quirk: Tamarind is her best mate! Fun Fact: Mum would swear you never got the recipe right on the first try — and that’s how legends are born.
Lingdu Didi Bio: Wild child of the hills. Status: Curled up in the markets — but only if you’re lucky. Quirk: Raw? Toxic. Boil her gently and she’ll bloom. Fun Fact: Plucked from forest floors in Sikkim and Nagaland — she’s the forager’s pride and Granny’s prized curry.
Aunty Poi Saag Bio: A climber on fences, a staple in kitchens — she’s soft, green, and always giving. Quirk: Turns silky in gravies — the true saag specialist. Fun Fact: Mum tied her around the garden wall — dinner and decor, both sorted.
Phodshi Rani Bio: Hand-plucked, monsoon-only, gone before you know it. Status: Found in the Sahyadris, not in the vegetable markets. Quirk: Delicate as childhood — wilts if you blink. Fun Fact: A Sahyadri secret — served best with childhood stories and bhakri.
Takla Bhau Bio: Monsoon’s limited-edition bodyguard. Quirk: Bitter when raw, brilliant when spiced. Fun Fact: Granny called him “kadwa but kind” — he showed up every July, uninvited, but left your immunity stronger and your plate fuller.
Kachnar Bai Bio: Blooms in spring, cooks in rain. Quirk: Mild bitterness melts in mustard oil — just like memories in Mum’s kitchen. Fun Fact: She’s a forest friend — once fed whole villages, now she whispers in Chhattisgarhi pots and Bengali shorshe.
Kolmi Didi Bio: Slender, crunchy stems with soft leaves — she’s been dancing by the pond since the first rain. Status: Slips through your fingers and ends up straight into the pan. Quirk: Cooks in minutes, vanishes from the plate even faster. Fun Fact: In Bengal, she grew near every pond. In Karnataka, she would sneak into temple kitchens without invitation and always stay for lunch.
Maasi Haldi Bio: From pickles to patoli, it carries Granny’s recipes in every fold. Status: Fragrant, festive, only shows up for big days. Quirk: Steam brings out her magic, smells like shravan mornings. Fun Fact: In Konkan and Karnataka, she wraps sweets like a saree wraps love — tight, warm, unforgettable.