Esquites is a Mexican soup that dates back to pre-Hispanic times and was made when the rainy season began and corn was harvested. It is the favourite soup of chef Pablo Benitez, executive chef at Mezcalita in Churchgate, since it has different textures and flavours—the crunchiness of the grain, sweetness, acidity, and spiciness, all at the same time. The soup has white onion, garlic (peeled), whole corn, fresh coriander, vegetable stock and chipotle sauce. Photos Courtesy: Sameer Markande

When it pours, Thais love to soothe their sinuses with a bowl of spicy Tom kha gai, a traditional chicken hot and sour soup dish that is a potpourri of flavours. Hari Singh Negi, Chef de Partie at Thai Naam in Marol says it has chicken, galangal (a root similar to ginger but with a citrusy dash), lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, bird’s eye chilli, fish sauce, and coconut milk for a creamy base. Apart from chicken—purists prefer chicken on bone to the boneless variety—this rich soup also has mushrooms. Traditionally, the soup is enjoyed with jasmine rice, but can also be had on its own or with boiled noodles. Photo Courtesy: Getty Images

Closer home in Jharkhand, this season sparks a craving for Rugda curry, a thickish gravy made with seasonal produce: A small, round, muddy white ball mushroom indigenous to the state. Rugda or puttu as some call it, grows under the soil, at the base of sal trees in the humid forests around Ranchi. It has a rubber like tough exterior and holds a yolk-like black substance inside which gives the rugda its umami taste. It has a meaty flavour similar to chicken liver, and also has higher protein content than any other variety of mushrooms. Steaming rugda curry—made with whole spices, onions and slit green chillies—is a hot favourite in Jharkhand.

The Ulavacharu is a hearty dish made from horse gram lentils or ulavala, as it is called locally. The curry from Andhra Pradesh is easy to make, and heaven to savour. It relies on mustard, cumin, and ginger-garlic paste for taste and can be sipped straight from the bowl or had with rice and idli.

The recipe has become so popular that it is even used as meat marinade while making biryani. The history of the dish is intertwined with the destiny of Mandava Venkat Ratnam, a native of Vishakapatnam who started delivering ready-to-eat ulavacharu in the 1990s. His customers loved his preparation and it became a runaway hit, so much so that Ratnam shifted to Vijaywada to expand his business. Today, the family runs Indira Foods, a venture that has diversified its menu and delivers all over Andhra, as well as to parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, not to mention abroad as per order.