A chilli-cool summer? Here's how you can beat the heat with spicy food and drink

Sichuan peppercorn. Pic Courtesy/Britannica

The first instinct in this sweltering summer we are having, is to run toward cold things. But across some of the world's hottest and most humid regions - from Sichuan in China to the Konkan coast - people continue to eat aggressively spicy food through peak summer. Not despite the heat, but because of it. Mumbai's chefs decode that spice, when balanced correctly, can actually feel cooling, refreshing, even oddly addictive.

Sichuan is cool

Classic Ma La. Pic Courtesy/Bang Bang! Noodle and Pixian Chilli Alkaline Noodle

At Bang Bang! Noodle, chef Rahul Punjabi works extensively with Sichuan and Ma La flavours. Both cuisines are built around chilli oils, fermented bean pastes, and the numbing effect of Sichuan
peppercorn.

"There are foods that are hot, which are not necessarily spicy. And there are foods which are cool, which are not necessarily not spicy," Punjabi says. "Spicier foods have a cooling effect on the body."

He points out that cuisines, which are heavy on chilli, often emerged in tropical, humid regions. Sichuan is hot and humid for most of the year. "The reason why they eat chillies in that region and in that climate is to induce sweating and to cope with the heat."

Vegan Liangpi Cold Noodles and Xin Jiang Lamb Noodles

Modern science somewhat backs this up. Capsaicin - the compound that gives chillies their kick - activates heat receptors in the body, triggering sweating and vasodilation, which helps cool the body through evaporation.

Punjabi says this thinking aligns closely with Ayurveda too. "Everyone in Sichuan was talking about how the cuisine has a cooling effect on the body. And that aligns a lot with Ayurveda and the way we see food as well."

Solkadhi and Mutton Masala

Ayurveda literature around thermoregulation and sweating also discusses how perspiration helps regulate body temperature. Though some Ayurveda schools recommend milder spices in extreme heat, the broader philosophy focuses on balancing ingredients rather than eliminating spice entirely.

The Konkani way

At Chaitanya Assal Malvani, founders Surekha Walke and Mitra Walke feel Malvani cuisine is often misunderstood as being relentlessly spicy. "Calling it purely spicy would be unfair," they say. "The cuisine balances flavours with ingredients like coconut and kokum, which suit the coastal climate and help offset heat."

Prawns Ambat Tikhat

Unlike the direct punch of Indo-Chinese spice, Malvani heat tends to build slowly. "Malvani masala contains a blend of multiple chillies along with over 20 types of whole spices," the Walkes explain. "This creates a layered, aromatic heat rather than a sharp or overpowering spiciness."

Rahul Punjabi

And while North Indians may instinctively reach for Butter Chicken and cola during summer, the Konkan has long relied on ingredients that cool the body alongside spice-heavy meals: Solkadhi, Kokum Sherbet, Pej, Raw Mango, Ragi, and seasonal fruits.

(From left) Mitra and Surekha Walke

"Solkadhi, much like chaas or mattha in other communities, acts as a cooling drink for the body," they explain. At Chaitanya, customer preferences visibly change during summer. There's more seafood, lighter curries, more kokum-based drinks, and fewer heavy meats. "People tend to opt for lighter, more easily digestible options," they say.

Order like it's hot

Malvani Thali. Pics courtesy/Chaitanya Assal Malvani

Bang Bang! Noodle

TRY: Ma La Tang Ramen; Smashed cucumber salad
AT Bang Bang! Noodle, Siddharth Nagar Road, Motilal Nagar I, Goregaon West.
CALL 7738282264

Chaitanya Assal Malvani

TRY: Chicken Sagoti with rice and solkadhi; Mutton Sukka; Fish Curry Rice with Kokum-based drinks
AT Dadar and Thane
CALL 9137566392