Seasons: Monsoon

The ghost chilli of Nagaland — a genuine regional speciality, and ferocious.

Lasoda — sticky green fruit pickled across Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Yongchak — long flat pods eaten across Manipur and Nagaland.

Sesame-like seeds used across the eastern Himalaya in chutney and oil.

Timur — the numbing hill pepper of the eastern Himalaya, on a thorny shrub.

The Himalayan butter tree, giving cooking fat and an enormous honey flow.

The north-eastern shoot bamboo — fermented shoots are a regional staple.

The tea of the Brahmaputra valley — one bush on a balcony is enough for a pot.

Black cardamom of Sikkim — deep shade under alder, at hill altitudes.

Malabar tamarind — the sour rind of Konkan and Kerala cooking.