Celebrate the (rainy) season

Near the end of unbearably hot summers in India comes the monsoon, and much needed rain for crops and the parched land. It’s a time to rejoice and celebrate, says Sunil Soni, chef of Harvard Square’s Tamarind Bay Bistro Bar, which is hosting its first Punjabi food festival. The northern region of Punjab - “the bread basket of India,’’ according to manager Sumeet Malhotra - includes a varied, full-flavored cuisine of tandoor-cooked chicken, lamb, and fish, and saucy curries. Because wheat is grown there, flat breads, stuffed breads, and dumplings are popular, as are milk, yogurt, and cheese. “Punjabi food is very flavorful, but not too spicy,’’ says Soni, who uses cumin, coriander, carom seeds (smaller than cumin, herb flavor), ginger, and garlic.