10 Best Winter Foods in India to Keep You Warm This Season!

The grueling cold season is already here, making you wear layers of clothing. Winter is making it worse by giving you chapped lips, cracked feet, and dry skin. You feel more comfortable indoors, snuggle up in your bed and have a cup of hot chocolate or coffee. Wait, what? Coffee and chocolate! From where are the thoughts coming? Have you ever noticed the pattern? As the season changes, so do your inclination to the variety of food. In summer you would rather have something cool, but in winter you want warm food. Taking it further, you are more inclined to eat food that warms you inside. The blog takes a peek into winter food that keeps you warm. We have combed web pages, research articles, and journals to identify the edibles best suited for the Indian winter climate. The variety was crazy, but here are the foods that made it to our top 10 list. Read on to know if it matches your list of winter food. If not, know that variety never hurts.

Ingredients of Winter

One automatically tends to feel hungrier in winter. So it’s essential to eat wholesome food that eases your hunger and nourishes the body. Any veggies that take time and grow underground are warm food. Examples are carrots, beetroots, potatoes, radishes, turnips, etc. Winter greens like methi, mustard leaves, and palak add color to the season. Dairy products, nuts, whole grains, legumes, and ghee are other ingredients that are also warming food. They provide proteins and healthy fats and help balance the nutrition intake. Animal food such as eggs, lean meat, and seafood also fall under the warm food category. Also, have you noticed that you prefer your food to be spicier during winter? Adding an extra dash of spices will enhance your winter food and act as warm food. Certain drinks like a mug of tea or coffee or a bowl of piping hot soup also make you feel happy and warm in this cold season.

India and Winter Food

India is the land of cuisines. There is something unique about the food we eat in every nook and corner. The taste also varies from home to home, though cooking methods might seem the same. Research says eating seasonal and locally grown food is best for building immunity. Surprisingly, traditional Indian cuisines focus on cooking with locally grown vegetables and available products. So, we can proudly say Indian food is scientifically rich and packed with healthy nutrients. It also means you can lead a healthy life in winter by following traditional recipes.

Traditional Winter Recipes from across India

Let’s start the section on a two-sweet note.

1. India’s Gajar ka Halwa:

Made of carrots, ghee, sugar, and nuts, this can almost be called the national dessert of India. Well, though it’s not the national dessert, it is made at least once in winter. The recipe provides much-needed energy, nutrition, and healthy fat to savor the winter.

2. Bengal’s Nolen Gur Sandesh:

Bengal is the land of savories, especially sweets. Talking about one without the other is injustice. This winter dessert is perfect for winter pangs. Made of date palm jaggery and Indian cottage cheese, it is an ideal mix of taste and health.

3. Rajasthani Bajra Khichdi:

Bajra is a seasonal food rich in nutrients and helps build muscles. Soak Bajra for 8 hours. Cook it along with moong dal and salt in a pressure cooker after adding water. Temper the mixture the traditional way, and your khichdi is ready to eat. You can add onions or garlic to enhance the flavors.

4. Punjabi Sarson ka Saag:

This popular Punjabi side dish made from mustard greens and spinach is an excellent complement to Makki ki roti. Sautee the greens in boiling water and blend them along with chilies. Add butter or ghee to a pan or kadai. Once it melts, add relevant spices to enhance the aroma and fry onions and ginger garlic paste. Add the greens mixture and boil after adding a dash of turmeric, chili powder, and coriander powder. Rich in fiber, along with Makki ki roti, this healthy winter recipe is sure to win hearts.

5. Karnataka’s ragi rotti:

Mix the ragi flour with chopped onions, grated carrots, finely chopped chilies, a teaspoon of ajwain, salt, and grated coconut with enough water. Flatten them on butter paper and put them on Tava. Roast till a sweet fragrance of cooked ragi emerges from it. Ragi is a gluten-free, fiber-rich food that is also good for maintaining a healthy heart.

6. Assam’s Til Pitha:

A sweet Indian pancake stuffed with the goodness of sesame seeds and jaggery is a popular food of the northeastern region. The sesame provides much-needed zinc, selenium, vitamin b6, healthy fats, and other nutrients to keep you healthy and warm during winter.

7. Arunachal Pradesh’s Thukpa:

Thukpa is a famous Indian-Tibetian noodle soup and is a popular winter dish in the region. The broth is filled with flavors and a mouthwatering aroma of sauteed veggies and garnish. The noodle soup is filling and a perfect way to add winter nutrition to children’s diets.

8. South India’s Thoran or Poriyals:

Adding veggies to diet can be daunting. Thanks to these simple and easy-to-cook recipes from states in southern India, the in-season veggies can now be part of daily meals. Add the veggies to the tempering in kadai. Use chilies to make it fiery, the required quantity of salt, and top it off with grated coconut.

9. Gujarat’s Undhiyu:

The most popular winter dish of Gujarat is Undhiyu. Mixed vegetables, fenugreek, lots of ghee, and a variety of spices go into this dish which takes hours to complete. Though this dish makes you work hard, the result is immunity-building, flavor-rich food which smells and tastes like a slice of heaven.

10. Odisha’s Torani Kanji:

Rich in probiotics, the Torani Kanji from Orissa is a perfect dish to boost your immune system. Localities ferment the water used to cook rice using dried mango for over a week to make this winter soup. The fermented water is tempered with seasonal vegetables to enhance its nutritional value. The piping hot, gluten-free, vegan soup is a favorite across ages.

In our attempt to bring winter dishes from across India, we have missed adding other winter delicacies from different regions. So, we urge you to take this as an opportunity to share your memories of the fondest winter dishes and fill our page with your valuable comments.

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