Your winter checklist would be incomplete without some amazing north Indian food that keeps you warm from inside and your immunity strong.
North India’s winter foods are as rich as ghee and as bright as leafy greens. From spicy sarson ka saag from Punjab to UP, Haryana’s gond ke laddoo, here are a few winter dishes of north India that will keep you warm this winter.
1. Punjab — Makki ki roti and sarson ka saag
This delicious recipe, created with leafy greens and maize flour, will warm you up in only a few bites. The winter-special sarson ka saag is a preparation of green sarson leaves, best served with makki ki roti. This traditional Punjabi dish is incomplete without a dollop of white butter on top. The meal of sarson ka saag and makki ki roti — that is served with butter, jaggery and onion slices — is full of nutrition.
2. Punjab — Gajar ka Halwa
The famous gajar ka halwa is the go-to dessert during the winter in every Punjab household. Gajar ka halwa is a winter preparation due to the availability of the best carrot produced in this season, and it is definitely worth the wait throughout the year!
Packed with taste and homemade affection, winters in north India are incomplete without gajar ka halwa, from searching for hidden cashew nuts to scraping the dish for last crumbs.
3. Haryana — Gond ke laddoo
Gond ka laddoo is made out of edible gum extracted from tree barks. This is one of those desserts that you can enjoy all year long while also benefiting from its specific nutritional properties to help you combat winter chills. The laddoo can keep you warm since it is said to be super heaty, thus heating your insides. Once prepared, it can be kept for quite a long time, sometimes even for months.
4. Rajasthan — Baajre ka raab
Made using millet flour, raab is a healthy drink cum porridge which you can have in winters. It is a chilli beverage balanced with the right amount of millet flour and sweet. Raab is great to boost immunity. You can definitely get the chilly-hit on the first sip itself.
5. Delhi — Daulat ki chaat
Malai Makhan, also known as Khimish or Daulat ki chaat, is a seasonal beverage available between October and March. This drink is created by churning milk and cream until it grows into a feathery-froth, which is rich in preparation but lighter in flavour. It is finally embellished with dry fruits, khoya, or saffron. It makes for a great early morning winter drink with a hearty breakfast.
Served in ‘donas’ or ‘kulhad’, this nutrient-rich dish is topped with extra khoya and a pinch of a saffron mixture.
6. Delhi — Parantha and Dahi
Be it morning or evening, Delhi is fond of smoking hot parathas in winter. Delhi specialises in serving parathas stuffed with filling of different ingredients including spinach, cauliflower, carrot, peas, mashed potato, fenugreek leaves and reddish. Parathas with some pickle, butter and a bowl of curd give the best taste of Delhi that is unique to the North Indian food culture in winter.
7. Uttar Pradesh — Nimona
Matar ka nimona is a green peas curry made commonly during winter in Uttar Pradesh. It is best enjoyed with paratha or rice.
8. Himachal Pradesh — Teliya mah and Khatti meat
A mouth-watering combination cooked by tempering the boiled black lentils with spices and onion-garlic and mutton cooked in dry mango powder, it’s often enjoyed with steamed rice.
9. Jammu and Kashmir — Harissa
This winter delicacy is made by cooking rice overnight with meat and spices and enjoyed with Kashmiri bread Choat and mutton kebab.
10. Jammu and Kashmir — Gushtaba
Gushtaba is the king of Kashmiri cuisine and this winter food needs a lot of steps of preparation before being served. A dish of minced mutton balls cooked in royal spices and curd, the savoury is served at the end of the meal. Gushtaba is extremely rich, heavy and perfect for the winters.
