The winter mood is upon us. Besides choosing to curl up under a warm blanket, our favourite thing to do in this season is eating — eating delicious, flavourful and comforting winter food. From slurping healthy spinach soup and Mutton Shorbas to relishing Chicken Rassa, Sarson Ka Saag and Gajar Halwa, our eating spree during this season seems endless.
The fun of biting into delicious foods during the season doubles up when prepared and eaten with family. If you are planning a family meal together anytime soon, we bring you some chef-special winter recipes that you can make at home and enjoy a full-fledged meal.
Citrusy Carrot and Pineapple Shorba
Ingredients:
Pineapple -1
Carrots – 4
Apple – 1
Onion – 1
Orange juice – 1
Olive oil – 4 tbsp
Water – 1/4 cup
Vegetable broth – 3 cups
Curry powder – 1 tbsp
Sour cream – 1 cup
lemon juice – from 1/2 squeezed lemon
Pumpkin seeds – 1/4 cup
Method:
1. Chop the pineapple and carrots into rough cubes.
2. Dice the onion.
3. Add the oil to a large pot and heat it on medium flame.
4. Add the chopped pineapple, onion and carrots and fry gently for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Chop the apple and keep it ready.
6. Add the pumpkin seeds, curry powder, chopped apple and one-fourth cup of water and fry for another two minutes.
7. Add the vegetable broth, and orange juice and let it all simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Finally, add the cream and give it a good stir.
9. Use a masher or hand blender to give the soup a quick pulse. To finish the soup off add a pinch of salt and pepper and lemon juice. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon juice as per your taste.
10. As you serve the soup, add chilli oil and serve hot.
Recipe by Chef Jerson Fernandes, executive chef, Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach
Bouillabaisse Soup
Ingredients:
Seabass, Salmon bones, Cod – 200 gm
Mussels or clams – 50 gm
Squid or crab – 100 gm
Extra virgin olive oil – 50 ml
Onions, thinly sliced – 50 gm
Leeks (white and light green parts only) – 20 gm
Diced carrot – 20
Thinly sliced fennel bulb – 1/4
Crushed garlic – 10 gm
Roughly chopped large tomatoes – 3
Bay leaf – 1
Sprigs fresh thyme – 10 gm
Saffron threads – 10 gm
Salt – 15 gm
Long, wide strip of orange zest – 1
Clam juice or fish stock – 1 cup
Freshly ground black pepper – 1/4 tsp
Sliced rustic French bread, plain or toasted – 1
Method:
1. To cook fish stock, take a thick pot base. Start by heating the oil. Then add onion, garlic bay leaf, fish trimming bones, and fish stock. Bring this mixture to a boil and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
2. Keep aside the stock. Now start making the soup.
3. In another pan, heat the olive oil, and add garlic, onion, and fresh herbs. Sauté it well. Now put all the vegetables in it and cook it for a while to soften.
4. Now add some fish meat or chunks. Add the fish stock and bring to a boil.
5. Severe the soup with bread.
Recipe by Chef Amit Shetty, Cafe Noir
Saag Paneer Tarkari
Ingredients:
Paneer – 100 gm
French beans – 30 gm
Zucchini greens – 30 gm
Zucchini yellow – 30 gm
Orange carrot – 30 gm
Broccoli – 30 gm
Ginger – 15 gm
Garlic – 15 gm
Mustard oil- 10 gm
Onion – 100 gm
Tomato – 50 gm
Sarson ka saag – 500 gm
Spinach leaves – 500 gm
Jeera powder – 10 gm
Garam masala – 10 gm
Kitchen king – 10 gm
Salt – 10 gm
Coriander powder – 10 gm
Green chilli – 10 gm
Mustard seeds – 5 gm
Method:
1. Wash and chop spinach, sarson ka saag, onion, tomato and paneer. Also chop French beans, zucchini green, zucchini yellow, carrot, orange and broccoli.
2. Take a pan, and heat mustard oil. Add mustard seed, ginger, garlic, and chopped green chilli. Add chopped onion and tomato and cook them until they turn brown.
3. Add all the powdered spices and sauté them. Now add chopped spinach and sarson ka saag. Cook them well and add salt for taste.
4. Take a new pan, heat oil and add chopped garlic. Add all the vegetables and diced paneer to it. Saute them properly and let the vegetables cook. Once cooked well, put these vegetables on top of the sarson ka saag mixture. Your Saag Paneer Tarkari is now ready to be served.
Recipe by Chef Momin Faqi, head chef, Farzi Cafe
Chermoula Cottage Cheese Espetada
For chermoula sauce
Ingredients:
Parsley – 100 gm
Cumin powder – 100 gm
Coriander leaves – 100 gm
Mint leaves – 100 gm
Oregano – 20 gm
Chilli flakes – 10 gm
Red Wine vinegar – 50 ml
Garlic (peeled) – 50 gm
Spring onions (only the green part) – 100 gm
Coriander seeds – 15 gm
Salt – 10 gm
Black pepper – 10 gm
Green chillies – 20 gm
Olive oil – 150 ml
Lemon – 1 piece
Method:
1. Begin by washing and drying all the fresh herbs.
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend gently with olive oil.
3. Add fresh lemon juice to the mixture for an extra zest.
For making cottage cheese espetada
Ingredients:
Cottage cheese – 300 gm
Red bell pepper – 100 gm
Yellow bell pepper – 100 gm
Green and green zucchini – 100 gm
Red onions – 100 gm
Method:
1. Cut cottage cheese into dice, along with red and yellow bell peppers, green and yellow zucchini, and red onions. Ensure all vegetables are diced to the same size as the cottage cheese.
2. Marinate the diced vegetables and cottage cheese with the chermoula sauce for two hours to infuse the flavours.
3. Skewer the marinated cottage cheese and vegetables, and chargrill on a hot plate. Cook evenly on all sides, basting with butter for a smoky aroma.
Serving Suggestion
Serve with homemade hung curd with added seasonings, garnished with microgreens and pomegranate kernels.
Chef`s Tip
The key to this dish`s success lies in the freshness of the herbs and the balance of spices. Take your time to marinate, letting the flavours meld together beautifully.
Recipe by Ravish Mukri, head chef at Ditas Mumbai
Donburi with Black Bean Gravy
Ingredients:
Doenjang (Korean bean paste) – 1 tbsp
Sesame oil – 10 ml
Sunflower oil – 10 ml
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar – 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder – 5 gm
Chopped garlic – 5 gm
Chopped ginger – 5 gm
Hard firm tofu – 50 gm
Pock choy – 40 gm
Onion – 25 gm
Chinese cabbage – 50 gm
Chicken/Pork/Prawns/Beef – 80 gm
Egg – 2
Hot water – 500 ml
Method:
1. Heat the pan with the sunflower oil to a high-medium temperature.
2. Add chopped onion and ginger and stir fry till it starts to turn golden.
4. Add hot water and bring to a boil.
5. Add your preferred protein (Chicken/Pork/Prawn/Beef). Boil till it gets sufficiently cooked.
6. Add salt and pepper, sugar, Doenjang paste and chilli powder. Mix it up all together nicely.
7. Add the rest of the vegetables and tofu. Cook until it is ready and then add sesame oil.
8. Whisk the egg and add it at the end. Turn off the gas.
Ensure your gravy turns out to be thick. You can relish this with any sticky rice. Serve the rice inside the bowl and put your gravy on top of the rice.
Recipe by Chef Vadim Shin, Yazu, Mumbai
Malwani Chicken Curry or Malwani Kombdi Rassa
For making Malwani malasa
Ingredients:
Red chillies – 12
Whole coriander seeds – 2 tsp
Cloves – 4-5 pieces
Black pepper – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds -1 tsp
Green cardamoms – 4 – 5 pieces
Black cardamoms – 2-3 pieces
Poppy seeds – 1 tsp
Method:
1. Grind all the ingredients together into a fine powder and set aside.
For making masala paste
Ingredients:
Fresh coconut – half
Dry coconut – half
Dry red chilli – 2 – 3
Garlic – 5 – 6 pods
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves – 10 gm
Homemade Malwani masala – 2 tbsp
Method:
1. In a pan roast grated coconut and whole red chillies. Grind this roasted mixture with the garlic pods, cumin seeds, roasted coriander seeds and a little water to make a paste.
2. Now add green chillies, chopped coriander, Malwani masala and a little more water. Grind it again into a coarse masala paste.
For making the chicken
Ingredients:
Organic chicken – 500 gm
Onion – 4
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan, add ginger garlic paste, and chopped onion and cook for a while.
2. When the onions turn brown add turmeric, and salt and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the chicken to the pan, mix it well and then add the prepared masala paste.
4. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes till the chicken gets cooked and well coated in the masala.
5. Serve hot along with sliced onion and lemon wedges.
Recipe by Chef Rakesh, Amazonia, Mumbai
Sindhi Khoya
Ingredients:
Poppy seeds (coarsely ground) – 100 gm
Milk – 3 litres
Almonds and pistachio – a handful of each
Seedless dates – a handful
Ghee – 250 gm
Sugar – 250 gm
Green cardamom – 10 -12 pieces
Black cardamom – 4 – 5 pieces
Method:
1. Soak the poppy seeds overnight in water, ensuring a thorough wash.
2. Soak almonds and pista for an hour, then de-skin, slice, and set aside.
3. Chop dates into bite-sized pieces.
4. Heat milk on a medium flame for eight minutes. Once it boils, add dates to the boiling milk.
5. Reduce the milk to half.
6. In a heavy-bottomed kadai, add ghee, then introduce the coarsely ground poppy seeds paste. Fry until golden brown and a rich aroma envelops the kitchen (about 30-45 minutes).
7. Add the reduced dates milk to the poppy seeds paste, stirring continuously over a slow flame to avoid burning.
8. Add sugar, cardamom, sliced dry fruits to the thick mixture and stir until the sugar dissolves.
9. Continue to cook, stirring at intervals until the ghee leaves the sides (approximately 30-40 minutes).
10. Serve hot.
Recipe by Vishal Nagpal, co-founder, Trippy Goat, Mumbai
Alsi aur Gaund ke Ladoo
Ingredients:
Ghee – 50 gm
Flax seed – 200 gm
Edible gum or gond – 100 gm
Almond – 100 gm
Greek raisins – 50 gm
Dry coconut – 50 gm
Green cardamom powder – 3 gm
Nutmeg powder – 1 gm
Palm jaggery – 150 gm
Water – 40 ml
Method:
1. Roast the flax seeds, gond, almond, and Greek raisins in ghee in a pan.
2. In another pan, heat jaggery and water together. Add dry desiccated coconut, green cardamom powder and nutmeg powder. Now add all the roasted ingredients to the warm jaggery mixture.
3. Let this mixture rest for 10 minutes. Then start shaping the ladoos in the desired shapes.
4. Coat it with toasted flax seeds and silver leaves (if you wish).
Recipe by Arun Kumar, executive chef, Araiya Palampur
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