Winter is on its way, and we’re all ready for it, bundled up in warm woollens and huddled around space heaters. Another secret weapon in our arsenal is food, particularly hearty and delectable winter recipes that make us wish for extended holidays and quality time with family and friends.
Winter memories are incomplete without a steaming mug of your favourite hot beverage or a bowl of anything hot and soupy. But nothing beats the comfort of diving into a bowl of winter treats. Indians have a long history of making a variety of traditional winter delicacies. Which are often prepared at home across the country.
During the winter, Indian households create a variety of rich halwas and ladoos, each of which is a treat to eat.
Here are a few of our favourite traditional Indian sweets to make throughout the colder months:
-
Gajar Ka Halwa
During the winter, carrots, or gajar, are in season, and they’re bought in bulk, grated, and boiled with milk, sugar, mawa. And a few aromatic and warming spices to make gajar ka halwa. The most mouth-watering Indian winter dessert.
Rich and nourishing, the halwa is served hot with chopped nuts and dried fruits. It is one of India’s most popular winter desserts, available in restaurants and sweet shops during the chilly season.
-
The Gajak
Another winter favourite, gur til gajak or marori gajak, is a must-have throughout the frigid months. The warming combination of jaggery and sesame seeds. Or til, is what makes this sweet so famous, not only among dessert fans but also among health nuts.
Jaggery and sesame seeds are healthy for your body during the winters, keeping you warm from the inside and regulating digestion. So the sweet is a winner in both the flavour and health areas. Naturally, this should be done in moderation.
-
Gond Ka Ladoo
Made with gondh or edible gum, desi ghee (clarified butter), toasted wheat flour, chopped almonds, raisins. With a variety of warming spices including nutmeg and cardamom, this chunky and crispy sweet is a powerhouse.
-
Til Ka Ladoo (Tilka Ladoo)
During the winter festivities of Lohri and Makar Sakranti, sesame seeds are rolled into delicious sweet balls and served. The til ka ladoo recipe has several variations. But the two major ingredients of the winter treat are til or sesame seeds and jaggery.
Both substances are used for their natural warming and energy-boosting qualities. Til ka ladoos are made in large batches at home and stored in airtight containers to survive through the winter months.
-
Panjiri
Panjiri is a winter dessert that is made by toasting wheat flour in ghee in Punjabi families. To increase the nutritional profile of the sweet and make it satisfying, toasted flour, sugar, powdered, and chopped nuts and seeds are added.
Apart from these, khus khus ka ladoo/halwa, beetoot halwa, alsi ki pinni,. And other popular Indian winter desserts include khus khus ka ladoo/halwa, beetoot halwa, alsi ki pinni, and so on.
Indian winter sweets are designed to combine nutrition, warming ingredients, energy boosters, and, of course, flavour into one delicious dessert.
