Dishes made from superfoods for winter in different parts of India

Winter is the best time to provide our body with the health and nourishment it needs. So, here is a curation of superfoods for winter and dishes made from those ingredients in different parts of India.

Winter chills call for some hot food with health benefits. And what better than superfoods to provide your body the nourishment it requires? Here is a compilation of superfoods that are beneficial in winter and dishes made from them from all the regions in India.  

Sesame Seeds - Til Pitha - East

Til Pitha is an Assamese dish prepared especially during winter. It is mainly prepared with til (sesame seeds), jaggery, sticky rice, coconut, and fennel seeds all good for health during winter. It is a mild sweet dessert and is served in Bihu apart from winter. 

Sorghum - Ponkh - West 

Ponkh or hurda is the winter food that Gujaratis and Maharashtrians make during this time of the year. Sorghum is a grain rich in protein, dietary fibre, B vitamins, and minerals which are used in making ponkh or hurda a simple roasted recipe with seasoning and lemon juice.

Gond - Gond ke Laddoo - North 

Gond or edible gum is sourced from the Acacia plant. It helps strengthen the immune system. Gond ke Laddoo is a dish prominent in North India. It is prepared by making a ball by mixing gond, dry fruits, coconut and jaggery together. 

Beetroot - Beetroot Thoran - South 

Beetroot is another food item that has plenty of nutrients and few calories. The Beetroot Toran comes from Kerala and other parts of South India. It is a simple stir-fry dish made with grated beetroots with whole spices, curry leaves, shallots green chillies and fresh coconut.

Turmeric - Enduri Pitha - East

Pitha, which loosely translates to pancake or rice cake is a dish made with haldi (turmeric) in Odisha and eastern India. Enduri Pitha is a variety of pitha made using a fermented batter of ground rice and urad dal. Wrapped in fresh turmeric leaves with a stuffing of grated coconut, jaggery and spices.

Millets - Raab - West 

Raab is a natural home remedy to build immunity and is often made in Gujarati and Rajasthani households. It is made of millets like bajra or jowar and sometimes a mix of millet flour along with ajwain, ginger powder, and jaggery as the primary ingredients. 

Green Peas - Nimona - North 

Green peas are a good source of plant-based protein and a rich source of fibre. Nimona or Matar ka Nimona is a green peas curry made in certain states of India like Bihar and UP during the winter months. It is a gravy-like dish prepared with fresh green peas paste, onions, tomatoes and spices.

Carrot - Carrot Poriyal - South

Carrot Poriyal is another dish that represents the winter delicacies of the South. As we all know carrot is a super nutritious root vegetable and is suitable for winter weather. This vegetable or poriyal is made with steamed carrots, urad dal (Black lentil) coconut and spices. 

Dry Fruits - Laapsi - West 

Laapsi or lapsi is a sweet dish from the West, particularly from Gujarat and Rajasthan and includes dry fruits which are a good source of proteins and nutrients during winter. It has a lot of variants but is generally made using grain flour or broken wheat and ghee, along with milk, nuts, raisins, almonds, apricots and other dried fruits. 

Green Vegetables - Chi Al Meh - East 

Chi AI Meh is a northeastern vegetable soup predominantly from Manipur that has the goodness of green leafy vegetables. It has spinach, green capsicum, green peas, spices, ginger and other vegetables that make it a proper winter-weather food.  

Bajra - Bajre ka Khichda - West

Bajra or Pearl Millet is a protein-rich millet and has a great health benefit during winter. The people of Rajasthan make khichdi out of bajra which involves a simple recipe of combining soaked bajra and moong dal with some basic spices and masalas. 

Sarso - Sarso Da Saag - North 

Mustard contains various antioxidants that provide various health benefits and that is why it is consumed during winter, especially in North India. Sarson Da Saag is a gravy dish made from mustard leaves, spinach and bathua along with maize flour and spices.  

Sweet Potato - Sweet Potato Halwa - East

Sweet potatoes are known for their antioxidant and fibre-rich priorities. Sweet Potato or Shakarkandi halwa is a sweet dish made with sweet potato, ghee, sugar, milk, cardamom powder and other ingredients during winter. 

Nuts - Chikki - West

Nuts are another essential winter food as they are rich in nutrients, proteins, fibres, vitamins and minerals. Chikki is one such food item that comes into one's mind when we talk about nuts. It's a traditional sweet made with nuts and jaggery or sugar. It is predominantly from Lonavala in Maharashtra but is had in almost every corner of India. 

Lentils - Dubke - North 

Dubke is a traditional dish from Uttarakhand. It is made using various locally available lentils such as Gahat, Bhatt, and Arhar (tur). It is a loose gravy cooked out of soaked lentils or pulses with tomato, oil, ghee and a few spices. 

Horse gram - Kollu Rasam - South

Horse gram which is a nutrient-rich lentil is one of the main ingredients of the star dish of Tamil Nadu during winter. Lollu Rasam is made with horse gram, tamarind, pepper, cumin and garlic and is very effective during cold or cough.