5 nourishing winter recipes to beat the chill and treat your taste buds

Manpreet Kaur Paul, Executive Nutritionist, Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, Faridabad shares 5 winter recipes that will comfort, nourish and delight you.

1. Nolen Gurer Sandesh (Date Palm Jaggery Sweet)

Ingredients

250 gm paneer (Indian cottage cheese), crumble

1/2 cup nolen gur (date palm jaggery), grated

1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder

Chopped pistachios for garnish

Method

• Mix crumbled paneer, grated nolen gur, and cardamom powder in a bowl.
• Knead the mixture well until smooth and creamy.
• Divide the mixture into small portions and shape them into flat discs or any desired shape.
• Garnish with chopped pistachios.
• Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving

2. Zen Zest Bamboo Delight

Ingredients

1 can bamboo shoots, sliced

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

2-3 green chilies, sliced (adjust according to your spice preference)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1-inch ginger, grated

1 cup coconut milk

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 tsp

Red chili powder (adjust to taste)-1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Water

Method

• Drain and rinse the canned bamboo shoots in water thoroughly.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them splutter. Add chopped onions, minced garlic, and grated ginger. Sauté until the onions turn golden brown
• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, and red chili powder. Stir well to combine the spices with the onion mixture
• Add chopped tomatoes and green chilies. Cook until the tomatoes turn soft and the mixture becomes pulpy.
• Add the sliced bamboo shoots to the pan. Mix them well with the spice mixture. Pour in the coconut milk and stir gently. Add a little water if the curry is too thick. Let it simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld together.
• Season the curry with salt according to your taste. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves for a burst of freshness and colour.
• Remove from heat and serve the bamboo shoot curry hot with steamed rice or your favourite Indian bread like naan or roti.

3. Spiralized Vegetable Noodles with Pesto

Ingredients

2 medium zucchinis, spiralized into noodles

1 large carrot, spiralized into noodles

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Fresh basil leaves for garnish

For the Pesto Sauce:

2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Pesto Sauce- In a food processor, combine basil, Parmesan cheese and garlic. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
• With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until the mixture is well combined and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Prepare the vegetable noodles:

• Use a spiralizer to create noodles from zucchinis and carrots. If you don’t have a spiralizer, you can use a vegetable peeler to make thin ribbons.
• In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the spiralized zucchini, carrot, and bell peppers. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are slightly tender but still crisp.
• Add cherry tomatoes and cook for another 1-2 minutes until they soften slightly.
• Pour the prepared pesto sauce over the sautéed vegetable noodles. Toss gently to coat the noodles evenly with the pesto sauce.
• Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
• Serve immediately and enjoy your delicious and healthy spiralized vegetable noodles with pesto.

4. Herb-Infused Vegetable Broth

Ingredients

8 cups vegetables

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

1 handful fresh basil leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion, minced garlic, carrots and celery Cook until the vegetables are tender and aromatic, about 5-7 minutes.
• Pour in the vegetables in boiling water. Add the bay leaf, fresh rosemary, and thyme sprigs. These herbs will infuse the broth with their aromatic flavours. Boil gently for 20-25 minutes to allow the flavours to combine together.
• Add fresh herbs: After simmering, remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the fresh parsley and basil leaves. The residual heat will gently wilt the herbs and enhance their fragrance.
• Season the broth with salt and pepper as needed. Remember, the broth will concentrate as it cooks in your final dish, so be mindful not to oversalt.
• You may strain out the solids to have a clear broth or leave the vegetables and herbs in for a heartier texture.

5. Snowman Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon jaggery

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup milk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Whipped cream

Mini chocolate chips

Sliced strawberries or cherries

Maple syrup (optional)

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, jaggery powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, milk, egg, and melted butter.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined well. Now, heat a non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat and lightly grease it with butter or oil.
• Pour a small amount of batter onto the skillet to form a large circle for the base of the snowman.
• Pour a smaller circle of batter above the base to create the middle section of the snowman.
• Pour an even smaller circle on top of the middle one to form the snowman’s head.
• Cook the pancakes until bubbles form on the surface and the edges look well set. Turn the pancakes and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Assemble the Snowman:

• Place the largest pancake on the bottom of the plate, followed by the medium-sized pancake, and then the smallest pancake on top.
• Use whipped cream to create a snowman’s body by piping three circles on each pancake, slightly overlapping to resemble snow layers.
• Place mini chocolate chips as eyes and buttons on the middle pancake.
• Use a sliced strawberry or cherry as the snowman’s nose.
• Create a mouth and arms using chocolate chips or thin strips of fruit.
• Optionally, you can sprinkle powdered sugar over the top pancake to resemble snowfall.
• Serve the snowman pancakes with maple syrup on the side for dipping.