This is in response to Esther’s Weekly Word Prompt.
This week’s prompt is : New Beginning
Winter Rituals
Every season is a new beginning.
Every season has its rituals in this part of the world. And what is ritual without food and feast!!!
Winter sees the markets fill up with fresh, shining vegetables which are not available/do not taste good in other seasons. There are bright red carrots, creamy white cauliflowers, shiny mauve and white turnips. So, we have the most delicious combination of tangy and sweet vegetable pickle which goes so well with stuffed paranthas.
It’s winter and the kitchen does not smell of homemade desserts? How can it be? So carrots are grated, boiled in milk and sugar with clarified butter and topped with dry fruits and nuts with a sprinkling of khoya (dried condensed milk) . And lo! Gajar ka halwa or carrot halwa is ready to be served hot.
The lush greens in the vegetable cart beckon. It’s time for palak paneer (spinach and paneer curry), sarson da saag ( mustard leaf curry) and methi aaloo (fenugreek leaves and potato curry). If sarson da saag is plated can makki di roti (roti made of corn/maize floor) be far behind? Another deadly combo is bajre ki roti with lahasun ki chutney. Roti made out of pearl millet flour and garlic chutney.
Winter is also the season of stuffed paranthas. – cauliflower, cabbage, Fenugreek leaves, radish, carrot, paneer (curdled milk), potato – grated or chopped, stuffed into a basket/bowl of wheat floor dough, rolled into fluffy rounds and slow fried on an iron pan with ghee, to be had with assorted pickles, especially, garlic pickle, to keep the body warm and soul satiated.
In Bengal this is the time for date juice jaggery and sweets made out of it. The window for date jaggery is very narrow because it’s only available from late November to the end of January. The rassagollahs and karaa pak and naram pak
made out of khejur gur or date jaggery are out of this world and a must have. This is also the season of joynagorer moa another sweetmeat which is to be had fresh before they become dry and sour. Thankfully, all these are now available in the capital. You just have to make the effort of going to the particular shop.
Then there is a mouthwatering assortment of vegetarian and non-vegetarian kebaabs charcoal cooked in tandoor or fried in a pan.
Winter brings crippling cold but also with it a feast of delicacies. Every household smells of family recipes exclusive to it. The latest that I am introduced to is sweet carrot pulao!! Grated carrots in Basmati rice tempered with cardamon, cinnamon and clove, put in dum with sugar and garnished with dry fruits and nuts. Yummy!! I am going to try it out soon.
Would you like to join me???
Goodness, Geeta, with your professional cookery show, I am hungry to have all of the beautiful dishes, but can I find the shop with all the ingredients Joanna
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Glad that I made you salivate. Remember I am there too with you. Thank you for being in the post Joanna
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I wish I could be there with you, Geeta, and those dishes! Although you haven’t mentioned samosas!
Joanna
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Dear Joanna,
I did not mention samosas because it’s not seasonal. You can have it anytime any season. They are always available.
The ones I mentioned are winter specials. We do not have spinach, fenugreek or mustard leaves once winter is over. For one they are not available and in this part vegetables which are not seasonal are not bought or cooked. It’s considered not in tandem with the season and therefore unhealthy.
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Thank you, dear Geeta, for your words of wisdom! I agree that eating what is in season is healthier, but as I love samosas, I make them with a different pastry and bake them rather than frying. Baking takes only 5 minutes, and as they are filled with potatoes, green peas and spices, they are delicious.
Joanna
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Yes, you can bake or air fry the samosas. It’s a healthier option.
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As I wish to live as long as possible, I always eat healthy options.
Joanna
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A longer life and also healthy life
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Amen to that, Geeta!
Joanna
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GC, this reads like winter itself sat down and wrote a love letter… with food stains on it 😄
Every line feels warm — just like the season.
Fresh vegetables, seasonal sweets, family recipes — this truly captures new beginnings the Indian way.
And the food images adding flavour even before the first bite.
Love the ‘Sarson da saag aur makki di roti’ 😀😀
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Thank you Mr. P. This year winter is bitter. It’s these dishes which are adding a bit of colour and warmth to the grey overcast sky, the missing sun and the freezing chills.
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Such attractive food. I would
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You are most welcome Derrick
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A yummy post. All items you mentioned are our seasonal favourites except we don’t get dategud.
Before Christmas I had made methidana and gond ke laddu with lots of dried fruits and nuts as I was inspired by one of my friends here and then last week I had made garjar ka halwa for a family dinner.
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That’s great. Thank you Rupali
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You’ve made me very hungry with your mouthwatering array of food!
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😆😆 Come join me Esther
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I’d love to!
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I know a few of these seasonal delicacies but not all. I love sarsoon ka saag and makki ki roti.
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Me too Sadje
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👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
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This is true! You’re right about every season having its rituals, Geeta. Thank you for sharing your rituals.
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Thank you so much Mary
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