My Grandmother used to say, ‘Winter is the best time to eat.’ Our ancestors knew the rules of every season, and their food reflected this divine knowledge, they knew that during winter, your body needs warmth, and your food choices should be such that it fulfills the demands of the inner body. So today, we are going to enter the ancient grandma’s kitchen and pull out a perfect winter day recipe. These are time tested recipes and are best suited for Indian winter.
With winter around the corner, it’s time to eat something different. Winter is the time when you need to eat a lot of warm food to keep your body protected from the cold. There is no greater pleasure than sipping a hot bowl of steaming soup on a winter night. We have put together some delicious winter recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Winter Day Breakfast Recipe
Indians are food lovers; wherever they go, they build a community around them with the help of food. Food is the stimulus that brings us together and makes us one. Thus, an Indian home cannot begin without a soulful and healthy breakfast, coupled with a steaming cup of refreshing chai. Breakfast in northern Indian is light but healthy. Poha is one of the common breakfast dishes that conquer all households, but they make sweet potato poha that’s even healthier during winter.
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Sweet Potato Poha

Sweet potato is rich in antioxidants and minerals; it is also known to boost immunity. Poha made with sweet potato is yummy and very healthy; it is a perfect breakfast dish that can be made in less than 10 mins.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Poha/ Beaten rice
- 1 Small cup of chopped sweet potato
- 1 cup chopped Onion
- 2 green chilies
- 1tsp Sugar
- Turmeric powder
- Lemon Juice
- Water
- Salt
- Cumin seed
- Hing
- Oil
How To Make It?
- Preparation: Wash the vegetables and chop them finely. Squeeze half a lemon and keep it separately. Wash the poha and soak it until it is soft. Now drain the water from the poha and mix turmeric, sugar, and salt in the poha and keep it aside.
- Step 2: Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, hing, and few curry leaves.
- Step 3: Add onion to the pan and sauté until they turn transparent.
- Step 4: Next, add chilies and sweet potato to the pan and toss them well. Add 3tsp of water and cover the pan for 4 mins.
- Step 5: Now, your sweet potato is soft, and it has blended well with all the other ingredients.
- Step 6: Add the marinated soaked poha and mix well.
- Step 7: Cover the pan for 3 minutes and then switch off the flame.
- Step 8: Add lemon juice to the poha and serve it hot.
Winter Day Lunch Recipe
Any Indian home hosts a lavish lunch that keeps them going energetically throughout the day. India is the land of spices is known for its most harmonious cuisines that can even bring a dead man’s taste buds alive. I precisely remember my winter lunches as spicy, rich in dry fruits, and screamingly hot. Today, we will share an easy to cook winter lunch recipe; loaded with taste and health.
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Dry Fruits Spicy Vegetable Pot Rice
The five master ingredients that go into vegetable pot rice are ginger, garlic, green chilies, vegetables, and loads of dry fruits. It is nutritious for kids and great to serve a guest.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup cauliflower
- 1 cup beans
- 2 potatoes
- 1 cup onion
- 2 cloves
- 1 cardamom
- 1 Indian bay leaf
- 2-3 dry red chili
- 1 cup of almonds and raisins
- Cumin seeds
- Turmeric
- Coriander powder
- Red chilies powder
- Black Pepper
- Hing
- Ghee
How To Make It?
- Preparation: Rinse the basmati rice till the water turns clear. Soak it for 45 mins and then drain the water. Chop the vegetables finely and keep them aside. Roast the dry fruits and keep them aside.
- Step 2: Keep the stove on medium flame, in a pot, take 2 tsp. Ghee and let it heat. Now add the whole spices and the cumin seeds. Stir them well until they start cracking, and you can smell the aroma of the spices.
- Step 3: Add the chopped onions and saute them well.
- Step 4: Now add the veggies and saute them until they turn golden brown.
- Step 5: Now add 1/4 spoon turmeric, chili powder, pepper, and coriander powder, stir the mixture well and leave it to blend for 2 mins.
- Step 6: Add the rice and mix it well. The masala should coat the rice well.
- Step 7: Add 2 cups of water and salt as per your taste.
- Step 8: Cover the pot with the lid and let it cook for 5-7 mins.
- Step 9: Now add coriander leaves and the roasted dry fruits on top and serve it hot.
Winter Day Dinner Recipe
This is where we will like to go a little offbeat. Indian dinners are equally lavish, but that is not the right habit. Our dinner should be very minimalistic. As the saying goes – “Breakfast like a king; lunch like a prince; dinner like a pauper.” So, we would recommend you eat light snacks in the afternoon, around 5, and have a bowl full of wholesome soup for dinner.
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Cream Of Tomato Soup
Off late, due to Covid-19, vitamin C has caught a lot of attention; people are popping vitamin C pills to keep their immunity strong. However, the best source of vitamin C is tomato, and the best part is that you can make a lot of dishes from this wonder fruit. Today, we are going to make Cream of Tomato soup, restaurant-style. This recipe is extracted from my childhood memories of winter dinners. It is yum and healthy.
Ingredients:
- 1tsp White Butter
- 1/2 cup of chopped onions
- 5 ripe tomatoes (best for 2-3 servings)
- 1/2 cup of finely chopped garlic
- 1tsp of cornflour
- Cream
- Salt
- Ground Sugar
- Black pepper
How To Make It:
- Preparation: Boil water in a pan and drop the tomatoes in it. Now, after 3-4 minutes, turn off the flame, and cover the lid. Dissolve the cornflour in water and keep it aside.
- Step 2: Now, as the tomatoes start blanching, pour out the water, and keep them aside.
- Step 3: Once the tomatoes are cooled, peel them nicely.
- Step 4: Take a pan and heat the butter, add garlic and onions to it and let them turn transparent.
- Step 5: Chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan with one cup of water. Cover the lid and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Step 6: Remove the lid and add some more cold water.
- Step 7: In a mixture grinder, add the tomatoes and create a puree.
- Step 8: Strain the puree in the pan and put it on the flame. Add cornflour, salt, sugar, pepper and stir it. Once it starts boiling, add cream and stir. Cook it for three more minutes. Now turn off the flame.
- Step 9: Your delicious restaurant-style soup is ready.
The Final Word:
Our kitchen holds all the answers to every health issue, and winter is the right time to indulge in some healthy eating and boosting our immune system. We all hold fond food memories of winter, and all we need to do is revisit our childhood and recall the recipes created by our moms and our grandmothers, the winter halwa, the pickles, and the soups, all of them had the health factor attached. We hope you will try these dishes and send us your feedback.
Winter vacations were all about food, loads of steaming hot food. So, with winter around the corner, the aforementioned dishes are best recommended during the cold season. Try them out and let us know how you enjoyed them with your family and friends.
Happy Chilling!