Winter menus have got an innovative and healthy makeover as chefs in the city use barley, flax seeds and quinoa for salads and jaggery and dates for desserts. By Divya Kaushik
Gorging on sarson ka saag and makke ki roti topped with dollops of butter and digging in greasy gajar ka halwa loaded with nuts are the winter rituals for any foodie. But what if that sarson ka saag comes with the drizzle of olive oil and gajar ka halwa is sweetened with jaggery, which is the healthy substitute for sugar and recommended in winters for its warm propertiesIJ It surely sounds healthy and the good thing is that all this is easily available.
In fact, not just this, there are more healthy options like barley salad and duck confit with quinoa. Winter menus in the city have not only gone elaborate but innovative as chefs are coming up with interesting preparations with the use of ingredients and spices that are known to keep the body warm. There is a focus on seasonal vegetables, grains are back on the menu in the form of salads and flax seeds, sunflower seeds are also being used by the chefs.
“While winter menus have always been about seasonal vegetables and lamb delicacies like paya ka shorba, this time we have more healthy options on offer considering that people want to try something new. I have been using ingredients and spices that all of us know are best for winters, like ginger and garlic but along with that there is also polenta, which is a cornmeal and is commonly used in Italian cooking. It is an excellent source of protein. Then there is red radish, something which people rarely cook at homes, we have come up with rhubarb pies and tarts in the dessert section.
Since we try to use as much seasonal produce as possible, we were also doing roulade with water chestnuts stuffing till a few days ago. Duck confit is served with a side dish prepared with any winter vegetables like a pumpkin mash. I have also used grains likejowar and bajra for winter delicacies. There is a barley salad, wherein a barley is soaked for about 30-35 minutes and then is prepared as a salad with the sprinkling of lemon juice, salt and pepper,” shares Sandeep Panwar, executive chef of The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa.
Indian curries that are usually prepared with spices like turmeric, cumin, cloves and cardamom are the best for winters and that is one reason that they always form a part of winter menus. As per the reports, a national survey commissioned by the Consumer Health Information Centre in England last year revealed that eating curries is one of the common ways Britons treat cold.
Those interviewed said that curry dishes help clear congestion and they feel better after eating one. Along with known curries, there are some Kashmiri delicacies that are included in the winter menu this year. “Most Kashmiri dishes are rich and perfect for winters as they are prepared with ingredients like yogurt, saffron and ground nut. There is also Kashmiri shak which is very healthy and keeps the body warm,” says executive chef of Westin Gurgaon and Sohna, Deepak Bhatia. He adds that sunflower seeds, flax seeds form a part of the salad section. “Flax seeds can be just sprinkled over your salad and they are one of the most concentrated plant sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. We also have quinoa salad. Quinoa contains almost twice as much fiber as most other grains,” adds chef Bhatia who has also used dates and jaggery to come up with healthy desserts for the season.
Since winter is the time when the body needs to be warmed up with certain spices, cuisine from Chettinad is also featuring at many outlets. “There are certain spices from the Chettinad cuisine like marati moggu, it tastes like a combination of mustard and black pepper, and annasi poo (star aniseed) that are used in the preparation of some dishes from Chettinad cuisine and are highly beneficial for winters. In our menu, we try and present traditional winter delicacies with a healthy and interesting twist,” says Abhishek Basu, executive chef of Park Hotel.
Stews and soups with the generous use of ginger and garlic are a part of winter brunch at Shangri-la’s Eros Hotel. Executive sous chef of the hotel Ravi Verma says that spices like cinnamon and saffron are mostly used to maintain that dishes are perfect for winters.