Chefs are emphasising the use of seasonal veggies, traditional winter spices and herbs to stay healthy this winter. Divya Kaushik finds out what’s new on the menu
If you have ever chanced upon the famous show Jamie at Home on Fox Traveller, you would know how interesting and tempting it is to watch the host and the cook of the show Jamie Oliver dig his own garden to get the fresh, organic and seasonal ingredients for whatever he wants to cook. Often he has mentioned how seasonal veggies and ingredients are the key to turn any recipe into a success. Those who follow the show must have already taken the note and tried out recipes with seasonal produce. And many others who do not follow the show should get inspired by the chefs in the city who are coming up with new winter menus, stressing on the use of seasonal ingredients.
Most chefs here are thinking of perfect winter ingredients that not only are loaded with health benefits, if consumed in right proportions in winters, but also add new flavour to the dishes. To come up with an ideal winter menu, the chefs are not only going back to our traditional recipes and using spices and veggies once used by their grandmothers but are also taking a lot of inspiration from the rest of the world. For example, many restaurants in the city have added new winter soups to their menus. If you search the Internet for the popular winter food, you will find the recipes of soups and broths in abundance. Renowned chef David Rocco’s recent post on Facebook was of a French onion soup and the caption to the picture, read, “Way too cold to have anything else but hot soup.” So soups are the first choice of most chefs to expand their winter menus. Chef Sushmit Daniels from Pintxo-Tapas Restaurant has also come up with a “healthy winter menu” and says that soups on his list are already a hit with his guests. “The highlight of this season remains the fresh seasonal winter ingredients crafted into scrumptious yet healthy recipes for the winter meal. My menu comprises a fresh tomato soup with chorizo, pumpkin soup and lentil soup prepared with goat cheese. Goat cheese contains probiotics that are good bacteria that can help in the digestion process, and are essential for those who deal with stomach problems on a regular basis. As a result, people who suffer from a sour stomach may find relief by incorporating goat cheese into their diet. Goat cheese can also help to boost metabolism. The soup is topped with truffle oil, a very common ingredient used to enhance flavours,” informed chef Daniels. He further added that for the rest of the menu he has used a lot of seafood and had replaced some meats with pork, “since pork is known to keep the body warm in winters.” As we know garlic to be essentially beneficial in winters, the chef has used garlic generously in most of his dishes. You can also find beetroot and lots of nuts used in different ways on the list, recently created by the chef. “The research is still on and we might add more dishes to our healthy winter menu soon,” he said. Roost Bistro has a minguichi and almond soup on its menu list.
Chef De Cuisine Veena Arora of The Imperial traces the journey of spices with her annual and popular menu, Winter Collection — a South East Asian Affair. It offers best of sea delicacies to keep you warm. The chef informed that she focusses on herbs like galangal and lemongrass and spices to make her menu ideal. “There is prawn in a sarong — a Malaysian style por pia skin wrapped prawns, flavoured with lemongrass, chillies and fried crisp. It is served with sweet chilli and plum sauce. It is a creative presentation of prawns wrapped in por pia skin (Thai spring rolls) flavoured with lemongrass. It is an excellent combination of lemongrass with chillies and garlic made in a sarong style. Each ingredient used is known to be beneficial in winter. Then there are crispy sole fillets served with pineapple sauce, wok fried prawns with spicy sauce, pickled garlic and fresh Thai herbs and stir-fried mixed seafood with Thai tom yum paste with the taste of basil leaves and kaffir lime leaves. Both these ingredients are high on health quotient and keep you warm,” said the chef.
Winter veggies that are being commonly used to create variety are horse radish and winter melon. “Both can be used in many preparations and add a distinct flavour,” said Sous Chef of 19 Oriental Avenue, Shangri-la’s-Eros hotel. Govind Bhusal.
If you want to go for Indian delicacies do not miss out on dishes like Shakarkandi Kamrakh Ki Chaat, apple wood smoked sweet potato and star fruit tossed in sweet and sour tamarind sauce, and Kaali Gajar Kaanji. Both can only be prepared in the winter season and along with them there is more prepared with fenugreek seeds, baajre ka aata and jaggery, all winter ingredients at Punjab grill.