As Soon As The Temperature Dips
all we want is to stay in the warmth of our blankets and sip a hot drink. Most of us are excited to devour on the winter sweets! Of course, we all have a sweet tooth and what more is better than our traditional Indian desserts. It is also advisable to eat rich sweets made of ghee, dry fruits, jaggery during winters which otherwise we are afraid of eating due to their high calories. These are easily digestible during winters as it balances our body temperature. Take for example Jaggery, which we avoid during summers as it is a heating food. But it is excellent to consume in winters to fight cold temperatures. Also,ghee keeps our body and skin lubricated during winters. We even don’t have to worry about milk turning sour during winters and can make a number of milk based desserts.
So, enjoy winters while it lasts! Here are some traditional, tasty yet healthy desserts you should not miss on this season!
- “Gajar ka Halwa”: Though “Gajar ka Halwa” is made all round the year but winter is the best season to get the juiciest carrots! Adding milk to this preparation adds up to the calcium content. It has ghee, which has good fats required in winters. Carrots are loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin K and fibre. Carrot is rich in beta-carotene, which helps the skin by blocking the UV rays, which are usually active during winter season. Dry fruits like cashews, raisins and saffron makes it a high energy snack. Also having seasonal preparations are beneficial for health.
- Salam Pak: A famous Gujarati dessert packed with healthy ingredients which has great medicinal benefits. It is loaded with ghee, mawa, salam masala sugar and nuts. Because of these ingredients, it stimulates metabolism and is perfect to be eaten during winters as sesame seeds and jaggery are great for digestion.
- Gajak / Chikki: A very famous dessert made with peanuts and a generous amount of jaggery. It is also made with sesame seeds and sugar. There are a lot of other varieties too made with rose petals, kesar etc. They are even eaten as snacks because of its high nutritional value and provides the required heat to the body during winters,
- Revadi: Originated in North India and used widely in the festival of Lohri , which marks the end of winters is a famous snack made with sesame seeds. Sesame seeds have anti-inflammatory properties which are great for skin as our skin tends to become dry during winters.
- Lapsi: Another dessert famous in every household is Lapsi. It is high in nutritions and fibre. It is made with Dalia or broken wheat. It helps to relieve constipation and is even good for diabetic patients. Dalia is a whole grain and can protect the body against symptoms of metabolic syndrome like high blood pressure, obesity, and high level of triglycerides.
Here are just a few winter special recipes taken from the Indian kitchen. These are all healthy recipes which works wonders to our body and even satisfies our sweet cravings.
Happy Winters!