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Winter recipes: hearty soups, halwa and warming food

Hearty soups and stews, gajar halwa, sarson da saag, undhiyu, gond ladoo and hot chocolate for cold days. (123 recipes)

Yuja-cha (citron tea)

Goheung, on the southern coast of South Jeolla, is Korea's yuja country: in November the groves turn gold and families slice the knobbly citrons for yuja-cheong, the honeyed preserve that becomes tea all winter. From December to March a spoonful in hot water is offered to guests, to students cramming late and to anyone with a scratchy throat, as it is traditionally drunk for colds. The tea is sweet, floral and sharp, with soft, chewy strands of peel that you eat at the end with a spoon. The common mistake is leaving the fruit damp or the pith too thick: wet fruit lets mould in, and thick white pith makes the preserve bitter. Scrub, dry completely and pare away any pith thicker than a few millimetres. The cheong is ready after a day or two, when the sugar has dissolved into a clear, glossy syrup around the peel. Keep it in the fridge for up to three months, always with a dry spoon; throw it away if you see fuzzy mould, smell alcohol or it bubbles. No yuja? Japanese yuzu is the same fruit; otherwise use 2 lemons and 2 mandarins. Chef's tip: soak the seeds in a little of the honey and add that liquid back for a silkier syrup.

45 minKoreanDrinksGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Moong thalMoong dal flour fudge

Moong thal is a Diwali tray sweet of Bikaner and Marwari homes, made by roasting coarsely ground moong dal in a generous amount of ghee, then setting it with sugar syrup and mawa and topping with nuts. It is richer and grainier than besan barfi, with a deep, toasty flavour. Marwari families in Kolkata and Mumbai still make it for Diwali boxes. The common mistake is under-roasting the moong, which leaves a raw, beany taste. Chef's tip: roast until the mixture turns light and frothy and the ghee releases from it; that is your sign it is cooked through.

60 minIndianIndian SweetsGluten free
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Gundar pakEdible gum and wheat fudge

When the first cold mornings reach Rajkot and Junagadh, Kathiawadi kitchens fry a big batch of gundar, the edible acacia gum, in ghee and set it into this dense, crunchy pak, eaten one square a day with tea through December and January. Here the gum is the star: it puffs into crisp white popcorn-like pieces that give the fudge its crackle, while wheat flour, jaggery, dry ginger and coconut hold it together. The common mistake is frying the gum in ghee that is too cool, so it stays hard and glassy and sticks to your teeth; it must puff fully within seconds. Chef's tip: crush the puffed gum only lightly with a rolling pin so you still bite into small crunchy nuggets.

55 minIndianIndian Sweets
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Khajur pakDate and nut fudge

Kutch grows some of India's best dates, and in Bhuj and Anjar homes khajur pak is the sweet made for Diwali boxes and for Ekadashi and other fast days, since it needs nothing but dates, ghee, nuts and coconut. The dates melt in warm ghee into a sticky paste, the nuts give crunch, and the log is rolled in poppy seeds and sliced into neat coins. The common mistake is cooking the dates too long, which dries them out so the log cracks when you slice it. Chef's tip: for a harder winter version, swap a third of the soft dates for chopped kharek (dry dates) soaked overnight in a little milk.

30 minIndianIndian SweetsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Yaki imoRoasted sweet potato

Yaki imo is the winter street snack of Japan: from November the yaki-imo trucks crawl through Tokyo and Osaka neighbourhoods singing 'ishi-yaki imo' through a loudspeaker, selling Japanese sweet potatoes roasted slowly on hot stones. At home the oven does the job. Long, low heat turns the starch into natural sugars, so the flesh becomes golden, fudgy and almost syrupy, and nothing at all needs adding: no butter, no sugar, no salt. About 0.1 g salt per portion, all of it naturally in the potato. Eat them hot from paper as an afternoon snack or alongside miso soup. The usual mistake is roasting too hot and fast, which cooks the potato but never sweetens it. Chef's tip: the potato is ready when sticky syrup bubbles out of the skin and the whole thing slumps when squeezed with an oven glove.

95 minJapaneseSnacks & StartersVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KalopsBeef stew with allspice

Kalops is the Swedish winter stew that fills kitchens from Skåne to Norrland on dark November weekends: chunks of beef chuck simmered slowly with onions, carrots, whole allspice and bay until the sauce turns brown, glossy and lightly peppery. It is always eaten with plain boiled potatoes and a spoonful of sweet pickled beetroot (inlagda rödbetor), whose sharpness cuts the richness. It reheats beautifully, so many families make it a day ahead. The usual mistake is crowding the pan when browning, so the beef steams grey and the sauce never gets its deep colour; brown in batches. Chef's tip: crush half the allspice berries lightly before they go in so the warm clove-like scent reaches the whole pot, but leave the rest whole for a gentler background note.

150 minScandinavianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bollito mistoMixed boiled meats

In Piedmont, bollito misto is the great winter feast, served from November to carnival in Turin trattorias and on family tables when there are many to feed. Several cuts of beef, a chicken and a cotechino (a soft, rich pork sausage) poach gently in one big pot until tender, then come to the table sliced on a warm platter with a sharp parsley and caper salsa verde; the broth is saved for soup or risotto the next day. The usual mistake is letting the pot boil hard: the meat turns stringy and the broth cloudy, so keep it at a bare shiver. Serve with boiled potatoes or mostarda if you like. Chef's tip: put the beef into water that is already boiling so its juices stay in the meat, and use cold water only if the broth matters more to you than the meat.

240 minItalianMeatGluten free
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Haldi doodh (turmeric milk)

In homes from Punjab to Kerala, a mother or grandmother hands round haldi doodh on cold winter nights, after a fall in the playground or whenever someone starts sniffling; it is drunk at bedtime, steaming, in a steel tumbler. Milk is simmered with turmeric, a few grinds of black pepper and sometimes ginger or cinnamon, then sweetened with jaggery. It is golden, warming and gently earthy, with a soft peppery heat and a slightly grainy feel if the turmeric is fresh-ground. It is traditionally drunk for colds and aches, as a comfort rather than a cure. The common mistake is adding raw turmeric powder to hot milk at the end: it tastes chalky and bitter. Simmer it in the milk for a few minutes so the raw edge cooks out. It is ready when the milk turns an even deep yellow, smells mellow and has a thin skin forming on top. Add jaggery off the heat, as it can curdle boiling milk. Turmeric stains, so use a steel pan. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of ghee stirred in at the end makes it rounder and is how many families make it.

10 minIndianDrinksGluten free
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Tara chiriCod and tofu hot pot

Tara chiri is a winter hot pot from all over Japan, cooked at the table on cold nights in December and January when Pacific cod is at its fattest and cheapest. The broth is only kombu and water, so the clean taste of the fish comes through; cod, tofu, napa cabbage, leek and mushrooms poach gently, and each mouthful is dipped into citrusy ponzu with grated daikon and chilli. Suitable as part of a balanced diet: lean protein and plenty of vegetables, with no rice needed. About 260 kcal and 12 g carbohydrate per portion. The usual mistake is boiling the fish hard, which breaks it into flakes in the pot; it should poach just below a simmer. Chef's tip: pour boiling water over the cod pieces and rinse them in cold water first (shimofuri); it removes any fishy smell and keeps the broth clear.

35 minJapaneseFish
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HacheeBeef and onion stew

Hachee is the Dutch stoofpotje that grandmothers in Friesland, Groningen and Brabant leave murmuring on the back of the stove on cold Sundays: beef braised with almost as much onion as meat, plus bay leaves, cloves and a splash of vinegar, until it falls apart into a dark, sweet-sour gravy. It goes on boiled potatoes with red cabbage, or with stamppot, and leftovers are eaten on toast. The usual mistake is rushing the onions: they need a good 15 minutes to turn deep golden, or the gravy stays pale and sharp. Slow-cooker option: after browning, cook on low for 8 hours. Chef's tip: stir in a spoon of dark syrup or apple butter at the end only if the vinegar tastes too sharp; taste first, as good onions often make it unnecessary.

190 minDutchMeat
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Stamppot raapstelenMashed potato with turnip greens

When the first raapstelen (tender young turnip tops) appear at Dutch markets in March and April, families from Groningen to Zeeland make this spring stamppot for supper. Floury potatoes are boiled and mashed in the same pan with butter and hot milk, then the raw, finely cut greens are stirred through so they stay bright, crisp and slightly peppery. It is classic with a vegetarian sausage or a fried egg and a puddle of gravy in a well in the middle. The usual mistake is cooking the greens: they should only wilt from the heat of the mash. Chef's tip: dry the boiled potatoes over the heat for a minute before mashing, so they soak up the milk and butter instead of turning gluey.

35 minDutchVegetarianGluten free
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Chanko nabeChicken meatball hot pot

Chanko nabe is the daily meal of the sumo stables around Ryōgoku in east Tokyo, where young wrestlers cook a huge pot after morning practice and the senior ranks eat first. At home it is a winter supper cooked on a tabletop burner or on the hob: a clear chicken and kombu dashi seasoned lightly with soy, then loaded with ginger-scented chicken meatballs, tofu, napa cabbage, leek, carrot and mushrooms. Everything cooks in the one pot, and the last of the broth is often finished with udon or rice. The usual mistake is boiling the pot hard once the meatballs go in, which turns the broth cloudy and the tofu ragged; keep it at a lazy simmer. Chef's tip: shape the meatballs with two wet spoons and drop them in before the vegetables, so they flavour the broth while the cabbage softens.

60 minJapaneseSoups
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Grünkohl mit PinkelBraised kale with smoked sausage

In Bremen and Oldenburg, Grünkohl mit Pinkel is the dish of the winter Kohlfahrt, when groups walk out into the frosty countryside and finish at an inn for kale, smoked pork and Pinkel, a smoked sausage of pork, bacon and oats. The kale is braised for hours with onions, lard and smoked pork until dark, soft and almost creamy, then the sausages warm through on top. Serve with boiled potatoes or small caramelised ones and mustard. The usual mistake is cooking the kale briefly like a vegetable side; it needs the long braise to lose its bitterness. Chef's tip: kale is best after the first frost, which makes the leaves sweeter; frozen chopped kale is a good shortcut.

160 minGermanMeat
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Poule au potStuffed hen with vegetables

Poule au pot is the Sunday dish of Béarn in south-west France, linked for centuries with King Henri IV's wish that every peasant family should have a chicken in the pot on Sundays. A hen is filled with a stuffing of bread, Bayonne ham (a cured pork ham), chicken livers, garlic and parsley, then poached slowly with leeks, carrots and turnips. The golden broth is served first as a soup, followed by the sliced bird, stuffing and vegetables with a little coarse salt and mustard or a sauce gribiche. The usual mistake is stuffing the bird too tightly: the stuffing swells and can burst the skin, and a dense centre takes longer to cook through. Chef's tip: sew the neck and tail openings shut, or close them with cocktail sticks, so no stuffing leaks into the broth.

215 minFrenchChicken
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Kuzuyu (hot kudzu drink)

Kuzuyu is what Japanese mothers make when someone has a chill or an upset stomach, and what many people sip on a frosty winter evening, especially in Nara, whose Yoshino mountains have produced the finest hon-kuzu starch for centuries. Kudzu root starch is stirred into water with a little sugar and cooked until the milky liquid suddenly turns clear, glossy and gently thick, somewhere between a hot drink and a soft pudding you drink from the cup. Grated ginger warms it; some families add a spoon of matcha or a squeeze of yuzu. It tastes clean, mildly sweet and comforting, and it is traditionally given to people recovering from colds. The mistake almost everyone makes once is sprinkling kudzu into hot water, where it forms rubbery lumps at once. Always crush it and dissolve it completely in cold water first, then heat it while stirring without stopping. It is ready when there are no white streaks left, the drink is translucent and it coats the back of a spoon. Chef's tip: real hon-kuzu comes in chalky lumps; crush them with the back of a spoon in the cold water and they dissolve in seconds.

8 minJapaneseDrinksVeganGluten free
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ChakuMolasses toffee with nuts

The towns of the Kathmandu Valley smell of hot molasses in early January, as Newar confectioners in Bhaktapur, Thimi and Patan boil sugarcane syrup down into chaku, a dark, glossy toffee that is pulled until it turns light and chewy and then mixed with ghee, cashews, coconut and sesame. On Ghyo Chaku Sanlhu, the Newar name for Maghe Sankranti, it is eaten with ghee and boiled yams to warm the body, and pieces are wrapped and sent to married daughters. At home it is easiest to start from good jaggery. Pulling it off the heat too early is the classic failure, leaving a runny mess that will never set. Chef's tip: once it reaches the hard-ball stage, let the toffee cool on a greased tray just until you can handle it, then stretch and fold it with greased hands for a few minutes until it turns from dark brown to golden and chewy.

45 minNepaliIndian SweetsGluten free
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Nakshi pithaCarved fried rice cakes in syrup

Nakshi means embroidered, and in Mymensingh and Kishoreganj these winter cakes are as much craft as food: women carve flowers, leaves, fish and paisleys into thick rounds of rice dough with a date-palm thorn or a sharpened bamboo stick, and a family's most beautiful pitha are set aside for a visiting son-in-law or a new bride's first winter. The carved cakes are fried slowly until crisp and then dipped in syrup, so the lines of the pattern fill with sweetness. They are crunchy outside, chewy within, and keep for days in a tin. Dough that is too dry cracks along the carving, which is the most frequent problem, so keep it covered with a damp cloth as you work. Chef's tip: fry over a low heat; hot oil browns the surface before the inside cooks and blurs the pattern.

110 minBangladeshiIndian SweetsVeganGluten free
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Chitoi pithaSpongy rice flour cakes

As soon as the cold arrives in December, women set up clay stoves on the pavements of Dhaka, Mymensingh and every district town, and chitoi pitha is what they sell: round, white rice cakes steamed and baked in small covered clay moulds, smooth and slightly crisp underneath and full of tiny holes on top. Winter evenings are spent queuing for them, and they are eaten hot with a row of bhortas, mustard, coriander, garlic or dried fish, or with duck curry. At home, leftover chitoi is soaked overnight in milk sweetened with date-palm jaggery to make dudh chitoi for breakfast. A batter that is too thin gives flat, dense cakes; it should be like a thick pancake batter. Chef's tip: blend a spoonful of cooked rice into the batter, which keeps the pitha soft and spongy even after it cools.

50 minBangladeshiBreakfast & BrunchVeganGluten freeSpicy
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RewriSesame-coated sugar sweets

Children in Lahore grow up buying rewri by the paper cone from the old shops in Rang Mahal and from the carts at the Basant and Mela Chiraghan fairs, little white coins of hard candy crusted with toasted sesame that crack between the teeth and then melt slowly. The sugar is boiled to hard crack, pulled on a greased hook or with oiled hands until it turns opaque and white, flavoured with kewra, then cut into tiny pieces and rolled in sesame. It is a winter sweet, eaten with peanuts and gajak around the fire and handed out at shrines. The step that trips people up is pulling the sugar when it is either too hot to handle or already cooling into glass, so time it carefully and work fast. Chef's tip: wear clean, thick rubber gloves rubbed with ghee for pulling, and keep the candy near a warm oven door so it stays pliable while you cut. Take care: boiled sugar causes serious burns, so keep children away while it is hot.

40 minPakistaniIndian SweetsGluten free
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PanjiriRoasted wheat flour with nuts

When a baby is born in a Punjabi home, one of the first things the grandmothers do is roast a huge karahi of panjiri, loose, golden crumbs of wholewheat flour fried in ghee and mixed with sugar, nuts, seeds, makhana and crunchy fried gond, meant to warm and strengthen the new mother through the forty days after birth. The same mixture is made in every household from Sialkot to Bahawalpur when the winter cold sets in, eaten by the spoonful with hot milk at night or sprinkled over a bowl of milk for breakfast. It tastes nutty, toasty and lightly sweet, with crunch in every mouthful. The usual way it goes wrong is roasting the flour too fast on a high flame, which browns the outside while the inside still tastes raw. Chef's tip: roast the flour slowly until it is the colour of pale biscuit and smells like baking cookies, and add the sugar only once the flour has cooled, so it stays crunchy rather than melting.

40 minPakistaniIndian Sweets
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Dudh puliRice dumplings in sweet milk

Poush Sankranti, the mid-January festival that marks the height of winter, is the day for dudh puli in Bangladeshi and Bengali homes, when grandmothers sit with daughters and granddaughters shaping dozens of little half-moon dumplings from cooked rice dough. Each one hides a sticky filling of fresh coconut and khejur gur, the smoky date-palm jaggery of the season, and the dumplings are simmered in milk until it thickens around them into a pale, fragrant sauce. The puli are soft and slightly chewy, the milk sweet and caramel-scented, and the bowl is eaten warm or cold the next morning. Milk often splits when cold jaggery hits it at a hard boil, so take the pan off the heat before stirring the jaggery in. Chef's tip: knead the hot rice dough with the heel of your hand until completely smooth, or the dumplings crack in the milk.

75 minBangladeshiIndian SweetsGluten free
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TilkutSesame and jaggery discs

In the second week of January the sweet shops of Janakpur, Birgunj and Rajbiraj fill with the dull thud of wooden pestles, as tilkut makers pound roasted sesame into hot jaggery for Maghe Sankranti, the festival that marks the end of the coldest month. The result is a brittle, crumbly disc with a rich, toasty flavour and a melting, slightly chewy middle, and families give it to each other and eat it with yoghurt, beaten rice and sweet potatoes on the festival morning. Sesame is believed to warm the body in winter, so it is eaten all month. The thing that spoils it is burning the sesame, which turns the whole batch bitter. Chef's tip: roast the seeds only until they smell nutty and one crushes easily between your fingers; they keep darkening for a minute after they leave the pan.

40 minNepaliIndian SweetsVeganGluten free
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Pakan pithaFried rice flowers in date syrup

Pakan pitha belongs to the long nights of the Bengali month of Poush, when village kitchens in Rajshahi, Bogura and the Mymensingh plains make batch after batch for guests and for relatives coming home for the harvest. Smaller and quicker than nakshi pitha, each cake is cut into a flower and stamped with a carved wooden pitha mould or the tines of a fork, fried until crunchy, then dipped in syrup made with khejur gur, the date-palm jaggery that gives it a smoky, caramel colour and taste. The outside softens slightly in the syrup while the centre stays crisp, and they are eaten warm with tea or kept in a tin for visitors. Frying straight from the board with the dough warm and sticky makes the shapes collapse, so let the cut flowers dry for 10 minutes first. Chef's tip: a little sugar in the dough helps the pitha colour evenly.

75 minBangladeshiIndian SweetsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

GajakSesame jaggery brittle

Winter in Punjab has a sound, and it is the snap of gajak: thin, glossy sheets of toasted sesame bound in jaggery, sold from piled trays outside the sweet shops of Multan, Gujranwala and Lahore from the first cold week of December. It is nutty, crunchy and toffee-sweet, with the earthy depth of gur, and families keep a tin of it beside the heater to nibble after dinner with green tea or to share with visitors. The commercial kind is hammered and pulled into flaky layers, but the home version poured thin and rolled flat is what most households make. The pitfall is pulling the jaggery off the heat too early, which gives a brittle that turns chewy and sticky after a day. Chef's tip: test the syrup by dropping a little into cold water; it must snap cleanly at once, and that hard-crack stage is reached quickly, so have the sesame warm and ready. Take care: the syrup is far hotter than boiling water.

40 minPakistaniIndian SweetsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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