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It goes without saying that eating vegetables is a lot easier in winter than during summer. Winter vegetables are generally heartier, especially root vegetables like carrots and turnips and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower. Moreover, some regions in India have better access to fresh produce during the winter due to local agrarian markets, indoor farming, or milder climates.
This increased availability makes it easier for people to incorporate a variety of vegetables into their winter diets. Not to mention the Indian climate offers a whole range of vegetables during winter, so you can get veggies in every category, be it leafy greens, herbs, tubers, cruciferous vegetables, seasonal squashes, root vegetables. In winter, when there is an increased risk of colds and flu, people prefer maintaining a nutrient-dense diet to support their immune systems.
Our body craves that nourishment during colder weather. Moreover, winter-friendly cooking methods, such as roasting, stewing and grilling, can enhance the flavour of vegetables. Roasted root vegetables, for example, develop a sweet and caramelised flavour, making them yummier.
Use Them For Soups, Stews And Seasonal Curries
Bracing, piping hot veggie soups can be a great pick-me-up during chilly nights, Make vegetable-packed broths using a mix of onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Add in root vegetables, legumes, and leafy greens for a filling meal. You can also add in quinoa and lentils or try adding vegetables to your homemade fish curries especially if the recipe already includes some greens.
Some renditions of Goan fish curries, for instance, tend to include vegetables like green beans, carrots and potatoes and you can add some cauliflowers, celery or seasonal gourds to it. Similarly, some Bengali-style fish curries like a maacher chorchori can incorporate cauliflowers, carrots, spinach or certain kinds of saag
Use Them In Roast Vegetables
Roasting vegetables intensifies their natural sweetness and adds a satisfying depth of flavour. Toss vegetables like winter squash, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, and potatoes with olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and thyme before roasting them in the oven. You can also use an indoor grill to roast veggies alongside your meats.
You can also use roasted veggies such as potatoes, carrots, and peas, into biryani rice layers to infuse the biryani with a smoky richness. Toss the vegetables in a spice blend that includes cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala. Coat the vegetables in a mixture of oil and Indian spices before roasting to enhance their flavour and ensure even cooking. Roast vegetables until they are caramelised and slightly crispy on the edges.
Use Them For Winter Salads
For winter salads, choose heartier greens like kale or spinach and add roasted vegetables, nuts, seeds, and a warm vinaigrette. Winter salads can explore robust, intense flavours which may not work in summer, so get creative with cheeses, piquant dressings and spice mixes. If you’re making a simple kachumbar-style salad, try adding root veggies like beets, radishes and sweet potatoes. For simpler lentil or chickpea-based salad, use veggies that have a natural sweetness like carrots, peas or (diced) potatoes so they can balance the potent savouriness.
Add Vegetables To Dal
Winter also brings in more veggies that are easy to cook with and can be used in more than one kind of curry. The easiest way to consume more veggies is to add the to your daily dal. Spinach, tomato, carrots, peas, pumpkin and peas can be easily mixed into simple moong or chana dals that are made at home. If you're considering spicier versions like a Dhaba-style dal makhani, or a dal fry, try adding finely chopped tomatoes, spinach and carrots into the buttery dal.
Make An Indian-Style Veggie Dip
Whip up a desi yoghurt or chickpea-based dip for your fritters and fried items. A protein-rich dip can be a great vehicle for fresh veggies and microgreens; you can even add some corn, cheese or coconut to make it creamier. Go for finely chopped carrots, beets, spinach, onions, garlic, turnips and some leafy veggies; flavours like coriander, mint, tamarind, tomato etc can really show up in a raita or a yoghurt-based dip.
You can roast the veggies and add them to the dipalong with layers of pureed chole, tamarind chutney, mint chutney, salsa and fresh cilantro. Season it with some cumin, red chilli powder, chaat masala, pepper salt and a light oil drizzle.
