✍Surbhi Dinesh Singh Khichi

The temperature is quite low outdoors, but who really cares when you have good food to eat. With the cold season in full swing, we Indians just need an excuse to grab our favorite dishes. And the Indian cuisine is quite rich in it's exotic flavors and delicacies. So, put your warm clothes on and savor the best of taste. Here's presenting 3 wholesome dishes that you can prepare on a cozy, chilly winter day for dinner.

Palak Paneer -  But who really loves to eat the daily home made spinach? Not many fans here, right. But what say, about the Palak Paneer? Isn't it mouth watering? Ofcourse, it is. Soft Paneer cubes dipped in the green curry, an unmissable treat. You just need approximately 50 - 55 minutes to prepare the tasty Palak Paneer. Let's check out this quick recipe-

The ingredients you need are: Oil, cumin seeds, Ginger- Garlic ready to use paste, tomatoes, spinach, water, salt, green chillies, turmeric powder, and Paneer cubes.

Let's keep going now. Take nearly 500g of spinach and boil it in water, until the leaves become wilt. Next, drain all the water and grind the whole spinach with some cashew nuts in a fine paste. Heat a tablespoon of butter, half tablespoon of oil, then add two pieces of cardamoms, an inch of cinamom, two cloves and a tablespoon of cumin seeds to it. After it splutters, put two neatly chopped onions. Keep frying until it turns golden brown. After this, put a tablespoon of the ginger garlic paste. Then, finely chopped tomatoes. Stir it well and cook for a while. Time for the spices - green chillies and turmeric powder, with some salt, some garam masala all according to your preferred taste. The green chillies add the perfect spice, do not use red chilli powder. Make sure that everything blends well together, leave it for a while on a low flame. Add some kasuri methi to it. 

Now, add the spinach puree to the gravy. Mix well and cook it for 2 - 3 minutes, not long enough. Add the paneer cubes (nearly 150 gms) and stir the curry well. Switch off the gas stove. Your Palak Paneer is ready to serve. It is suggested to eat it with Butter Naan or plain paratha. You can also eat it with jeera rice.

Dal Makhani -  Who doesn't orders it whenever you are out on a family dinner at a restaraunt? Well, everyone does. This classic Punjabi serve is on everyone's eating list. In pure english, it is "lentils" served with "butter...as in cream". So, why not try making it the restaurant style Dal Makhani this time at home! Check out this recipe to get that one bit wholesome goodness, at which everyone is happily amazed. 

The ingredients used are - Black lentils(Urad dal), Red kidney beans(Rajma), Bengal Gram(chana dal), Cream(whipped, heavy or simply malai at home), Kasuri methi, butter, ghee, whole spices(optional), onion, ginger garlic paste, tomato puree, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, and kashmiri red chilli powder.

If you are jumping to start over, hold on. Because this will take hours. Take a cup of Lentils, and 1/4th cup of Rajma. Put them in a pot and add 3-4 cups of freshwater to it. Soak them for 6 to 8 hours. Using hot water for this will take half of the time. When these are soaked well, it's time to cook it. Cook it in a pressure cooker or pot. It might need 10 whistles, while in a pot make sure to do until the Rajma and Lentils become tender. As soft as much it can be mashed through the fingers. 

Now, chop an onion neatly. Prepare a cup of tomato puree. Let's get to making the gravy. Take a pan, put 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon ghee, for whole spices, take a bay leaf, a black cardamoom and two green cardamoms. Saute them well. Then, add the chopped onions. Cook, until it turns golden brown. Now, put a tablespoon of ginger garlic paste. Add tomato puree to it. Saute for a while. Then pour a tablespoon salt, 1.5 teaspoons of chilli powder and 1 teaspoon garam masala, with 1.5 tablespoons of Kashmiri chilli powder. Cook it all well. Moving on, mash the soaked Dal well. Add it to the mixture. Stir and add a cup of boiling water. Keep cooking on a low flame. After 60 minutes add more water to it. It should thicken a bit. Stir it well to the bottom every few minutes. Cook it well, later add Kasuri methi. After a while, put 1/4th cup of cream, cook it for 10 minutes.

The whole process consistently takes 90 minutes to get that creamy, thick Dal Makhani that leaves everyone licking their fingers. You can serve the dish with Tandoori roti, Parathas, plain chapatis, butter naan or rice. 

Sarson da saag - Now, this one is a pure winter delicacy. And, it's healthy too...the mustard greens with some desi ghee. Giving you the perfect nutrition treat enriched with Vitamin A, C and K with vital minerals like Calcium, Potassium and Iron. For preparing the best saag, you will need - 

Mustard greens(Sarso). Bathua(chenopodium), you can also take spinach leaves, radish greens or collard greens. Onion, ginger garlic paste, tomato, green chilli, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, dry red chillies, ghee, cumin seeds, asafoetida and maize flour.  

Let's start making the most authentic Sarson da saag. Take 400 gms of mustard greens and 400 gms of spinach. Some bathua or radish greens as available with you. Wash all the greens, then chop them and add to a pressure cooker. Chop garlic, onion(or instead add the paste), tomato,green chillies, radish. Add these to the greens in the pressure cooker. Add water and cook it all in the cooker. After cooked, open the lid and blend the mixture well. It's up to you to keep it coarse or fine. Add red chilli powder and salt to it. Mix it well and saute it. Meanwhile, mix maize flour in 1/4th cup of water to form a paste. Cook it for 2 minutes. You will observe the Saag getting thick. Switch off and take the mixture out. 

It's time for the final tadka now. Take a saucepan, add ghee. After it heats up, add cumin seeds. After they splutter, put the chopped onion with the dry red chillies. Cook over until the onion turns golden brown. Mix the tadka with the cooked saag and stir gently. Your creamy Sarson ka saag is ready to be served with the must Makke ki roti. 

Winter will never be enough without these three Indian must eat dishes. Get going with these recipes in winetrs. Happy Dinner to all!