Kalari from Jammu

This delectable fried cheese snack is a true winter winner from Jammu’s Udhampur region in Jammu & Kashmir. Made traditionally from goat, cow, or buffalo milk by the Gujjar nomads of Kashmir the cheese was a means for preserving leftover milk…so there was no wastage. Kalari, or maish krej in the Kashmiri tongue, was a rare exotic seasonal Dogra delicacy dry roasted, fried, or eaten raw. Fans of mozzarella will love this Kashmiri version of the cheese. Fried in its fat as tasty bite-size snacks it is traditionally teamed with green chilli chutney. It’s optionally eaten as kalari stuffed kulchas.

Anarsa from Mumbai

This delicious preparation is timed to spoil the taste buds at Diwali. It’s a wonderful homemade creation put together with soaked powdered rice, jaggery, poppy seeds and pure desi ghee. The preparation can be tedious but the results are mmmmm! The rice is soaked for several days, then drained and ground; jaggery is added to create a malleable dough to make the rounded flattened pastry, its top covered with poppy seeds and then fried. There is also a Bihari version of this yummy snack.

Undhiya from Surat

The winter favourite from Surat in Gujarat state has a special place on the table during the Makar Sankranti festival. it’s a winter vegetables dish (beans, brinjals, potatoes, purple yam, ladies’ fingers, Surti papdi, fritters made from fenugreek leaves etc) traditionally cooked in a sealed earthen pot, hung head over heels (upside down for the uninitiated) over a fire pit. The slow cooking is the heart of the dish as the flavours are slowly purloined from the green chilli garlic paste, grated coconut, roasted peanut powder, cumin seeds and coriander.

Bajra ki Khichdi from Rajasthan

Loaded with health-giving properties like iron, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, and high in protein and fibre Bajra ki Khichdi is the perfect antidote to kicking the winter blues away. You’ll enjoy the slightly chewy texture of this pearl millet-based dish. The millet, rice and lentils (e.g. whole green moong dal) are a great combination for comfort food in its simplest avatar.

Nihari from Delhi

This Mughlai favourite will have you salivating well before you reach the iconic eat streets of Old Delhi, the erstwhile Shahjehanabad, Mughal emperor Shahjehan’s legendary imperial city. Steeped in the flavours of the bone marrow, this slow-cooked stew made of meat lamb or goat will transport you to celestial heights. Just perfect for winter days’ breakfasts, it's teamed with tandoori roti.

Nimona from Varanasi

A winter staple for the residents of Varanasi (and across UP), this is a delectable vegetarian dish made with tender green peas which are sweet and delicious even when eaten raw. Also known as Matar ka Nimona it is delicious even without the addition of garlic or onions. The soupy curry, whose flavours come from the fresh green peas paste and minimally used spices, is teemed with rice. Using frozen peas just doesn’t cut it!

Pinni from Punjab

These homemade laddus are packed with nutrients and happy ingredients to keep you warm and toasty on cold winter days. Made with desi ghee, wheat flour, jaggery, and dry fruits, this laddu base is also available in powdered form, panjiri…Too yummy for words!

Mawa Kachori From Jodhpur

These exotic crispy puffed pastries are conjured up with a delectable combination of mawa/koya (milk heated to a thick consistency), dry fruits, ground cardamom, saffron, and sugar and then deep fried in desi ghee; the even more luscious version comes with a drizzle of warm sugary syrup…Ditch your diet for this one! Local lore has it that originally Mawa Kachori was invented by Rawatmal Deora of Rawat Mishthan Bhandar of Jodhpur.