Winter’s bounty: Seasonal produce and stand-out regional dishes

She also says that saag is never cooked in ghee, but in mustard oil. “We top things with ghee, we don’t necessarily cook everything in ghee!” She also adds that the mustard stems (dandlaan) are what give the dish its distinct peppery flavour. So sarson ka saag isn’t just seasonal, its also makes the most of the vegetable, from root to tip. 
 

But it’s not all starchy roots. Radishes make an appearance down South, too. In Punjab, if radish leaves are added to saag and the bulbs are used in salad, in the South, they become a part of the medley of vegetables in sambar.
 

Lawyer and food blogger Kamala Anand, who documents step-by-step South Indian vegetarian recipes on her much-followed Instagram handle, says that winter in her childhood home meant radish sambar. “Like any South Indian homes, sambar has always been an integral part of our meals. With the coming of winter, we could make mullangi or radish sambar. This was a welcome variant, taking the flavour of the sambar a few notches higher!”

Green garlic or “leela lasan” finds its way into other regional and community cuisines from the West. Parsis add it to their eggs (leela lasan, leelo kando ne kothimir par eedu, or eggs with green garlic, green onion and coriander). Maharashtrians use it to make spicy thecha (a chunky chutney that pairs well with roti) and add it to popular dishes like pithla (a curry made from besan/gram flour) and thalipeeth (a healthy multi-grain flatbread).
 

Ajeet Kalbag, a Pune-based chef and culinary consultant, who makes a mean green garlic and chive chutney himself, says that winter is when produce abounds, making the season a cook’s delight. “Ideally there’s a lot of produce that comes in winter… lots of fresh greens, cauliflower and peas. In our Chitrapur Saraswat community, we make a dish called ambit—a gravy with tamarind, coconut, red chillies, and fenugreek seeds or methi daana. These ingredients are made into a paste and boiled with fresh green peas.”
 

He adds that if you move further North to UP you’ll find the seasonal favourite matar ka nimona, a dish of spiced mash peas cooked with lentils or potatoes. Sure, you can make it with frozen peas, but Chef Kalbag says there’s nothing to beat the taste of fresh green peas. “In-season peas have a sweetness that cannot be replicated. When you get them fresh, buy them!”

“I have always believed in the power of going back to the basics and appreciating the benefits of the food we grew up with, to embrace forgotten ingredients that nurture health.”

Here, she shares a recipe for a nourishing, protein-rich soup, using a combination of sattu flour and fresh green peas. (Sattu, a flour made from roasted and ground Bengal gram, is a staple in the Central and Eastern belt, particularly Bihar and Jharkhand.)

In addition to two rich sources of plant-based protein, the fresh peas provide extra fibre and give the soup a beautiful, pastel-green hue. And what could be more comforting in winter than a warm bowl of soup?

Lovneet Batra’s Sattu and Green Peas Soup
  

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp channa sattu powder
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup fresh green peas (semi-boiled)
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp white butter

Method

• Mix the sattu flour in two cups of water, stir well and set aside.
• Blend the semi-boiled peas into a puree, set aside.
  
• Heat a large pan. Add the white butter and sauté the pureed peas, turmeric powder, and ginger-garlic paste.
  
• Add the sattu-water mix, black pepper powder, cumin powder, salt and mix well.
  
• Cook on a medium flame for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• Pull off the flame.
  
• Just before serving, add lime juice.
  
• Serve hot.