IN DELHI, WINTER BELONGS TO INDO-CHINESE COMFORT

As the weather turns nippy by the day, I wake with a craving for parathas that steam on the plate and warm my fingers before the first bite.

- VERNIKA AWAL

By evening, all I want is a bowl that sends up fragrant clouds of heat, broths that soothe the throat, dim-sums that burst with warmth, and that particular tingle of spice that feels made for winter. There is no place like Delhi when the temperature drops. Its cosmopolitan heart seems to glow a little brighter, offering every kind of regional and global comfort. Even a stroll through Dilli Haat feels transformed. After trailing my hands over soft pashminas and earthy bujhodi shawls, I always end up at the Sikkim stall, drawn to the steam rising from bamboo baskets. A plate of momos, a bow! of thukpa, and that neon red chutney arrive at my table. On any other day I would hesitate, but in winter it feels like exactly the kind of fire the season demands.