Warm winter menus that make the heart sing

Taste the freshest flavours of December in dishes like 'bhaang' chicken, 'shaak' risotto and hay ice cream with a cherry blanket

- Jahnabee Borah

Citrus fruits, leafy greens and chefs' creativity pack a punch in winter menus. Add Christmas dishes to the mix and they make for meals of pure happiness.

With each season, restaurants aim to push the limits of imagination, expand their quest for hyper regional produce and the experimenting never stops.

"We have tried to dive deeper into different states of India this winter," says chef Sarvesh Moudgill, brand head and culinary director of Mool Kitchen and Bar in Mumbai. Their philosophy is rooted in regional fare. For the winter menu, they introduced Darjeeling-style momos as their existing menu has Kolkata-style kosha mangsho but they hadn't gone further afield in West Bengal. The momos are served with a unique chutney spiced with timur, a Sichuan pepper from the foothills of the Himalaya. This spice, Moudgill says, has a warming quality which makes it ideal for winter.

Another spice with a similar characteristic, bhaang or hemp seeds go into a saucy chicken main, bhaang kukkad.

A curiosity-inducing non-vegetarian item is the bateir rassa, quail meat cooked in a velvety onion-based gravy from Lucknow. These can be paired with flaky chur-chur naan or the winter essential, makke ki roti.