10+ Popular Winter Recipes (Pakistani & Indian)
Here are 10+ Winter Recipes that are popular in Pakistani & Indian cuisine. This roundup includes recipes that are warming or made with winter produce. All of these recipes are tested-and-perfected and loved by thousands!
I was on a trip to Pakistan recently and I noticed certain traditional dishes made recurring appearances.
Luckily, mass production & distribution of produce still isn’t as widespread in Pakistan as it is here, so eating seasonally comes a bit more naturally. In the winter, you’ll see oranges, cauliflower, and other seasonal produce on the roadside. Here are some vegetables and fruit that I saw frequently:
Popular Winter Produce in Pakistan:
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Mustard greens
- Cauliflower
- Turnips
- Green peas
- Winter squash such as Ash Gourd (Petha)
- Apples
- Oranges
- Guavas
This roundup features a range of recipes starting with main dishes, then a dessert & snack, and lastly, a few drinks.
There are many more cozy recipes (like a traditional curry or dal) that I could add to this list, but I wanted to keep this roundup concise and very winter-forward. There also a few recipes that I don’t yet have on the blog but are very popular in the winter (fried fish comes to mind!).
10+ Popular Winter Recipes
Main Dishes
Easy Mixed Vegetable Curry
Easy Sarson Ka Saag (Stovetop & Instant Pot)
Easy Nihari (Pakistani Beef Stew)
The BEST Authentic Chicken Korma
Easy Pakistani Haleem Recipe (Instant Pot)
30-Minute Aloo Palak (Spinach and Potato Curry)
Cauliflower and Potato Curry (Aloo Gobi Recipe)
Matar Pulao (Peas Pulao) – 20-Minute Prep!
Fish Curry (Fish Masala)
Dessert & Snacks
Easy Instant Pot Carrot Halwa (Gajar ka Halwa)
Sooji ka Halwa (Semolina Halwa) – 20 Minute Recipe!
Panjeeri – Postpartum Healing and Lactation Recipe
Drinks
Easy Masala Chai (Tea) Recipe – Spiced Chai
20-Minute Kashmiri Chai (Pink Tea)
Authentic Pakistani Chai
10+ Winter Recipes (Indian & Pakistani), Including Chicken Korma
Video
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 2 tbsp ghee, or sub more oil
- 2 (~500 g) large onions, sliced*
- 2 lbs bone-in, cut up, skinless chicken (or sub chicken thighs), cleaned and excess skin removed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/8 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 8-10 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 inch piece ginger, crushed
- 2 small tomatoes* (optional), quartered
- 3/4 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder or to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika powder or Kashmiri red chili powder, optional – for color
- 2 1/8 tsp salt, or to taste depending on amount of chicken
- 2-3 green chili peppers, chopped
Finishing:
- 1-2 black cardamom pods (optional)
- 1 piece whole mace , or sub pinch ground mace or cinnamon
- ½ tsp garam masala
- pinch nutmeg powder
- 1/2 tsp diluted kewra essence, or sub rose water
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped, optional – for garnish
- 10-12 blanched almonds, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over high heat. Once hot, add the oil and onions and sauté the onions until they are golden brown (~20-25 minutes depending on quantity). Remove the onions from the pan and transfer them to a food processor. Add tomatoes (if using) and yogurt to the food processor and process until mostly smooth.
- In the same pan used to brown onions, heat ghee (or oil) and add the whole spices, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds or until the garlic and ginger begin to darken. Add the chicken and fry it until it changes color (~5 minutes).
- Add the yogurt mixture to chicken along with the ground spices, salt, and green chili peppers and sauté until the mixture comes to a light simmer (~2-3 minutes).
- Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir in the black cardamom (if using), mace, garam masala, and nutmeg powder. Cover and cook again for 10 minutes.
- Raise the heat to high. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water (depending on how thin you'd like the curry) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and allow chicken to simmer for another 2-3 minutes. The oil will have risen to the top. Sprinkle the kewra essence and stir. Turn off the heat and garnish with cilantro and blanched almonds.
4 Comments on “10+ Popular Winter Recipes (Pakistani & Indian)”
I have not tried your recipes yet but they definitely look good.
Hi Izzah,
Thank you for your wonderful recipes. I absolutely swear by your IP Nihari recipe and it’s one of my standard go-to recipes. Always a hit with friends…I live in the National Capital Region of Delhi where there are many ancient restaurants that serve authentic cooked-overnight Nihari, so praise from Foodie friends for mine means a lot! I use goat’s meat, of course. Thanks so much. Bunny
Hi Izzah,
Thnx so much fr all the lovely recipes you send each time.
Hope your trip to Pakistan was a fun trip with family,And thnx fr staying in touch,I wondered what happen with your emails I didn’t see your recipes fr at least 2 months.
Best,
Kyra
You’re welcome, Kyra! That’s so nice to hear. Thank you for writing!