Deepali Nandwani
Editor
Liquid Gold.
Nolen Gur is an exquisite date palm syrup that approximates the shade of melted gold and infuses your Bengali desserts with a subtle gold shade. A winter delicacy, I remember how its woody, caramel flavour made every single Bengali dessert I ate as part of my annual winter binge so much more interesting.
There is no better way to begin 2023 than biting into my favourite Nolen Gur sandesh or roshogolla and experiencing its caramel flavours warm the insides of my mouth and then leaving a hot, sweet trail as it slides down my throat. A fun fact: Nolen Gur, which means new jaggery in Bengali, is extracted from a date palm tree, unlike regular jaggery which is obtained by boiling clarified sugarcane juice.
Read about the heritage of one of winter’s best foods, Nolen Gur, in our India Classic article.
While we are discussing winter foods, India has an embarrassment of riches. Sarson ka saag from Punjab, Undhiyo from Gujarat, to Harissa from Kashmir… Every dish uses ingredients available during the cold — or in the case of Gujarat — in cooler months, when your system can digest more ghee (clarified butter) and far richer dishes.
In Kashmir, people eat Harissa, a mutton dish which keeps them warm in sub-zero temperatures that the Valley and beyond experience. The breakfast dish is cooked in huge pans through the night, over simmering firewood, and then spiced with the right kind of heart-warming spices.
I live in a city that experiences a moderate temperature, but my ancestors were from Punjab, and it was my father who introduced me to my favourite winter dish, Dodha Barfi, colloquially known just as Dodha. Milk, liquid glucose, sugar, ghee, nuts, cream, and alum powder go into the making of a gooey, sticky barfi, said to have been invented in 1912, in the Sarghoda district, now in Pakistan, by a wrestler Harbans Vig.
Vig wanted more than just milk and ghee in his strength-giving barfi. The rest, as they say, is history.
My other favourite is the fluffy, cloud-like Nimish, or what is known as Daulat ki Chaat in Delhi. But that is another story. For now, get your hands on one of these winter delicacies before they disappear with the winters and enjoy the read.