The onset of winters leaves every Indian household buzzing with activity. Woollen wear is retrieved from the closet, the medicine cabinet is stacked and the home’s enveloped in a heady mix of aromas. This is also the best part of the year to enjoy fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. Fig, custard apple, orange or green peas, leafy vegetables like sarso, fenugreek leaves etc. start making an appearance and taste heavenly during this time.

Fig is available throughout the year in its dried form but the fresh variety is available only seasonally. It belongs to the Mulberry family and is sweet and juicy with crunchy seeds inside. Fig is rich in fiber, potassium and calcium and is extremely helpful in controlling weight, blood pressure and diabetes.

I’m sharing with you today a simple, quick and easy fig dry-fruit recipe. My brood loves it and I indulge them with it often. I’m sure it will be a winner in your home too. It is perfect for breakfast and keeps you full for longer.

Ingredients:

Fresh figs – 7-8 pieces

Milk – 250 ml

Mixed dry-fruits (almonds, cashews, walnuts etc soaked for 3-4 hours) – ½ cup

Honey – 1- 2 tbsp

Vanilla ice-cream (Optional) – 1 cup

Procedure:

1. Clean and chop the figs and put them in a blender. Save a few finely-chopped ones for garnish.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients to the blender one by one.

3. Add the milk in breaks. Add honey according to your choice of sweetness.

4. Blend till the shake is thick and foamy.

5. Remove the shake in a lovely glass and garnish with cut figs and dry-fruits.

Tip: You can also make this shake with dried figs. In that case, soak the figs along with the other dry-fruits and follow the same recipe.

Winters give us an excuse to gorge on hearty soups, gud roti, green vegetables with white butter, etc. allowing us some well-deserved guilt-free binging. Our olfactory senses are either lost to cold or heightened by all the yummy food cooking in the kitchen. Under those many layers of clothes though is a heart and stomach that’s filled with content, isn’t it? 🙂

Do you like winters too? What is your favourite winter recipe? Please share with me.