Winters are around the corner, and if you’re already starting to worry about how to keep your child healthy and avoid cough and cold, it’s time to start looking in your kitchen.

Indian spices and foods are loaded with properties that can help the body stay warm from inside, thus reducing the chance of cough and cold. This is particularly good for your child, as you can reduce the need for medicines and promote good health in a natural way.

Here are three Indian recipes you can try out that are delicious and will keep your child warm in the winters.

1. Aloo Posto

Ingredients:

3 potatoes cut in cubes

Poppy seeds (posto/khus khus)

3/4th tsp jeera

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder

Oil

1 tsp mustard oil

How to:

1. Make a wet thick paste with the poppy seeds.

2. Heat oil and add the jeera. Add the potatoes, along with the turmeric powder.

3. Once the potatoes are slightly golden, add the posto paste.

4. Coat the potatoes with the paste and keep stirring.

5. Add a little water so that it does not stick to the pan. Also add salt.

6. Cook covered till the potatoes are boiled.

7. Add 1 tsp of mustard oil on top and remove from heat

2. Sarson ka saag

Ingredients:

750 gm sarson saag

250 gm palak

250 gm bathua saag (optional)

2 cups water

Salt

1 ½ cup makai atta

25 gm ginger

2 chopped onions

6 cloves garlic

100 gm ghee

½ tsp garam masala

½ tsp coriander powder

How to:

1. Add the saag and water in a cooker with salt and cook on low heat for about 1 ½ hours.

2. Strain and squeeze the saag and keep the water aside.

3. Mash the saag, add Makai atta and stir. Add the saag water and some more water and let it boil on slow heat.

4. Add ginger and keep cooking.

5. Heat ghee, add onions, ginger, garlic, masalas and saute till the onions turn light brown.

6. Add this to the cooked saag.

3. Sweet potato tikka

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes cut in three pieces

1 finely chopped onion

1 tbsp. finely chopped coriander leaves

2 tbsp. besan

1 tbsp. rice flour

Salt

Oil

How to:

1. Pressure-cook the sweet potatoes and strain water.

2. Remove peel and mash.

3. Add onions, coriander leaves, salt and the flours.

4. Mix to form dough. Make small balls and flatten it to make tikkis.

5. Heat oil and fry the tikkis on both sides till they are golden brown.