Traditional Festive Delights from The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa

---

🌾 Celebrating Lohri with Food, Fire & Flavours

Lohri marks the harvest season in North India and is celebrated with warmth, gratitude, and soulful food. This festive occasion brings families together around bonfires, folk songs, and traditional winter delicacies.

This Lohri, Food Trails with Tushita presents a handpicked festive menu curated by Chef Swapnadeep Mukherjee, Executive Chef at The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa, featuring comforting desserts and hearty savoury treats inspired by seasonal ingredients.

---

🍶 Recipe 1: Makhane Ki Kheer

Creamy • Nourishing • Winter Comfort

Ingredients

• Makhana – 1 cup
• Desi Ghee – 10 gm
• Milk Full Cream – 400 ml
• Almond – 10 gm
• Sugar – 50 gm
• Cashewnut – 20 gm
• Cardamom – 5 gm

Method

• Put a pan or kadhai over a medium flame and heat ghee in it. When the ghee is melted, add makhana and stir well. Let the makhana roast till it becomes light brown and crispy. Once done, turn off the flame and let it cool.
• When cool enough, add the roasted makhana to a grinder jar and grind half of them coarsely. You can keep half of the roasted makhana aside for later usage.
• Boil and simmer milk until it is slightly thick. Cook the whole makhana in milk and mix well. Make sure you stir in between while cooking for about 5–7 minutes. Add sugar, half tbsp. coarse makhana and mix well to get that desired consistency. Cook for about 5 more minutes until the milk is thick.
• Roast all the dry fruits meanwhile until brown.
• Take a bowl, pour kheer, garnish with dry fruits, and sprinkle crushed cardamom. Serve hot or cold.

---

🌯 Recipe 2: Nawabi Paneer Bhujia Roll

Royal • Spiced • Wholesome

Ingredients

Filling

• Paneer cubes – 60 gm
• Tomato deseeded – 30 ml
• Capsicum – 30 gm
• Olive oil – 15 ml
• Beaten curd – 20 ml
• Chilli powder – 8 gm
• Turmeric powder – 5 gm
• Ginger – 10 gm
• Garlic – 10 gm
• Chat Masala – 5 gm
• Kasuri methi – 5 gm
• Garam Masala – 3 gm
• Salt – to taste
• Coriander fresh – 10 gm
• Leftover chapatti – 1

Method

• Heat oil in a nonstick pan, add cumin seeds and sauté
• Add ginger and garlic and sauté over medium flame
• Add diced capsicum and tomato, and toss lightly, adding other spices and beaten curd
• Combine paneer cubes with the above mixture and simmer with some moisture
• Adjust the seasoning and leave aside
• Take a chapatti, spread the filling on the chapatti and roll up tightly, cut into two
• Serve hot with mint chutney and pickled onions or green salad

---

🍮 Recipe 3: Kashmiri Halwa

Aromatic • Festive • Comfort Dessert

Ingredients

• Oats – 1 cup
• Grain Sugar – ½ cup
• Milk – 2 cups
• Desi Ghee – 4 tsp
• Green Cardamom Powder – 1 tsp
• Few Saffron Strands
• Few Cashew Nuts, almonds and raisins

Method

• In a nonstick pan, heat 2–3 tsp ghee and fry oats on low heat till it change color.
• Heat the milk and sugar in a pan and bring it to a boil.
• Once the sugar is completely dissolved, add the fried oats and stir continuously
• Add cardamom powder to the remaining ghee. Add saffron threads for colour and aroma. Stir until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
• In the meantime, take another pan, add some ghee and fry cashews, raisins on low heat.
• Remove the halwa from the fire and garnish it with fried cashews and raisins. Serve warm.

---

🥜 Recipe 4: Mungfali Ki Tikki

Crunchy • Protein-Rich • Lohri Essential

Ingredients

• Mungfali – 300 gm
• Potato pahari – 95 gm
• Ginger chopped – 15 gm
• Chilli green – 10 gm
• Olive oil – 5 ml
• Salt – to taste
• Coriander leaves – 20 gm
• Yellow chilli powder – 5 gm
• Black cumin – 5 gm

Method

• Mix finely chopped blanched mungfali with boiled potato.
• Add all ingredients, salt to taste and make medium soft dough.
• Divide the prepared dough into eight to ten equal portions.
• Wet your hand with a little water and flatten each portion into a ball or tikki shape
• Put it in oil on medium flame and cook both sides well until it turns golden
• Serve it hot with green or red chutney and salad

---

✨ Editor’s Note

Lohri food is all about warmth, nourishment, and togetherness. These recipes by Chef Swapnadeep Mukherjee beautifully balance tradition and modern taste, making them perfect for festive family celebrations or elegant home gatherings.