Sweet, fresh green chickpeas in a spiced onion-tomato gravy – a short-season winter treat from central and north India.

Green beans tossed with a crumbly steamed-lentil mix of toor and chana dal – a protein-rich Tamil Brahmin classic.

Yardlong beans stir-fried with shallots, crushed chilli and coconut oil – Kerala's simplest, tastiest side.

Slightly bitter cluster beans cooked dry with ajwain, garlic and amchur – a Rajasthani desert classic.

A rich Rajasthani winter speciality of fresh turmeric root fried in ghee and cooked with yogurt and peas.

Finely chopped beetroot stir-fried with mustard seeds, curry leaves and coconut – colourful Tamil everyday food.

Winter parathas stuffed with grated white radish, green chilli and ajwain – Punjab's breakfast with butter and curd.

Gujarat's famous winter one-pot: purple yam, papdi beans, lilva, baby potatoes, eggplant and fenugreek dumplings in a green coconut masala.

Crispy-edged taro roots tossed with ajwain, amchur and chilli – a dry Punjabi favourite with dal and roti.

Baby eggplants stuffed with a roasted peanut, sesame and coconut masala – Andhra's festive brinjal curry.

Crispy fried cauliflower tossed in a garlicky soy-chilli sauce – India's favourite Indo-Chinese starter.

Bitter gourds stuffed with a sweet-sour onion and spice filling and pan-fried until crisp – even bitter-gourd haters love it.

A tangy Andhra dal of toor dal and yellow cucumber with tamarind and garlic tempering.

Kohlrabi and its leaves simmered in mustard oil with dried chilli and asafoetida – simple Kashmiri home food.

Finely shredded cabbage stir-fried with coconut, mustard seeds and curry leaves – Kerala's 5-minute side.

Green peppers stir-fried with roasted gram flour, sesame and peanuts – a quick Maharashtrian 'zunka-style' sabzi.

Crunchy lotus stem in a delicate fennel- and cardamom-scented yogurt gravy – a Kashmiri Pandit classic.

Young jackfruit cooked like meat in a rich onion-tomato masala – North India's vegetarian 'mutton'.

Crunchy, fibre-rich banana stem stir-fried with moong dal and coconut – a Tamil detox favourite.

Finely chopped banana flower cooked with potato, coconut and garam masala – a labour of love from Bengal.

Soft pumpkin cooked with fenugreek seeds, amchur and jaggery – the sweet-sour sabzi served with puri at festivals.

Kerala's most delicate curry: ash gourd and beans gently simmered in coconut milk with green chilli and curry leaves.

Spiny gourd slices coated in spiced rice flour and pan-fried until crisp – a Bengali monsoon treat.

Crunchy ivy gourd stir-fried with potato, mustard seeds and a touch of jaggery – Gujarati everyday food.

Pointed gourd and potato in a light onion-tomato masala – the summer sabzi of Bihar, UP and Bengal.

Small round tindas stuffed with a tangy spice mix and slow-cooked until tender – a Punjabi summer classic.

Mild snake gourd cooked with moong dal and a coconut-cumin paste – a gentle Tamil side for rice and rasam.

Sponge gourd and potato cooked in mustard oil with panch phoron and garlic – rustic Bihari home food.

A light, juicy ridge-gourd curry with tomato and cumin – everyday summer food in North Indian homes.

A one-pot Gujarati khichdi of broken wheat (dalia), moong dal and vegetables – light, wholesome and quick.

Tamil Nadu's famous biryani made with tiny, fragrant seeraga samba rice, green masala, pepper and ghee.

Fragrant Bengali khichuri of roasted moong dal and gobindobhog rice with ghee and vegetables – rainy-day and Durga Puja comfort.

A crisp, savoury multigrain flatbread of roasted bhajani flour with onion and coriander, served with butter or curd.

Punjab's winter icon: slow-cooked mustard greens with spinach and bathua, served with yellow cornmeal rotis and white butter.

Bihar's protein-packed paratha stuffed with spicy sattu, garlic, mustard oil and pickle masala.

Puffy buckwheat-flour puris with a simple cumin-tomato potato curry – the Navratri meal of North India.

Crunchy sweet balls of puffed amaranth bound with jaggery – a healthy fasting snack and Sankranti treat.

A creamy cardamom milk pudding made with proso millet – the old village kheer of Punjab and the hills.

A wholesome one-pot khichdi of kodo millet, moong dal and vegetables – tribal comfort food from central India.

Cooling curd 'rice' made with little millet, yogurt, ginger and a mustard-curry leaf tempering.

Creamy foxtail millet and moong dal cooked with ghee, pepper and cumin – a lighter twist on Tamil ven pongal.

Golden, crisp-outside, fluffy-inside lentil doughnuts – the South Indian breakfast and temple-festival favourite.

Crisp, hand-patted rice-flour rotis with onion, dill, coconut and green chilli – a Karnataka breakfast.

Pillowy steamed idlis from fermented urad dal and idli rava – South India's healthiest breakfast.