Delicious way to beat the chill

JAIPUR: While winters have always been a foodie’s delight for hiding those extra kilos under thick layers of woollens, the prevailing coldwave conditions have ensured that Jaipurites savour winter-special delicacies without any guilt.
While ‘gajar ka halwa’ continues to rule the popularity charts, ‘moong dal halwa’ and ‘doodh jalebi’ are some other delicious options to beat the chill."Enjoying a plate of gajar ka halwa while sitting near a bonfire is what I would call an ideal way to brave the cold," said Pankaj Jhakhar, third year student of Bachelor of Fine Arts at Rajasthan University.
For Krati Yadhuvanshi, a student of visual arts at ICG, drawing sketches of people shivering in cold, while sipping a cup of hot coffee in the college canteen makes for a perfect winter morning. "I don’t mind gajar ka halwa too, provided I don’t have to share it with anyone," she chirped.
Rajasthan has recorded one of the lowest minimum temperatures over the past few years this season, with Pink City shivering at two degrees Celsius on Tuesday. While people are finding out various ways to keep themselves warm, sweets shop owners are only too happy to make the most of the chill.
From pure-ghee sweets to snacks such as ‘gazak’, ‘rewdi’ are selling like hot-cakes. "Sweets and snacks made of sesame (til) are in great demand this winter," said Ajay Agarwal, CEO of a prominent sweets shop owner at Johari Bazaar in the Walled City.
Not just locals, but tourists could be seen munching on these snacks to keep themselves warm. "Over the past three-four days, our sales have shot up by 10-15%," added Agarwal. Even small-time shopkeepers and hawkers are enjoying a brisk business this year. "This year has been unusually good. Thanks to the harsh weather, children as well tourists are coming in droves to purchase peanuts," said Baburam, a peanut-seller in the Walled City.