Warm Up This Winter With Ranbir Kapoor’s Comfort Dish, His Chef Reveals The Recipe

Last Updated:October 26, 2025, 20:00 IST

Swap your usual winter kadha for Ranbir Kapoor’s favourite congee – a slow-cooked rice porridge packed with flavour, revealed by his private chef.

Ranbir Kapoor’s chef reveals his favorite winter dish.

Winter is not only about chilly days and cosy nights wrapped in a blanket, but it also brings colds and various viral infections. To fight these winter ailments, the staples in Indian households are usually kadha or dalia and we’re sure you get tired of these boring winter dishes too.

But what if we told you that Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor has a healthy and tasty alternative for you? Yes, you read that right! His private chef, Harsh Dixit, shares the secret recipe.

Ranbir Kapoor’s Winter Special Dish

Chef Harsh Dixit, known for crafting dishes for stars like Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Janhvi Kapoor, Athiya Shetty, and sports icon KL Rahul, is the mastermind behind this comforting delicacy: congee, a slow-cooked East Asian rice porridge. The super comfortable meal is gentle on the stomach, supports gut health and boosts energy level.

He shared, “It’s basically rice cooked slowly in a flavourful broth until it breaks down. Light on the stomach, fantastic for gut health, and surprisingly energising,” quoted Hindustan Times.

Congee can be prepared in several unique ways, depending on individual tastes and preferences. For Ranbir, chef Harsh once prepared a corn congee, a monsoon favourite, while KL Rahul, a pescatarian prefers his with fish broth or, occasionally, crab. What truly takes the dish to the next level, however, is the crispy chili oil.

The chef added, “It’s like crack. We make ours with garlic, onions, sesame seeds, peanuts, Sichuan peppercorns. We use Kashmiri chilli and sometimes even Guntur chillies from Andhra Pradesh. It’s fried but not oily, crunchy but layered.”

Chef Harsh’s Secret Recipe

Here’s a congee recipe with crispy chili oil, serving four:

Ingredients For Congee:

• 150g jasmine rice
• 600ml chicken stock or water
• 7.5g salt
• 5g castor sugar
• 2.5g white pepper
• Finely chopped scallions to garnish.

How to Make?

• Add jasmine rice and chicken stock to your Instant Pot and select the Slow Cook setting.
• Let it cook gently for 90 to 120 minutes, until the rice breaks down into a smooth, creamy porridge.
• Season with salt, sugar, and white pepper to achieve the perfect balance.
• Spoon the congee into bowls and sprinkle with chopped scallions.
• Serve hot and savour the comforting warmth.

Ingredients For Crispy Chilli Oil

• 4 tbsp neutral oil (rice bran or sunflower oil)
• 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp crushed peanuts
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• Salt

How To Make?

• Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Add garlic and shallots, cooking until golden and fragrant.
• Turn off the heat and mix in sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, and Sichuan peppercorns.
• Stir in chilli powder and salt, allowing the flavors to infuse as the oil cools into a bold, aromatic condiment.