Punjabi cuisine

By
Mani
&
Vishakha
Location
Punjab is a state in the northwest of the
Republic of India. The state is bordered by the
Indian states of Himachal Pradesh in the east,
Haryana in the south and southeast and
Rajasthan in the southwest as well as the
Pakistani province of Punjab in the west, it is also
bordered to the north by Jammu and Kashmir.
Capital is Chandigarh.

Agriculture is the largest industry in Punjab, it is

the largest single provider of wheat in India.
Their major festivals are Vaisakhi, Gurpurb and Diwali,
dussehra,raki.

Gurupurab
On the full moon of Kartik the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak is
celebrated.
Dussehra
The Dussehra festival, as in most other parts of India, is celebrated in a big
way. This festival marks the victory of good over evil. Big tall effigies of
Ravana, Kumbhkarna and Meghnath are burnt at a large number of places.

Rakhi
In Bhadon, on the day of the full moon, the Rakhi festival is celebrated. On this
day sisters tie the multicolored thread on the right wrist of their brothers.
People of Punjab can be either non-vegetarian or completely
vegetarian. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse
range of dishes.

Home cooked and restaurant Punjabi cuisine can vary

significantly, with restaurant style using large amounts
of ghee, clarified butter, with liberal amounts of butter
and cream.

With home cooking concentrating mainly upon

preparations with whole wheat, rice and other
ingredients flavored with masala.
Amritsar  historically also known
as Rāmdāspur is a city in the north-western
part of India. It is the spiritual center for the
Sikh religion and the administrative
headquarters of the Amritsar district in
the state of Punjab.

People in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed

parathas and milk products. In fact, the area is
well known for quality of its milk products.

There are certain dishes which are exclusive to

Punjab, such as sarson da saag (mustard
leaves based )& makki di roti

The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists

of onion, garlic and ginger.
 Tandoor

Tandoori  food is a Punjabi specialty especially for non-vegetarian dishes.

Tandoori dishes are prepared in a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and
baking called Tandoor.

The heat for a tandoor is traditionally generated by a charcoal or wood fire,

burning within the tandoor itself, thus exposing the food to live-fire.

Temperatures in a tandoor can approach 480°C (900°F)

TANDOORI CHICKEN
Consists of half a tender spring chicken marinated in yoghurt with the
relevant herbs & spices and cooked over the tandoori clay oven, served
with salad.

CHICKEN TIKKA
Delicate pieces of spring chicken marinated in yoghurt with the appropriate
herbs & spices, served with salad.

TANDOORI NAAN
The flatbreads are known as naan. A typical naan recipe involves mixing
white flour with salt, a yeast culture, and enough yogurt to make a smooth,
elastic dough in flat round shaped and cooked in tandoori.
 BREAKFAST

Paratha- is an Indian flat-bread that originated in the Indian

subcontinent.  It is one of the most popular unleavened flat-
breads in Punjabi cuisine

Halwa Poori -is eaten at all times, but it is usually a part of

breakfast or an early evening meal. It is also eaten by
Muslims during ramazan and during the occasion of
religious festivals.

It consists of a deep fried bread(poori) chapati, served

with Halwa and curries mixed of Chickpeas.
Falooda or Faluda is a cold and sweet beverage with many
ingredients very popular in South Asia. Traditionally it is made by
mixing rose syrup with vermicelli,  basil seeds and tapioca pearls
along with either milk, water or ice cream.

tapioca pearls
(Sabu dana)

Lassi is a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink of the

Punjab. It is made by blending yogurt with water and Indian
spices it is a savory drink sometimes flavored with ground
roasted cumin while sweet lassi on the other hand is blended with
sugar or fruits instead of spices.
 MEAT DISHES
Tandoori chicken is a popular Punjabi dish consisting of
roasted chicken prepared with yogurt and spices. The name
comes from the type of cylindrical clay oven, a tandoor, in
which the dish is traditionally prepared.

Butter chicken
Popular in countries all over the world.
chicken (with or without bones) is marinated overnight in
a yogurt and spice mixture 
The chicken is traditionally cooked in a tandoor, but can also
be grilled, roasted or pan fried. The sauce, is made by
heating and  mixing butter, tomato puree, and various spices
Cashew paste can also be added
he dish may be garnished with white butter, fresh cream,
sliced green chillies and Qasuri Methi.
Chicken tikka
It is traditionally small pieces of boneless chicken baked
using skewers, in a clay-based oven called a tandoor, after
marinating in spices and yogurt
It is grilled in a red coals

The pieces are basted with ghee (clarified

butter)

Rogan josh (or roghan josh)

is an aromatic lamb dish hailing from the Kashmiri . 
Rogan means "oil" in Persian.
 Biryani
Biryani, biriani, beryani or beriani is a set of rice-based
foods made with spices, rice (usually basmati)
and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. "fried" or "roasted"
The cooking method of Biryani originated
in Iran (Persia) and it was brought to  In India,

The recipe of biryani developed to its current form.

Local variants of this dish are popular not only in the
Subcontinent but also in Southeast Asia, Arabia, and
within various Asian expatriate communities in the
West.
The spices and condiments used in biryani may include,
 ghee, nutmeg, mace, pepper, cloves,
cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, coriander, mint leaves,
ginger, onions, and garlic..
 Keema is a traditional South Asian meat dish. Originally this
word means minced meat. It is typically minced
mutton curry with peas or potatoes. Keema can be made from
almost any meat, can be cooked by stewing or frying. Keema is
also sometimes used as a filling for samosas or naan.

Keema usually includes ghee/butter, onions, garlic,

and ginger together with spices including cinnamon, bay
leaves, and cloves is cooked in ghee instead of oil.

Amritsari machchi

Popular fish preparation flavored with ajwain. The fish is

marinated with vinegar and salt for 25 mins (first marination).

2nd marination is done with mix ginger, garlic paste , ajwain , red
chili powder , pepper and salt with gram flour.
 Vegetarian Dishes
Sarson Da Saag
It is a popular curry in the Punjab. It is made
from mustard leaves (sarson) and spices. It is regarded
as the traditional way of making saag and is traditionally
served with makki di roti, which literally means corn
bread.

Dal Makhani
is a staple food originating from the Punjab. The
primary ingredients in dal makhani which are whole
black lentil (urad) and red kidney beans (rajma).
The traditional preparation of dal makhani involves a
series of time-consuming procedures, which can take
up to 24 hours to complete. 
Shahi paneer is a preparation of paneer in a thick gravy
made up of cream, tomatoes and spices. It is a main food of
Indian cuisine(mainly North India). It is mainly eaten with Roti,
Chapatti or other Indian breads.
Paneer is the Indian word for cottage cheese, and Shahi is the
Indo-Persian term for royal (in reference to the Mughal court).
Similar dishes include paneer butter masala and kadai paneer.
 SWEETS
Kheer
is a rice pudding, which is a traditional South Asian sweet
dish. It is made by boiling rice or with milk and sugar, and
flavored with cardamom, raisins,saffron, cashewnuts,
 pistachios or almonds. It is typically served during a meal or
also consumed alone as a dessert.
Jalebi, or Imaratee or Jilawii
In India Jalebi is served as the Celebration Sweet of India,
popular during national holidays like Independence
Day and Republic Day, 

The sweets are served warm or cold. They have a

somewhat chewy texture with a
crystallized sugary exterior coating.
 Breads
Punjabi breads are both flat (unleavened) breads as well as raised breads. The
breads may be made of different types of flour and can be made in various
ways:

Kulcha is a typical Punjabi recipe, originating in

Punjab. Amritsar is known for its Amritsari kulchas. Flour
dough is rolled into a flat, round shape and baked until its
golden brown. When baked, it is usually rubbed with
butter, and then eaten with spicy chole (chickpea curry).
Bhatura
A typical recipe includes white flour (maida), yogurt, ghee or oil,
and yeast. Once kneaded well, the dough is left to rise, and then
small balls of it are either hand-rolled or flattened using a rolling pin.
Then the bread pieces are deep fried until they puff up into a lightly
browned, soft, fluffy bread, which is elastic and chewy.

Makki di roti is a flat, unleavened North Indian bread made

from corn flour. Like most rotis in Indian cuisine, it is baked on
a tava.Literally, Makki di roti means "bread of corn" in the
Punjabi language. Makki di roti is yellow in color when ready.
 Spices used in Punjabi cuisine

Asafoetida Powder
Punjabi dishes are frequently seasoned with a
pungent powder called asafetida that is a
ground resin from a gum plant. Asafoetida,
also known as hing powder.

Turmeric
Turmeric powder is made by drying and
grinding the root from the curcuma plant. It
Punjab uses a variety gives color and adds a mildly bitter and
spices in its dishes. peppery flavor. Turmeric is purporsed to have
Some of the spices are health benefits as an anti-inflammatory.
Fenugreek Seeds
Fenugreek is an earthy spice common in flavoring chutney
and dates back to usage by ancient Greeks. This spice is
grown in southern Europe, north Africa, the Middle East and
India. It can be purchased as a powder or as a whole seed.

Amchoor
Amchoor is a sour spice that is a powdered form of dried
mango and is used in Punjabi sauces and chutney . The
flavor of amchoor is similar to lime, lemon and papaya and it
can be used as a meat tenderizer.