PUNJABI CUISINE

Punjabi cuisine is associated with food from the Punjab region

of India and Pakistan. The cuisine has a rich tradition of many distinct

local ways of cooking, out of which one is a special form

of tandoori cooking style.

The local cuisine of Punjab is heavily influenced by

the agriculture and farming lifestyle prevalent from the times of the

ancientHarappan Civilization.

Locally grown staple foods form the major part of the local cuisine.

Distinctively Punjabi cuisine is known for its rich, buttery flavours and

extensive vegetarian and meat dishes. Many Punjabi people

consume Meat but some are alsoVegetarian

Basmati rice is the indigenous variety of Punjab and many varieties of

rice dishes have been developed with this variety. The cooked rice is

known as Chol in the Punjabi language. Many vegetable and meat

based dishes are developed for this type of rice.

Style of cooking

There are many styles of cooking in Punjab. In the villages many

people still employ the traditional infrastructure of cooking. This

includeswood-fired and masonry ovens. In the past many people

employed wood-burning stoves but this method is dying out. One

derivation from this type of cooking is the tandoori style of cooking

food in the tandoor.[4] In India, tandoori cooking is traditionally

associated with Punjab[5]as Punjabis embraced the tandoor on a regional

level[6] and it became popular in the mainstream after the 1947 partition

when Punjabis resettled in places such as Delhi. [7] In rural Punjab, it is

common to have communal tandoors,[8][9] which are also

called tadoors inPunjabi.[10]

Staple foods

Punjab is a major producer of wheat, rice and dairy products which

form the staple diet of the Punjabi people. The region has one of the

highest capita usage of dairy products in both India and Pakistan, [11] and

therefore, dairy products form an important component of Punjabi

diet. Roti and paratha also form part of the Punjabi staple diet.
Dairy products

Clarified butter, sunflower oil, paneer and butter are used in Punjabi

cooking. Clarified butter is most often used as the variant ghee.

Some north Punjab villages have also developed a local cheese variant

known as dhaag, but the tradition of making dhaag is dying out. [citation
needed]

Food additives and condiments

Food additives and condiments are usually added to enhance the flavor

of the food. The most common additives are vinegar, monosodium

glutamate (sometimes known as Chinese salt) and soy sauce . Food

coloring as additive is used in sweet dishes and desserts. For example,

in a sweet rice dish, a color known as zarda is added. Starch is used as a

bulking agent. The typical condiments include black

pepper,coriander, cumin and dried maithi leaves. South Asian cuisine

has typical condiment mixes as well known as chutneys.

Common dishes
Breakfast[edit]

Aloo Paratha with Butter

Breakfast recipes with respect to different regions within Punjab varies.

Common ones are Chana masala, Chole, Paratha/Aloo Paratha,Halwa

poori,[12] Bhatoora, Falooda, Makhni doodh, Amritsari Lassi, Masala

chai, Tea, Amritsari Kulchas, Phainis, Dahi

vada, Dahi, Khoa,Paya, Aloo Paratha.

In upper Punjab Pakistan the Lahori Katlama is famous for the

breakfast as well.
Meat

Tandoori Chicken

 Biryani:[14] lamb, chicken, and beef variations.

 Kebab: braised minced lamb or beef meat, commonly served

with naan.

 Kheema : Braised minced lamb or beef meat, commonly served

with naan.

 Lamb : including Rogan Josh, Bhuna Gosht,[14] Kadhai Gosht,

Raan Gosht, Dal Gosht, Saag Gosht, Nihari Gosht, Rara Gosht, Paye

da Shorba
 Shami Kebab, Chicken karahi, Amritsari Tandoori Chicken,
[14]
Punjabi Karhi (The Chicken yogurt curry of Punjab), [15] Butter

Chicken,[14] Chicken Tikka, Paye.

 Kunna Goshtmeat prepared in Kunna (mitti ka bartan (clay

utensil).

Fish

See also: List of fishes of India and List of fish in Pakistan

Since Punjab is the land of five rivers, freshwater fish is an important

part of its cuisine. However, fishes of sea water are not used as much

since Punjab is not in close proximity to the sea.

[16]
Carp, rohu and catfish are the most commonly prepared fish. Other

fish types include thela machi and tilapia Recently shrimp has been

introduced.[17] Fish tikka is an Amritsari speciality.

Vegetarian

See also: List of vegetables, List of leaf vegetables, List of root

vegetables, List of culinary fruits and List of citrus fruits

Kulcha Amritsari

Zeera Chol

Paneer One of the South Asian Cheese variants commonly used in

cooking in Punjab
Panjeeri.

 Amritsari Dal makhani (lentils with cream and butter); rajma (red

kidney bean) and rice; rongi (Black-eyed peas); choley (eaten

with naan or kulcha); aloo(eaten with puri).

 Khichdi:[18] In the Punjab, khichdi is made of millet floor, mung

beans and moth lentils. However, khichdi made of rice and lentils is

also consumed.

 Paneer Recipes like Shahi Paneer; Khoya Paneer, Paneer Kofta,

Amritsari Paneer, Matar Paneer, paneer paratha [19] etc...

 Panjiri: This is a traditional Punjabi dish[20] which has a generous

amount of almonds, walnuts, pistachios, dry dates, cashew nuts

along with whole wheat flour, sugar, edible gum (khanewala gondh),

poppy seeds and fennel seeds (saunf) to make the traditional dish of

Punjabis ‘panjri’ or also known as ‘dabra’.

 Pulse, bean and lentil; Saag; Baingan bharta.[21]

 Punj Ratani Dal:[14] A mixture of 5 lentils.

 Punjabi Kadhi Pakora (traditional curry with pakoras) and rice.

Kadhi is a type of curry made by cooking garamflour with curd or

buttermilk. Fried lumps (pakoras) of gramflour with salt and chillies

are also added.

 Punjabi Lassi paneer: In the Punjab, it is traditional to

prepare lassi and then extract the paneer which would then be

consumed by adding water, salt and chili. Lassi paneer can also be

added to potatoes and spices to make a curry which resembles

scrambled eggs. Lassi paneer cannot be cut into cubes as paneer

from milk can be.[18]

 Sarson da saag[14] (a dish prepared from green mustard leaves)

and with makki di roti, a bread made

by corn flour; Arvi[22] ( Colocasia esculenta roots are prepared with

spices and curry); Mushroom and bean sabzi

 Zeera rice Cooked rice with cumin seeds.

Snacks[edit]

 Toasted grains: In the Punjab, toasting corn and wheat grains on

the Punjabi bhathi is a traditional delicacy. The toasted seeds are

also traditionally mixed with jaggery.[18]

 Pakoras which are eaten with green chutney also

called Pudina Chutney

 Samosas.

 Sattu: ground barley grains mixed with salt and turmeric rolled

into balls. Millet and corn grains are also used.[18]

Dal

Tarka Daal Amrbarsari

Lentils are a popular food of Punjab. When cooked they are typically

known as dal.
Tarka

Tarka is a fried garnish of spices and aromatic substances used to add to

the taste of the dal.[27] Mostly fried onions, zeera,[28] mustard seeds,

fenugreek seeds,hari mirchain, hara pudina and garlic are the most

commonly used products in tarka.[citation needed]

Raita and chutney

Along with all types of main dishes raita and chutney is also served.

The notable local chutneys are made

with imli, pudina, anar, mango, dhaniya and Imli to name a few.

Sweets and desserts

Seviyan (Vermicelli)s in Pakistan and in India

Gajar Ka Halwa ( Dessert made from Carrot)

Jalebi sweet

Further information: List of Indian sweets and desserts

Punjabi cuisine includes various types of desserts and Mithyai which

include:

 Amritsari Jalebi

 Barfi

 Gurh: made out of sugarcane juice.

 Kheer

 Khoya

 Kulfi, an ice-cream-like dessert

 Laddu
 Malpua

 Rabri

 Semolina based desserts:[30] Halva[14]

 Sheer korma

Bread

Punjabis eat a variety of Breads. Flatbreads and raised breads are eaten

on a daily basis. Raised breads are known as khamiri

roti. Sunflower and flax seeds are also added in some breads

occasionally. The breads may be made of different types of flour and

can be made in various ways:

 Baked in the tandoor like naan,[14] tandoori roti,[14] kulcha,[14] or

lachha paratha[14]
 Dry baked on the tava (Indian griddle) like phulka or chapati,

jowar ki roti, baajre ki roti and makki ki roti (these are also smeared

with white butter)

 Shallow fried like paratha, keema (minced meat) paratha, aloo

(potato) paratha, mooli paratha (radish paratha), paneer paratha,

palak paratha (spinach paratha), aloo paneer paratha, etc...

 Deep fried like puri[14] and bhatoora[14] (a fermented dough)

 Salt-rising bread: Salt rising bread is a unique bread found only in

the Salt Range region of Punjab, Pakistan. Since rock salt is readily

available in salt range so many people in the past made use of salt

instead of yeast to leaven the bread.

 Papar
Herbs and spices

Further information: List of Indian spices and List of Pakistani spices

See also: Spice mix

Indian subcontinent based spices are used in Punjabi cuisine which are

grounded in the Mortar and Ghotna or the food processor. Kasoori

methi (dried fenugreek leaves) is widely used in Punjabi cuisine.

Ghotna (Old method to mix spices)

Beverages

Punjab has a diverse range of beverages. Some are dairy based such

as lassi.[31] Mango lassi,[32][33] Mango Milkshake,[34][35] Chaas[36][37] etc.

Others are juices derived from vegetables and fruits. Water Melon

shake,[38] carrot juice, tamarind juice ( Imli ka paani) are famous among
fruit juices. Shikanjvi and neembu paanidrinks are specifically famous

in hot summer season. Jal-jeera is also common as well.

Sattu is a traditional North Indian drink which is also traditionally

consumed in the Punjab. Sattu is made by roasting barley grains and

then ground into powder, mixed with salt and turmeric and water.[18]

The local regional drinks in Punjab also includes Doodh soda ( Milk

Soda) and bantay (local soda drink) in Pakistan.

Fermented foods

See also: Zymology

Further information: Pickling, List of fermented foods and Pickles in

India and Pakistan

Achar Gosht ( A famous dish made from chicken and pickles mixture)
Fermented foods are common in Punjabi cuisine. Also fermented foods

are added in the preparation of some dishes as well. [39] Mango pickle is

especially famous in many villages of Punjab[40][41]

Canning, bottling and smoking

Main articles: Canning and Smoking (cooking)

See also: Home canning and Smokehouse

Home canning of the food

Canning and bottling for preservation purpose is a common practice in

houses. It increase the longevity of the food products for many months.

Also in the old infrastructure smoke houses are a common occurrence

that are used for smoking the meat products that increase the shelf life
of the meat and also add taste in it as well. Smoked meat is known as

Bhaapi gosht as well.

Cooking methods

In Punjabi cuisine both traditional and modern methods are employed

for cooking. The traditional stoves and ovens used to cook Punjabi food

include:

 Pressure cookers are also used

 Punjabi bhathi (a form of masonry oven)

 Tandoor (to cook tandoori chicken, naan)

 Tawa (used for making roti)

Chulla and Punjabi bhatti

The traditional name of the stove in the Punjabi language is chulla.

Whereas masonry ovens are known as bhattis. Outdoor

cooking and grilling have many different types of bhattis. Traditional

houses also have ovens (wadda chulla or band chulla) that are made

from bricks, stones, and in many cases clay. Older communities in

Punjab also used earth ovens (khadda chulla), but this tradition is dying

out now.[citation needed]

Traditional cooker for Pressure cooking

Etiquette of Punjabi dining

Etiquette of eating is considered a major part of the cuisine. Every

Punjabi household follows certain regional etiquette. The word

etiquette has many local names depending on the particular region of

Punjab. Though certain etiquette varies regionally, there are many

etiquette practices that are common throughout Punjab.

Bringing and sending fresh fruits, sweets and food items as gifts to

family members is a common practice in Punjab, particularly during

the spring season. Food items are distributed among neighbors as well

on special occasions and as a sign to show hospitality. Mango is

considered a delicacy and produced widely in Punjab, [42] and mango

parties are common during the fruit's harvest season. Watermelon and

spiced mooli (daikon) at food stalls are shared among friends and

relatives.

Major features of etiquette

Invitation to dine

 Invitations to a meal or tea are generally distributed a few days

beforehand.

 Denying the invitation no major reason is considered a breach of

etiquette.

Table manners

 The invited guest or elder person is given special respect and

attention.

 Usually the invited guest is requested to start the meal. It is

considered rude if the host starts eating without taking into account

the attendance of all guests.

 Table setting is done before the arrival of the guests.

 Family members or any occupants within one home make sure to

eat together during the dinner.

 If any other person is present in the vicinity then they are offered

meals as a way of giving respect. It is considered rude to start eating

food without asking others to participate in a meal. It is customary to

offer food to anyone in your vicinity before eating.

 Chewing food with one's mouth open and burping in front of

others is considered rude.

 In the villages of Punjab Pakistan, an additional common plate is

usually placed on the table for any bones left from the consumption

of chicken or beef. Placing left overs on the floor or on the table

floor is considered bad etiquette.

 Usually a roti with curry is eaten with the hands. But for the rice,

soup and sweet dishes cutlery is employed.

Eating utensil etiquette|Eating utensil etiquette

 Punjabi families use a hybrid style of South Asia and European

utensil etiquette most of the times. Rice and desserts are eaten with

spoons. Forks and knives are usually employed as well. But the

bread is usually eaten with the hands. Soup spoons are used for

consuming soup.

Punjabi dhaba

The Punjabi dhabha are road side and suburban eatery centres. Dhaba is

also a communal place to sit and chat.