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Punjabi people are robust people
with robust appetites and their food is like the
Punjabis themselves, simple, sizeable and hearty
with no unnecessary frills or exotic accompaniments.
The Punjabi tandoori cooking is celebrated as one
of the most popular cuisines throughout the world.
Huge earthen ovens are half buried in the ground
and heated with a coal fire lit below it. Marinated
meat, chicken, fish, paneer, rotis and naans of
many types are cooked in this novel oven and the
results are absolutely scrumptious!
Punjab has imbibed some aspects of its cuisine
from external influences. Connoisseurs of the cuisine
say that the gravy component of Punjabi cuisine
came from the Mughals. The most popular example
is the murg makhani. It served the state well to
combine this influence in its cooking since it had
a lot of pure ghee and butter. Murg makhani also
provided a balance to tandoori chicken, which was
dry because it was charcoal cooked. Nans and parathas,
rotis made of maize flour are typical Punjabi breads.
Of course, over the years the roti has been modified
to add more variety, so there is the rumali roti,
the naan and the laccha parathas, all cooked in
the tandoor.
Winter, in Punjab, brings in the season of the
famous makki ki roti(maize flour bread) and sarson
ka saag(mustard leaf gravy). No meal is complete
without a serving of lassi( sweet or salted drink
made with curd) or fresh curd and white butter which
is consumed in large quantities. The other popular
dishes, which belong exclusively to Punjab, are
ma ki dal, rajma (kidney beans) and stuffed parathas.
In a vastly diverse country like India, every region
has something typical to offer whether it is in
clothes or in food or in its music, dance and art.
Punjab, the land of milk and honey, boasts of a
robust climate where the agricultural revolution
has reaped rich dividends. The land of plenty has
a cuisine, which caters to the characteristic needs
of the people.
Punjabi cuisine is not subtle in its flavor. There
are no intricate marinades or exotic sauces but
it has full-bodied masalas (spices) cooked with
liberal amount of desi ghee (clarified butter) always
served with a liberal helping of butter or cream.
Milk and its products are an essential part of every
day cookery, curd and buttermilk are also an essential
concomitant with every Punjabi meal.
A predominantly wheat eating people, the Punjabis
cook rice only on special occasions. It’s never
eaten plain or steamed, for steamed rice implies
that somebody is sick. Rice is eaten always with
a Bagar (flavoring) of cumin or fried onions with
Rajma or Kadhi, Rajma with rice or rice with Kadhi
is eaten or holidays or on festive days. In winter
rice is cooked with Gur or with peas called matarwale
chawal or as a delicacy called Rao Ki Kheer which
is rice cooked on very slow fire for hours together
with sugar cane juice.
In Punjab itself, there are differences in flavors
and style. For example, people around Amritsar prefer
well-fried stuffed paraunthas and milk sweets. The
people of Doaba region eat more of them; in the
Malwa region Bajra (ground maize) khitchadi (kedgeree)
is a delicacy. There are a course certain dishes,
which are part and parcel of Punjab, and their very
mention conjures up the rich flavor of the state.
Mah ki Dal, Sarson Ka Saag and Makkee Ki Roti, meat
curry like Roghan Josh and stuffed paraunthas can
be found in no other state except Punjab. The food
is suitable for these who burn up a lot of calories
while working in the fields and tilling their small
acres. For the urban folk, however, eating even
one dish is enough because life in the cities is
so sedentary. The main masala in a Punjabi dish
consists of onion, garlic, ginger and a lot of tomatoes
fried in pure ghee
An average day’s meal would generally comprise
:
BREAKFAST
Stuffed Alloo Mattar (potatoes and peas) Paraunthas
and a glass of butter milk.
LUNCH
Sarson Ka Saag and Makki Ki Roti with onion Chutney.
DINNER
Mah Ki Dal, Bhunna Gosht, Tandoori Roti and Dahi
Raita.
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