Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. It is widely popular however there is some misunderstanding in Western Cultures that Punjabi cuisine is completely curry based. The level of spices can vary from minimal to very prevalent. 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 clarified butter, known locally as desi ghee, with liberal amounts of butter and cream with home cooked concentrating on mainly upon wheat masalas (spice) flavorings.
Within the state itself, there are different preferences. 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 Mah Di Dal and Saron Da Saag (Sarson Ka Saag).
Due to Sikh and Hindu religious beliefs, Beef is a banned item which is neither consumed or sold on Punjab.
Pulse, bean and / or lentil preparations:
Dal makhani (Mah di dal)
Dal maharani
Dal amritsari
Lobiya (Black eyed bean)
Rajma (Red kidney bean)
Choley (eaten with bhatoora or naan).(Kabuli Chana)
Punj ratani dal (mixtures of 5 lentils) etc...
Saron da saag te makki di roti
sweetshop
tandoori
These are generally soaked overnight or for at least 8 hours and gently simmered on the embers of a tandoor (A clay oven of the shape of a horizontally sliced pot) along with ginger, garlic and a few other garam masala (whole spices like cardamom, Coriander, Cumin, Black pepper, Cloves, cinnamon, mace, and bay leaf).
These are then combined with a tangy masala base which could include tomato or dried mango (aamchur powder) or even pomegranate seeds (anar dana). The character typical to the bean or whole lentil preparation is that the shape is retained intact, but the gentlest pressure would make it into a paste.
Dollops of cream and butter provide for the rich finishing touch. Garnishing is usually with shredded coriander leaves and julienne s of ginger.
Other very popular Punjabi food include:
Samosas
Butter Chicken
Shahi Paneer (Indian Cheese)
Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori Fish
Paneer Pakora
Pakoras
Jalabee
Gulab Jamun
The Punjabi breads are generally flat breads; only a few varieties are raised breads. The breads may be made of different types of flour and can be made in various ways:
Baked in the tandoor like naan, tandoori roti, kulcha, lachha paratha
Dry baked on the tava (Indian griddle) like phulka or chapati, jowar ki roti, baajre ki roti and the very famous makke ki roti (these are also smeared with ghee or white butter)
Shallow fried like paratha, aloo or mooli paratha
Deep fried like puri and bhatoora (a fermented dough)
The tandoor also allows for tasty chicken and meat preparations including seekh kebab, tandoori chicken, reshmi tikka and malai tikka.
Sweet deserts are a favorite as well, They are handed out on birthdays and other special events. Here a list of some Popular ones:
Gulab jamun
Jalebi
Kulfi
Peda
Sohan Papdi/Patisa
Gajar Halwa
Jhajariya
Pheerni
Motichoor
Bal Mithai
Sohan Halwa
Singori
Malai Laddu
Kheer
Mung Halwa
Ras malai
Malai Pan
Imarti
Balushahi
Kalakand
McDonald's
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Punjab (India)
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Punjab (India) - updated May 2024
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Punjab (India) Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
