Top 20 Cultural Food Items of Punjab

1. Butter Chicken

Ingredients

• Raw chicken
• Ginger-Garlic paste
• Chili powder
• Salt
• Curd
• Butter
• Cumin seeds
• Tomato puree
• Fresh cream
• Green chilies
• Fenugreek leaves

Procedure

1. First of all, marinate the chicken by mixing it with red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt, and curd in a bowl.
2. Keep it in a refrigerator for six hours and then cook it in a tandoor. On the other side, it’s the time to make its gravy.
3. Take a pan and add butter. Pour tomato puree, cumin seeds, sugar, red chili powder, salt and mix all the ingredients well.
4. Then add chicken, butter, cream, chilies, and crushed fenugreek leaves.
5. Cook it for some time. And then at last, you can serve it with naan or tandoori chapatti.

2. Sarson Ka Saag

Ingredients

• Fresh spinach leaves
• Fresh mustard leaves
• Bathua
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Onions
• Olive oil
• Green chilly
• Salt
• Cornmeal

Procedure

1. First and foremost, step is to slice the vegetables which include ginger, garlic, and onion. Take a pan, add olive oil to it and heat the oil.
2. Within a minute or so, put the sliced vegetables into the pan. Then chop mustard leaves, spinach leaves, and bathua.
3. Add chopped mustard leaves to the pan. Within two minutes, add bathua and spinach to it. Add salt and other spices to it. Let the dish cook.
4. Add cornmeal & water to the pan and leave it for some time. Cook it well and then grind it till forming a coarse paste. Add some more oil to it.
5. Mix the dish well for a minute or so and serve.

3. Makai Ki Roti

Ingredients

• Maize flour (Makai ka atta)
• Salt

Procedure

1. Take a bowl and add maize flour to it. Add some water and knead it to form dough. Keep it aside for half an hour.
2. Now take some of it and try to make a roll out of it. Flatten the roll to form a circle. Now take a non-stick tava and pour some oil.
3. Allow it to heat for a minute. Place a roti on the tava & cook it until it’s surface become brown and then your roti is ready.
4. Serve it with Sarson Ka Saag.

4. Masala Chana

Ingredients

• Boiled chickpeas (Chana seeds)
• Pani puri masala
• Red chili powder
• Olive oil

Procedure

1. Take a bowl and add chickpeas to it. Add all the spices over it (salt, pani puri masala and red chili powder).
2. Mix the ingredients well and keep it in an air fryer basket.
3. Cook it for some time. Transfer it to the serving plate and serve.

5. Machli Amritsari

Ingredients

• Fish fillets
• Lemon juice
• Egg
• Yogurt
• Gram flour
• Garlic paste
• Ginger paste
• Ajwain
• Red chili powder
• Salt
• Chat masala (optional)

Procedure

1. Take a fish. Clean it, wash it, and cut it into cubes.
2. Add garlic and ginger paste with salt, lemon juice, and red chili powder. Keep it aside for some time.
3. And then on the other hand, make a batter using yogurt, egg, gram flour, oil, ajwain, salt, and water.
4. Now put the marinated fish pieces into the bowl. Now, deep fry it in a pan wait till the fish cubes turn reddish brown.
5. Serve it on a plate. You can also sprinkle some chat masala over it to enrich its taste.

6. Dal Makhani

Ingredients

• Whole black grain (Urad sabut)
• Red kidney beans (Rajmah)
• Salt
• Butter
• Oil
• Cumin seeds
• Chopped ginger
• Chopped garlic
• Chopped onion
• Green chilies
• Tomatoes
• Red chili powder
• Garam masala powder

Procedure

1. Take whole black grain and kidney beans in a bowl. Clean it with fresh water and soak it in water overnight.
2. Then boil it in a pressure cooker. Also add some salt and chili powder to it. After some time, check if the seeds are soft. If not, allow it to cook for some more time.
3. Then take a pan, heat some oil and butter. Add cumin seeds. When it will begin to change color, add chopped ginger, garlic, and onion.
4. Then, add chilies & tomatoes and heat. Wait till the tomatoes turn to pulp.
5. Add cooked rajma and dal. If the mixture is thick, pour some more water.
6. Add garam masala to enhance its taste.
7. Simmer on low heat and then serve.

7. Bhature

Ingredients

• Refined flour (Maida)
• Yogurt
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Sugar
• Bicarbonate soda
• Oil

Procedure

1. Take a bowl and mix flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Pass the mixture through a sieve to take out the solid particles.
2. Add Yogurt, salt, and sugar to it. Mix all the ingredients. Add some water to the mixture and knead it to form dough. Keep it aside for some time. Before keeping it aside, add a spoon of oil to the dough and cover it.
3. Take a deep pan and pour some oil. Allow it to heat for some time. Now, take some of it and make a roll out of it.
4. Try to flatten it and then deep fry it in the oil. Wait, until it turns reddish brown and serve.

8. Amritsari Chole

Ingredients

• Soaked chickpeas
• Soaked split Bengal gram
• Salt
• Oil
• Cumin seeds
• Tea bags
• Chopped garlic cloves
• Green chilly
• Sliced onion
• Asafetida
• Red chili
• Fenugreek powder
• Dried mango powder
• Coriander powder
• Garam masala powder
• Chole masala
• Fresh mint sprigs
• Yellow pepper juliennes

Procedure

1. Take a pressure cooker and add chickpeas, Bengal gram, tea bags, turmeric powder, salt, and water to it. Wait for 8-10 whistles. After that, release its pressure and remove the cover.
2. On the other hand, take a pan and add oil, cumin seeds, asafetida, garlic, and green chilies. Heat all the ingredients for a minute. Add onions to the pan and wait until it turns brown.
3. Then add spices like turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, fenugreek powder, chole masala, dried mango powder, and mix the ingredients well. Also add some water and allow it to heat for some time.
4. Add this mixture to the cooker and cook the chole for some time. You can mash it lightly. Add some garam masala for better flavor.
5. Wait for some time. At the end, garnish it with yellow pepper juliennes and mint sprigs and serve.

9. Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients

• Chicken on bone
• Lemon juice
• Salt
• Ghee
• Garam masala powder
• Red chili powder
• Cardamom Powder
• Black pepper powder
• Ginger-garlic paste
• Oil

Procedure

1. Take a baking tray and grease it with oil.
2. Take a bowl and add chicken pieces, lemon juice, and salt to it. Mix well. Allow it to marinate for some time.
3. Take a non-stick pan and heat ghee. Add the spices (garam masala, red chili, cardamom) and heat. Add chicken to it.
4. Add pepper, ginger-garlic paste, salt, chili powder, and oil. Mix all the ingredients and keep it aside. Now bake the chicken again.
5. At last, apply some ghee using a brush and sprinkle the coriander sprigs. Serve your Tandoori Chicken.

10. Sweet Lassi

Ingredients

• Fresh curd
• Water
• Sugar
• Cardamom powder
• Ice cubes
• Few strands of saffron (Optional)
• Dry fruits (Optional)

Procedure

1. Take some homemade curd and mix it with blender until it becomes smooth. Add sugar and water to it.
2. You can also add milk instead of water. Add cardamom powder and few strands of saffron to it.
3. Also add some ice cubes to serve it cool. Pour it into the glasses.
4. You can garnish it with dry fruits and cardamom powder. And your Sweet Lassi is ready to be served.

11. Badam Phirni

Ingredients

• Almonds
• Basmati rice
• Milk
• Sugar
• Green cardamom powder
• Saffron strands
• Pistachios

Procedure

1. Add some almonds to a grinder and grind it with water.
2. Then, rinse some basmati rice and soak it in water for half an hour. Remove excess of water and put the rice into the mixer grinder. Add some water and grind it to form a smooth paste.
3. Mix this paste with milk and keep aside. Boil some milk in a pan on a medium flame. When it starts boiling add rice-milk mixture to it.
4. Heat until it turns thick. Add sugar, cardamom powder, and saffron strands to it. Allow it to cook for two minutes. Add almond paste and mix well.
5. Garnish the phirni with sliced almonds and pistachios. Place it in the refrigerator and allow it to cool down. Your Badam Phirni is ready to serve.

12. Sooji Ka Halwa

Ingredients

• Sooji
• Ghee
• Water
• Sugar
• Almonds
• Cashew nuts
• Cardamom Powder

Procedure

1. First step is to boil some water in a pan and then keep it aside. On another pan, add some sooji and ghee and allow it to heat.
2. Roast it until it acquires a reddish brown color. Add boiled water to it and stir it continuously to avoid the formation of lumps.
3. Add sugar and cardamom powder to the pan. Garnish it with sliced cashew nuts and almonds. Your Sooji Ka Halwa is ready.

13. Rabri

Ingredients

• Full cream milk
• Sugar
• Green cardamom powder
• Sliced almonds
• Sliced pistachios
• Few strands of saffron

Procedure

1. Pour milk into the broad non-stick pan and allow it to boil. When it comes to boil, stir the milk for some time and allow its surface to acquire a creamy layer over it.
2. Add sugar, cardamom powder, sliced almonds, sliced pistachios, and few strands of saffron. Mix it well. Cook it for some more time.
3. Then allow it to refrigerate. Serve it cold for better taste.
4. While serving, you can garnish it with sliced dry fruits.

14. Malpua

Ingredients

• Flour
• Grated khoya
• Warm water
• Blanched and sliced pistachio
• Blanched and sliced almonds
• Saffron strands
• Ghee
• Sugar syrup

Procedure

1. First and foremost, step is to make a batter. Mix flour & water and try to avoid lumps. Also mix khoya with it. Try to make the batter thick.
2. On the other hand, take a pan and pour ghee. Heat the pan. Pour the khoya and flour batter in the form of a circle. Pour some ghee around the circle.
3. Cook it for some time. Then, dip the malpua in sugar syrup.
4. Lay it out after some time and place it on a serving plate.
5. Garnish it with sliced dry fruits and saffron strands.

15. Thandai

Ingredients

• Milk
• Saffron strands
• Powdered sugar
• Black pepper
• Almonds
• Poppy seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Cardamom powder

Procedure

1. Mix poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cardamom powder, and milk.
2. Refrigerate it for some time. Add sugar, saffron strands, black pepper, and sieve it to remove the impurities.
3. Pour equal quantities and serve.

16. Wheat Grass Shikanji

Ingredients

• Wheat grass powder
• Black salt
• Black pepper powder
• Cumin powder
• Lemon

Procedure

1. Take some wheat grass, cut it, and soak in water to remove dirt. Wash it again.
2. Pour some boiled water and grind the wheat grass along with it.
3. You can also add ginger.
4. Sieve the juice to remove solid pieces. And your drink is ready.

17. Jaljeera

Ingredients

• Seedless tamarind
• Mint leaves
• Cumin seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Black pepper
• Aamchur powder
• Black cardamom
• Boondi
• Chaat masala powder
• Black salt
• Asafetida

Procedure

1. Rinse mint leaves and tamarind. On the other hand, blend all the materials excluding boondi and chaat masala powder.
2. Strain the mixture. Add cold water to it. Keep it in the refrigerator.
3. Serve it cold with a pinch of boondi.
4. You can also sprinkle some chaat masala powder over it.

18. Amritsari Kulcha

Ingredients

• Refined flour (Maida)
• Baking powder
• Bicarbonate powder
• Salt
• Yogurt
• Egg
• Milk
• Sugar
• Oil
• Boiled and mashed potatoes
• Onion
• Green chilies
• Cumin powder
• Pomegranate seeds
• Chopped coriander leaves

Procedure

1. First dough- Mix refined flour, baking powder, bicarbonate powder, and salt. Also add egg, yogurt, milk, sugar, and little water. Mix all the ingredients and knead it to form dough. Add a drop or two of oil. Knead it again. Cover it with a moist cloth and leave it aside for some time.
2. Second dough- Take some refined flour, salt, and rub with your fingertips using butter. Add some milk to knead it to form dough. Cover it and keep it aside.
3. Stuffing- Mix all the veggies like mashed potatoes, onions, green chilies, cumin powder, pomegranate seeds, and chopped coriander leaves.
4. Make rolls from first and second dough. Fill the first dough with stuffing and cover it with the second dough.
5. Make a roll out of it and flatten it in the form of kulcha. Now cook it using a tandoor. If you don’t have a tandoor, use a pressure cooker and stick the kulcha on the inner surface of the utensil.
6. Now, keep the pressure cooker upside down and heat it until its surface turns reddish brown.
7. Make sure that the kulcha doesn’t fall off. And now you can serve it.

19. Aloo Prantha

Ingredients

• Mashed and boiled potato
• Chopped green chilies
• Chopped onions
• Salt
• Pepper
• Flour
• Oil

Procedure

1. Take some flour and mix it with water. Knead it to form dough. Add oil and knead it again.
2. For stuffing, mix mashed potatoes, onions, green chilies, salt, and pepper. Make a roll from the dough.
3. Fill the roll with stuffing. Flatten it in the form of a chapatti. Now, take a non-stick tava and pour some oil.
4. Cook the prantha and fry it using oil.
5. Serve it when it turns reddish brown.
6. It tastes best when you serve it with butter and curd.

20. Gobi Prantha

Ingredients

• Grate cauliflower
• Chopped green chilies
• Salt
• Pepper
• Flour
• Oil

Procedure

1. Take some flour and mix it with water. Knead it to form dough.
2. Add oil and knead it again.
3. For stuffing, mix grated cauliflower, green chilies, salt, and pepper. Make a roll of the dough.
4. Fill the roll with stuffing. Flatten it in the form of a chapatti. Now, take a non-stick tava and pour some oil.
5. Cook the prantha and fry it using oil.
6. Serve, when it turns reddish brown. It tastes best when you serve it with butter and curd.