This document provides an overview of the cuisine of the Punjab region in India. It describes the staple foods, cooking methods, seasonal ingredients, and special dishes for festivals and occasions. The cuisine has been influenced by the many cultures that have invaded the region and uses ingredients abundant in Punjab like wheat, rice, dairy, and spices. Signature dishes include tandoori chicken, dal makhani, sarson ka saag, and malpua for dessert. The region is known for its rich, creamy curries and breads cooked in the tandoor clay oven.

1. PUNJAB CUISINE
• The cuisine of Punjab has a variety of mouth
watering vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes
• Punjab has been a place that has seen so many
cultures and invasions that its present cuisine has a
huge variety of dishes
• the food range from spicy to sour, and sweet to
tangy
• Use of butter, cream etc. is plentiful because of its
availability and due to the fact that they burn a lot
of calories everyday by working on the fields

2. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
• Punjab is located in the Sutlej river basin on the northern
plains of India
• The fertile land here is watered by rivers such as Sutlej, Ravi,
and Beas, which eventually flow into Pakistan and then the
Arabian sea

3. SEASONAL AVAILABILITY
• MUSTARD LEAVES: braised preparation is eaten with makki ki
roti
• AMARNTH LEAVES
• POMEGRANTE SEEDS: dried in sun and then sold whole or
crushed. Used as tenderizer
• BLACK CARROTS: available from march till June. Their juice
known as kanji is mixed with spices and matured in clay pots
• BLACK-EYED BEAN: light brown colored kidney beans are
braised with onions and tomatoes eaten with whole wheat
bread

4. MUSTARD LEAVES AMARNTH LEAVES POMEGRANTE SEEDS
BLACK CARROTS BLACK-EYED BEAN
CHICK PEAS

5. • CHICK PEAS: a round yellowish edible seed
• DRIED FENUGREEK: dried leaves of the fenugreek plant
• RAW MANGO POWDER: dried pieces of mango are used
either whole or in powdered form. Used to add sourness to
the dishes
• LENTIL FRITTERS: made from coarsely grinding the lentils
with spices and sun drying them for future use. Deep-fried
and combined with potatoes to prepare vegetable stew
• CHOLIYA: fresh green horse gram. they are combined with
cottage cheese to prepare stew

6. DRIED FENUGREEK RAW MANGO POWDER
LENTIL FRITTERS
CHOLIYA

7. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
• MADHANI: wooden churner fixed to a brass pot
• CHAKLA BELAN: small marble or wooden platform and belan
is a rolling pin
• KADHAI: deep, concave utensil made of brass, iron, or
aluminum used for deep-frying
• GRATER: used for grating
• SIEVE: used for sifting
• MASALA DAANI: used as spice box
• PAUNI: perforated spoon for frying food

8. MADHANI
CHAKLA BELAN
KADHAI
GRATER
SIEVE
MASALA DAANI
PAUNI

9. • KARCHI: ladle used for stirring and mixing food
• TAWA: flat base equipment made of cast iron
• PATILA: made of brass and comes with a lid
• TANDOOR: clay oven chamber, which is lit with live charcoal
• BHATTI: used for grilling kebabs. It is an open fire grill
• KHONCHA: flat metal spoon used for stir frying or sautéing
• CHIMTA: meant for holding hot pans during frying, griddle
cooking, etc..
• HAMAM DASTA: pair of tool used to crush, grind, and mix
solid substances or masalas
• DORI DANDA: stone ware pot with a log of wood, used for
pounding chutneys or dry spices

10. KARCHI TAWA PATILA
TANDOOR BHATTI
KHONCHA

11. CHIMTA
HAMAM DASTA
DORI DANDA

12. STAPLE DIET
• Staple diet of Punjab is whole wheat in different forms, rice
is also eaten on special occasions
• Rice is predominantly eaten with kadhi pakora or rajma
• Maize flour is often eaten sarson ka saag
• Chicken is the more preferred meat and fish is eaten in the
form of curries and sometimes fried
• The breads are mostly cooked in tandoor
• Butter is an integral part of this cuisine

13. SPECIALITY CUISINE FOR FESTIVALS AND OCCASIONS
• KADHI PAKORA: made by simmering sour curd with gram flour
and spices
• RAJMA: red kidney beans cooked with ginger, garlic and
tomatoes, and flavored with turmeric and red chillies
• RAO KI KHEER: rice cooked in sugarcane juice, which is reduces to
a caramelized texture
• PINDI CHOLEY: chickpeas are boiled with black teas to give
traditional black color. Then cooked with onions, tomato, and
spices
• AMRITSARI KULCHA: whole wheat dough is stuffed with fillings
ranging from paneer to cauliflower, potato, or a mixture of all.
Cooked in tandoor and served with butter

14. KADHI PAKORA RAJMA RAO KI KHEER
PINDI CHOLEY
AMRITSARI KULCHA
PUNJ RATANI DAL

15. • PUNJ RATANI DAL: made from cooking five dals with onion and
tomatoes(chana, split urad, green moong, kidney beans, and
masoor dal)
• SARSON DA SAAG: mustard leaves combined with amaranth leaves
and braised along with ginger, garlic, onions and tomatoes until
they become creamy
• MAA KI DAAL: broken black lentils are combined with Bengal gram
and simmered with onions and tomatoes on a low flame, until
creamy
• TANDOORI CHICKEN: chicken marinated with curd, red chili paste
and spices. Then skewered on seek and broiled in tandoor
• MURGH BUTTER MASALA: tandoor cooked chicken is stewed in
creamy tomato sauce and garnished with butter and red chilies

16. SARSON DA SAAG MAA KI DAAL TANDOORI CHICKEN
MURGH BUTTER MASALA SHAHI PANEER MALAI PANEER

17. • SHAHI PANEER: cubes of paneer are stewed with makhni
gravy
• MALAI PANEER: fried dumplings of cottage cheese, potatoes,
and spices are added to a smooth gravy of onion and
tomatoes flavored with cream and garam masala
• MUTTER PANEER: cubes of cottage cheese and green peas
are stewed in an onion and tomato gravy
• ALOO GOBHI: stir fry potatoes and cauliflower florets in an
onion and tomato gravy
• DAHI BHALLE: lentil fritters, which are soaked in creamy
whisked yoghurt
• ALOO VADIYAN: dried lentils fritters stewed along with
potatoes in an onion and tomato gravy

18. MUTTER PANEER ALOO GOBHI DAHI BHALLE
ALOO VADIYAN DAL MAKHNI

19. • DAL MAKHNI: black lentils are simmered with tomato
puree and butter. Finished with cream and Kasturi methi
• BAINGAN DA BHARTA: egg plants are char grilled in
tandoor until soft and then peeled . Tossed with onion and
tomato gravy flavored with spices and fresh coriander
• MALPUA: made by shallow frying a batter made from
semolina and milk solids. Then poached in honey flavored
sugar syrup
• GAJAR KA HALWA: grated carrot is cooked with ghee and
milk to thick consistency
• PHIRNEE: soaked rice is ground into a paste and then
added to the boiling sweet milk

20. BAINGAN DA BHARTA MALPUA GAJAR KA HALWA
PHIRNEE
PINNI GULAB JAMUN

21. • SOOJI KA HALWA: semolina is sautéed in ghee on a low
flame. Then sugar syrup is added to form creamy pudding.
Garnished with dry fruits
• PINNI: whole wheat flour is roasted until slightly brown and
fragrant. Powdered sugar, nuts, and ghee are added and
taken off the fire. When mixture cools down, it is shaped into
round dumplings and stored in airtight containers
• GULAB JAMUN: dried milk solids creamed with cottage
cheese and flour and deep-fried in ghee until golden brown .
Then dipped into hot, honey flavored sugar syrup until soft

22. COMPILED BY
CHEF MOHD ABDULLAH
ALUMNI IHM HAJIPUR
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. BALI PS. “REGIONAL CUISINES OF INDIA.”INTERNATIONAL CUISINE AND
FOOD PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT, OXFORD UNIVERSITY
PRESS,2018,pp. 168-175