art-culture

Punjab

Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. 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 ghee, with liberal amounts of butter and cream with home cooked concentrating on mainly upon preparations with Whole Wheat, Rice and other ingredients flavored with masalas (spices). Roh Di Kheer, is cooked using rice. Rice is cooked for a long time in sugar cane juice.Within the area 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).The food is tailor-made for the Punjabi lifestyle in which most of the rural folk burn up a lot of calories while working in the fields. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic and ginger. Tandoori food is a Punjabi speciality especially for non-veg dishes. Many of the most popular elements of Anglo-Indian cuisine - such as Tandoor, Naan, Pakoras and vegetable dishes with paneer - derive from the Punjab.

RAJMA (RED KIDNEY BEANS) RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 cups Rajma ( Red kidney beans)

Salt To taste

1 Pinch Turmeric powder

1 Onions, chopped

5 Garlic cloves, chopped

1 inch Ginger, chopped

3 Green chillies, chopped

3 Tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp Corainder powder

1 tsp Red chilli powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

2 tbsp Oil

Handful Corainder leaves

Preparation:

* Soak rajma overnight. Wash and pressure cook the rajma. Keep aside.

* Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic and chillies. Fry until they turn brown.

* Add onions and tomatoes. Cook until masala separates from oil.

* Add salt, turmeric powder and mix well.

* Add the boiled rajma, red chilli powder, corainder powder, garam masala and stir.

* Simmer the flame and cook until a thick gravy is formed.

* Remove from fire. Garnish rajma with corainder leaves and serve hot with chapatis or rice.

SARSON KA SAAG

Sarson Ka Saag

Ingredients:

500gms Mustard leaves

200gms Spinach

200gms Bathuwa

3 Garlic cloves

1 inch Ginger

2 Green chilli

Salt To Taste

1 tbsp Maize flour

1 Pinch Sugar

2 tbsp Ghee

1 Asafoetida

1 Pinch Onions,

1 tsp chopped Red chilli powder

1 Pinch Turmeric powder

Preparation:

Clean and wash sarson, spinach and bathuwa. Chop the leaves finely.

Chop ginger, garlic cloves and chillies.

Pressure cook the spinach, sarson, bathuwa with garlic, ginger and chillies. When cool, grind it to smooth paste.

Heat ghee in a vessel, add hing and onions. Fry until light brown. Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.

Add the ground saag and simmer the flame. Cook for few minutes.

Add the maize flour, red chilli powder, sugar and stir well.

Serve hot with paratha or makki ki roti.