Punjabi cuisine

Punjabi Cuisine is one of the most distinct and popular Indian cuisines and comes from the region of Punjab situated partially in India and Pakistan. Punjab, the land of the five rivers-Beas, Satluj, Chenab, Ravi and Jhelum, is also called the land of milk and honey. The two major crops cultivated by the farmers of Punjab are rice and wheat, which remain the principal crops grown during the Kharif season and the Rabi season respectively. The indigenous Punjab Basmati rice has been the pride of the region being grown since time immemorial. The practice of multi-cropping is quite common in Punjab which also grows sugarcane, bajra (pearl millet), jowar (great millet), barley, potatoes, vegetables and fruits among others. It offers a vast variety of delectable and exotic vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that are prepared with varied traditional culinary styles, particularly the tandoori style. The exotic and appetizing tandoor items and various other mouth-watering and finger licking dishes having rich, spicy and buttery flavour, savoured with Punjabi Basmati rice of varied forms and special Punjabi breads like Tandoori Roti, kulcha and Naan. The Punjabi menu is never complete without non- vegetarian cuisine, specially chicken preparation in various form such as tandoori chicken, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala etc. and also fish preparation such as Amritsari fish fry, tandoori prawns, Punjabi fish curry etc.  

Punjabi cuisine is never complicated. Bhunao is one of the main techniques of Punjabi cuisine, especially for non-vegetarian cooking. Being an agricultural state the staple food of Punjab is wheat and to accompany hot rotis and parathas are a variety of the most exotic vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights. Amazingly the elements mentioned over 6,000 years ago are still extant in this cuisine. This includes dairy-dughd (milk),ghrit (ghee) and dadhi (curd),shak (leafy green vegetables) and a variety of grain. Even today, the staple diet in Punjab is grains and vegetables in their basic form.

Traditionally, ghee, butter, clarified butter, paneer and sunflower oil are used to cook various Punjabi dishes. However, nowadays ghee, cream and butter are liberally used in restaurants to prepare Punjabi dishes while the more health conscious households have mostly switched to sunflower oil or other refined oils. Kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves, onion, garlic and ginger are used extensively to prepare various Punjabi delicacies. Various food additives like vinegar, bulking agents like starch, colouring agents like zarda and condiments like cumin, coriander, dried methi leaves and black pepper are used to enhance the taste and flavour of various dishes.

The institution of the Sikh Langar or free kitchen was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak. It was designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people regardless of religion, caste, colour, creed, age, gender or social status, a revolutionary concept in the caste-ordered society of 16th century India where Sikhism began.

Guru ka Langar (lit. ‘Gurus’ communal dining-hall) is a community kitchen run in the name of the Guru. Often referred to as the Guru’s Kitchen, it is usually a small room attached to a gurdwara, but at larger gurdwaras, such as the Harmandir Sahib, it takes on the look of a military kitchen with tasks arranged so that teams of sewadars prepare tons of food (all meals are vegetarian) for thousands of the Gurus’ guests daily.