PUNJABI CUISINE!

Thanks a million to all bloggers who wished me and my blog last week.You are all such a wonderful bunch,I really am honored to be a tiny part of your lives.Unless you are a blogger yourself,you won't understand the joys and pains of blogging!100th post did feel special for me,I don't think I will be THIS happy for 200,300..!:D

I specially want to thank these ladies who are "No longer lurkers"; Angela, Geethi(I will try the Adobo!),Carol ,Suma and Mary. Big hugs to you girls,thanks for commenting. You really didn't have to bother to say anything but you did! I really appreciate it. Now that I know you,hope you stop by once in a while to say hi to me.I will remember you. Hope you are reading this!:)

Wish I could buy Ice Creams for all of you or may be I will make Kulfi next week!!;)


Well..it's time to celebrate "Regional Cuisines of India",a brain child of LakshmiK of "Veggie Cuisine".This month's host is our own sweet Richa from "As dear as salt" blog and we are showcasing the state of Punjab.Thanks for hosting Richa!:)



A wonderful cookbook I used for cooking these Punjabi dishes and some info about Punjab:
I love this cookbook.I used to cook Punjabi food before but after following the recipes in this book,I found out that how Punjabi food are really supposed to taste!:)


The name Punjab means "land of five rivers", and literally translates from Persian into the words Panj, related to Sanskrit Pañca, meaning "five", and Āb ,related to Sanskrit Āp, meaning "water" respectively. The rivers are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. The five rivers, now divided between India and Pakistan, merge to form the Panjnad, which joins the Indus.Agriculture is the largest industry in Punjab.Bhangra is one of the many Punjabi musical art forms.Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Punjabi people.Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian.The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic and ginger and usually mildly spiced. Tandoori food is a Punjabi specialty especially for non-veg dishes.All these info from WIKI.



Sardai and Mango Lassi:
(Almond,cardamom drink with milk and Mango-Yogurt drink)

Almonds are the very nutritious and are often included in many ways in Punjabi dishes.Now you know why they are so strong and sturdy!:)
Of course,Mangoes are every Indian's favorite fruit,why not make it even more delicious the Punjabi way, as Mango Lassi!

Sardai:
You Need:
3 cups 2% milk, about 5 tbsp sugar or to taste.
To Grind:
15 almonds,soaked and skin peeled, 1 tbsp of poppy seeds, 2 tsp melon seeds, 2 cardamoms powdered.(few Peppercorns,powdered is optional)
To make it:
1. Soak almonds and Poppy seeds in few tbsp of warm water for 30 minutes, drain and peel the brown skin, and put it in the blender along with all other ingredients shown above and grind to a very smooth paste using the same water.
2. Add 1/4 cup water to this mixture and strain through a muslin cloth to get a smooth liquid.
3. Add milk and enough sugar, blend again.Chill before you serve.

Mango Lassi
(Mango puree blended with yogurt with optional Cardamom pd)
You need:
1 cup mango puree`, 1 1/2 cups fat free yogurt, powdered sugar to taste,Cardamom pd as an optional flavor.
How to make it:
1. Blend all this in a blender with a whipper blade until well mixed, thick and frothy.Add Cardamom pd if you like.I love the natural Mango flavor and aroma, so I skip adding the cardamom pd.
2. Chill before you serve, serve in tall glasses with a straw.

Punjabi Aloo Tikki with sweet and hot chutney:
(Potato patties/cutlets stuffed with savory split peas with sauces)

My eternal favorite snack Aloo Tikkis made Punjabi style that is stuffed with seasoned split peas and served with two sweet and hot chutneys.What more can I say? My kids ate them like Burgers in buns with Ketchup!(Rolling my eyes!):p

To make Tikkis:
4 medium potatoes, boiled and mash, 2 tbsp corn flour, salt to taste, chili powder to taste, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp garam masala.
Filling:
1/3 cup channa dal, cooked and drained, 1/2 tsp crushed cumin seeds, 2 green chilies or 1/8 tsp chili powder, 1/2" ginger, minced, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp each of chaat masala and garam masala and 1 tbsp minced cilantro.
How to make them:
1. For potato cutlets, mash all the ingredients shown above until you get a smooth stiff dough. Keep it aside.
2. To make filling; soak channa dal for 1 hour,and cook with water until soft but not completely mashed. Drain the water.
3. Heat 1/2 tbsp oil, add cumin seeds, chopped green chilies or chilli powder , ginger, and salt. Add dal and all the other filling ingredients. Take off the heat and cool.
4. Take a ball of the mashed potato and make a shallow cup. Add 1 tbsp of filling in the center and seal well to form a ball. Flatten slightly to make thick patties/cutlets.
5. Heat about 2-3" of oil in a pan for deep frying or shallow frying up to 375 F, add 2-3 tikkis carefully at a time in the oil and fry until golden brown and crisp on both sides.Drain well on paper towel.
6. Serve with sweet tamarind(Mix Juice+salt+sugar+Cumin pd) chutney and hot Mint(Ground Mint+Cilantro+green chillies+salt+Lemon Juice) chutney.

Methiwali Makki di Roti:

I used Yellow Cornmeal we get in the US grocery store rather than whitish corn flour, makes excellent colorful Cornmeal rotis and adding the fresh Fenugreek leaves and spices enhances the taste.You can add Spinach chopped,if Methi Saag is not available to you which makes them Palakwali Makki di roti!:D

You need:
2 cups makki da atta (Yellow Cornmeal/flour),1 cup finely chopped fresh Methi(fenugreek) leaves,2 tsp oil, 1 onion very finely chopped, 2 green chillies finely chopped (optional), 1/2 tsp salt or to taste,hot water to knead the flour, 2 tsp cumin seeds crushed slightly,2 tsp lemon juice,1/2 tsp sugar.
Some Ghee/melted butter to brush on the rotis after cooking them and no-stick oil to spray on the foil.
How to make it:
1. In a big bowl,mix all the above except ghee to brush,add enough hot water and knead until you get a stiff dough.
2. Divide in 6 balls,cover and keep it aside.
3. Heat a griddle.Meanwhile,take a ball on a no-stick oil sprayed foil and press with your palm to make a 6" circle.Gently transfer it on to the griddle.
4. Cook both sides until golden,brush little melted butter and serve while warm with Sarson da saag or Palak Paneer.Enjoy.
Note: Another way to make these is to heat 1 1/2 cup water+little butter and salt,add yellow Cornmeal,stir cook until you get a stiff dough.Add little water if it's too dry.When warm enough to handle,make balls,follow above steps.

Sarson da Saag:
(Soft and spiced Mustard greens+Spinach+Turnips)
Sarson da saag is Mustard greens in Punjabi,a favorite Greens used in Punjabi cooking which has a slightly spicy taste.It makes a wonderful simple side dish for Corn rotis.



You need:
2 bunches of mustard greens (sarson), 1 bunch spinach, 1 Turnip,chopped and cooked (I didn't have it!),2 minced garlic, 1" minced ginger, 1 green chili chopped, salt to taste, 2 tbsp corn flour or Cornmeal(not cornstarch), 1 tsp sugar,1/8th tsp turmeric.

Seasoning:
1 tbsp ghee or butter, 1" ginger, minced, 1/8 tsp of red chili powder or 1 dry red chilly.1 tbsp softened butter to serve.




How to make it:
1. Wash, clean and chop both of the greens and Turnip if you are using.
2. Heat butter, add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, green chilies, and cook until soft.Add chopped Spinach and Mustard greens,cooked Turnip cubes,1 cup of water,cook until soft and almost dry.
3. Take off the heat,mash a little, return the pan on the heat. Sprinkle the cornmeal flour,sugar,oil and cook on low heat until slightly thick.
4. Heat the ghee/butter, add ginger minced,stir fry until slightly reddish.Take off the heat and add 1/8 tsp of chili powder or 1 red or green chilly.
5. Add this seasoning to the cooked greens, mix. Serve with a dab of softened butter on top and Cornmeal rotis.

A plate of Methiwali Makki di Roti and Sarson da Saag with a dab of butter on top!



Palak Paneer:
(Spicy ground Spinach with cubes of Indian Cheese, similar to Cottage cheese or Ricotta cheese)

Palak is spinach and Paneer is Indian cheese usually home made, used to make various Indian dishes .It's not as hard as people think to make Paneer at home but takes a little time to prepare them.Spinach is cooked with light spices and ground coarsely and Paneer is added just before serving,makes a nutritious side dish as well for Rotis.Hope you try.
Here is how I make Indian Paneer:
Heat 1/2 Gallon of full cream milk until hot,add 1/2 tsp or more of Citric acid or lemon juice,keep stirring until whey separates.Strain through the Muslin/cheese cloth and hang it until dry.When it stops dripping,squeeze,tie the top,shape into a square block,place on a plate and something heavy on top to set the cheese.Keep it in the fridge overnight.Take it out,cut into cubes.You can shallow fry to add to dishes or use plain cheese as it is too.It's also sold in Indian stores in blocks.

To make Palak Paneer, You need:
About 10 cubes of homemade or store bought Paneer, 6 cups of fresh spinach(can use 10oz frozen pack too,squeeze dry), 2 green chilies, salt to taste, 1/4 tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp of garam masala, 1 clove powdered, 1 cardamom powder(optional), 1 tsp Mango powder.(1/4 cup Tomato sauce can be added as it says in the book but I did not use in this recipe,wanted to keep it purely green!)
To fry and grind:
2 tbsp butter, 1 onion chopped, 1/2" piece fresh ginger, 2 garlic.
Garnishing:
1 tsp butter/ghee, 1" piece ginger, sliced into strips, 1 green chili(optional), a pinch of paprika.
How to make it:
1. Cut Paneer into 1" pieces, keep it in the fridge. Pressure cook spinach with 1/4 cup of water with green chilies until soft and cool.
2. Heat ghee/butter, add chopped onion,saute until soft,add minced garlic-minced ginger,fry until golden. Add salt, mango pd and garam masala.
3. Add spinach, powdered clove and cardamom, 1 cup water. Cook until slightly thick and shiny on top.When slightly cool,grind cooked spinach coarsely.
4. Fry the ginger strips until reddish,drain on paper towel.Just before serving the Palak Panner, add the cubed Paneer, strips of fried ginger and sprinkle Paprika.

Here are some popular Punjabi desserts!





Jalebis(sweet Plain flour spirals)









Gajar ka Halwa (Carrot Pudding,Skip the Beetroot!)







AHHHH..!!! That Bottle Gourd plant is swallowing our deck chair! There is big Bottle Gourd underneath that chair too!:D

That was it for Punjab.We certainly enjoyed having real Punjabi food. What's next?! How about loads of Chillies?!:D
YUP! JFI-Chillies are coming up next cooked with beautiful home grown chillies!! Have a great weekend.