10 Popular Lip-Smacking Punjabi Dishes

Punjabis are famous for a lot of things, be it their large hearted ways, bubbly attitude, jhataak clothes and display of jewellery or their big fat Indian weddings. However, the best thing that they are known for are the awesome and finger-licking Punjabi dishes. Wicked Spoon Confessions brings to you some of such unique and must try Punjabi dishes that will leave you wanting for more!

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1.    Kathal (jackfruit) tikka: 

Many of you may not have even heard of this dish. However, those who have tasted it swear by it! A unique dish, kathal tikka if prepared well will give tandoori chicken a run for its money. Although the preparation takes some time to make the kathal tender, but once done, the wait is worth the while. The tikka is an awesome party starter, especially when you have your friends over for drinks.

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2.    Tandoori Mushroom tikka: 

Another delicious Punjabi treat is the tandoori mushroom. Apply little butter over tender button mushrooms and marinate with a thick paste made of yogurt, gram flour (besan), ginger and garlic, and mixed Indian spices. This tikka is grilled to golden brown texture over the barbeque along with sliced tomatoes, capsicums and onion rings. This is a hot favourite in all parties and you can expect your guests to ask for more helpings than you expect :)

3.    Fish Amritsari: 

A treat for all, this starter is most in demand for the non-vegetarians during winters and has an authentic Punjabi feel to it. This is a fried dish and is popular snack across North India. Small boneless pieces of fish are marinated with a thick coat of garlic and ginger paste, lemon juice, gram flour, yogurt and some hot Punjabi spices. Any variety of fish can be used to prepare this. The best fish Amritsari would be the one that just melts in your mouth bringing a foodgasm to your taste buds!

4.    Bharvan Baingan: 

A typical main course dish, bharvan baingan or stuffed eggplant is a favourite amongst the Punjabis, especially during a feast of friends and family. The small-sized eggplants are sliced and stuffed with a paste made out of ingredients like turmeric, amchoor, chillies, coriander powder, gram flour, ginger and onion. The eggplants can also be stuffed with slices of potato or even peanuts. In fact, the popularity is such that it is a must-be-on-the-menu dish in almost all Punjabi weddings.

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5.    Pishori Chhole: 

Another favourite lunch or dinner dish is the Pishori chole (chickpeas), also known as Pindi Chana or just safed (white) chhole. Soaked overnight, the chole are prepared the next day in pressure cooker with water, salt, and two very interesting ingredients—tea bag and dried amla. Yes, surprised as you may be, this is a fact and these are actually used to bring blackish colour to the chhole, while amla also adds to the tangy flavour of the dish. Once tender, add off-the-shelf chhole masala or freshly ground chole masala to taste. The dish goes equally well with rice or chapatis, as the preference may be. Serve with a garnish of onion rings, fresh coriander leaves, sliced ginger and green chilly.

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6.    Makki ki roti sarson ka saag: 

Who hasn’t heard of this awesome dish? This is a winter special and maybe the most sought after during those cold lazy days in North India. The best thing about Indians is that they do not categorize dishes for consumption on the basis of the time of the day.  Similarly, makki ki roti and sarson ka saag is one dish that we can have with equal enthusiasm for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The roti as well as the saag should be topped with a dollop of white butter and there is nothing more that one would want from a meal then!

Image Credit: Vinay Patel, Source: Flickr

7.    Chicken Adraki: 

A unique blend of chicken and the flavour of ginger (adrak) makes this a must eat dish. Although, the dish has a predominant flavour of ginger, many spices and other ingredients like star anise, cinnamon, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, peppercorns, onions, tomatoes etc. go into the preparation of this main course. In fact, a few spoons of yogurt too is added to the dish for maintaining consistency of the thick curry. The dish goes best with pudina parantha, butter naan or lachha parantha.

8.    Panjiri: 

Enough of starters and main course. Let’s make some place for satisfying the sweet tooth. Panjiri is a famous sweet dish of Punjab and has found its way from the pind (villages) to the cities now. Made mainly with whole wheat flour (atta), ghee and sugar, panjiri is one of the best traditional Punjabi dry sweet. The add-ons to panjiri can be dried coriander and lots of dried fruits like sliced almonds, cashews and walnuts. One can also add edible gum (gond) in panjiri during winters for bringing warmth to the body. In addition to being tasty, the sweet dish is also very nutritious and healthy.

9.    Shakkar Paare:

Another unique dry sweet dish of Punjab is the shakkar pare, or dumplings of sugar. This again is a traditional sweet that was originally made in every home in the pind and can now be found at every sweet shop in the cities. This is a symbol of happiness and people share their happiness by distributing shakkar pare to their friends and relatives. This usually finds a place in the assorted box of sweets and savouries, (comprising of gud paare, namak paare, matthi, and shakkar pare) distributed along with invitation cards for a wedding at home.

10.    Pinni: 

Another favourite of North India, especially the Punjab and adjoining regions is the Pinni. Like panjiri, this too is very nutritious and healthy. This is mostly made during the winters and Tte main flavour of pinni comes from the desi ghee (clarified butter) and loads of sugar (or jaggery) and dry fruits mixed in wheat flour. A pinni, if had with a glass of milk, gives a boost to the immune system and strengthens the digestive system.

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There are numerous Punjabi dishes that are popular all across the world and we just listed some of the unique Punjabi dishes that are popular. We would love to hear from you about your favourites from those listed above or maybe some others that make your mouth water.