Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Rotiyan da Atta (Dough for Flatbread)
By popular demand, here is a reprint of Mama’s Rotiyan da Atta recipe, which is at the heart of all Punjabi meals. The atta (dough) will determine how big, thick and tasty the roti (flatbread) will be and how much delicious they will taste. It is reprinted with some additional information and directions. For a […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Soyabean di Wadiyan te Mutter di Turri (Soyabean Dumpling & Peas Curry)
Talk to a Punjabi about wadiyan (dried dumplings) and he will probably start to have a mental image of a sun-dried lentil dumpling that is full of spices. But a lot has changed in making the traditional wadiyan and along with it, new types of dishes have been developed. About 25 years ago, […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Gajar Da Murabba (Carrot Preserves)
Carrots are one of the few vegetables that can be cooked in many ways: as a pickle, pulped as a juice, as a spicy dish with peas or methi (fenugreek) or sweet as a pudding or halwa and even as murabba or preserves. Although it is often served as halwa in most Indian […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Samose (Fried Stuffed Pastries)
Here is another North Indian snack that has migrated not just to the rest of India but around the world. It is perhaps the most popular Indian snack due to its neat triangular appearance, variety of stuffings and flaky texture when cooked right. In India, the corner store halweis (confectioners) generally make samosas […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Pakore (Fried Fritters)
Some spicy North Indian snacks have become so popular all over the world that they are popping up in the most unexpected places: on the menus of other eateries. Pakore (or pakoras) are just one such item along with samose (or samosas). These inexpensive snacks are usually fried: though a few people try to […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Aloo Frans Bean (Potatoes and Green Beans)
The lowly aloo (potato) is not so low on the culinary scale for Indian food as it is, by far, the most used vegetable in desi cooking. You find it in samosas, paranthas, rice biryani, daals, curries, chaats, pakoras, cutlets, sautéed with other vegetables and, of course, cooked in many ways on […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Mutter Paneer di Turri (Peas & Indian Cheese Curry)
There is probably not a single Indian restaurant in the US, and probably in the world, which does not make sag paneer (also called palak paneer), since it is mild enough for the kids, yet still has just the right spices for a truly Indian flavor. But the use of paneer has grown […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Chukandar da Salad (Beetroot Salad)
Beetroots are not commonly used in Indian cuisine as a main dish though it is eaten sometimes as a salad. When I was a young girl in our ancestral home in Lyallpur, we used to boil the chukandar (beetroot) and then peel it before eating it. Our hands and towels would be red with […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Channe di Dal di Khichdi (Rice & Channa Lentils)
There are many variations in the ingredients that you can use to make khichdi, just as there are many types of paranthas. It all depends on your taste and also the foods you ate while growing up. Though khichdi is basically made from chawal (rice) and dal (lentils), its popularity among many families comes from […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Sabudana Khichdi (Tapioca & Potatoes)
Khichdi is usually made from rice and dal (lentils) and is commonly considered an easy-to-cook comfort food, but it can also be made from sabudana (tapioca) in much the same way as making sabudana kheer, except the khichdi is salty instead of sweet. It is made mostly during fasts or during the navaratri […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Sabudana di Kheer (Tapioca Pudding)
Whereas chawal di kheer (rice pudding), along with ras malai (cheese in sweetened cream) and gulab jamun (syrup rose dumplings) have become some of the main desserts in many Indian restaurants, the sabudana kheer (tapioca pudding) has not. It is equally as easy, simple and inexpensive to make as kheer. I think the main reason […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Phirni (Cream of Rice Pudding)
Phirni is often confused with kheer but actually it is quite different both in presentation and taste. It is a simple, easy and quick desert to make and most people find it delicious. There are several variations of the basic phirni recipe, like the badami phirni (with almonds), kesari (saffron), gulab (rose), piste (pistachio), aam […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Atte Da Halva (Whole Wheat Flour Halva)
For Punjabis, atta (whole wheat flour) is the carbohydrate of preference, and rice is less of a staple dish. Hence, lots of dishes, including many sweets like pinnis, poodras and halwa, are made of atta. It helps that whole wheat is preferred by dieticians for health reasons, even though excessive carbohydrates consumed are equally […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Hatch Pepper Di Sabzi (Sauteed Hatch Pepper)
In the southern US, a large green pepper which is very hot is usually available during the summer months in large quantities. These are called “hatch peppers” and for six weeks are plentiful and really inexpensive. In India, these types of peppers are not available, and the closest thing is bell peppers which aren’t as […]
