Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Til Bhuga Pinni (Jaggery Sesame Seed Balls)
It’s a fact that Indians like dried fruits, especially nuts of all kinds, and any time they have a chance, they will munch on them, especially cashews, almonds and pistachios. And far from being eaten alone, dried fruits can be found in cooking both sweet and salty dishes. Raisins and cashew nuts are often used […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Aaloo Puriyan (Potatoes & Deep Fried Puff Bread)
This is a dish that could be eaten for breakfast or as a snack or served after poojas (religious services) for the langar or communal feast. It is actually a very simple but satisfying dish and the flavors of the hot fried puris (fried puff bread) and the slightly crushed aaloo (potatoes) in their own […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Khumban Te Mutter di Turri (Mushroom & Peas Curry)
Until about 20 years ago, you couldn’t find fresh mushrooms in the Indian cities, but since then a virtual revolution in growing and distributing vegetables has led to their becoming readily available at not only most markets but even street vendors. The price of mushrooms have come down, but they are still not within reach […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Lobia Di Kurri (Black Eyed Pea Curry)
Among all the beans and daals that are eaten by Indians, there are only a few that can be prepared either cold or warm and the two dishes would be completely different. In this category is the green moong daal and the lobia (black eyed pea), although some may serve kala chana (black chickpeas) cold […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Gulab Jamun (Rose Colored Fried Sweet Balls)
Invariably, every desi restaurant across the world offers at least these four choices of deserts: chawal ki kheer (rice pudding), ras malai (cheese patties in sweet cream), gajjar ka halwa (carrot pudding) and gulab jamun (rose colored fried sweet balls). You don’t even have to ask what the dessert menu is; these four will be […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes:Rotiyan da Atta (Dough For Flatbread)
For a Punjabi, a meal without roti (flatbread), or some sort of bread, is like a day without sunshine! It’s practically impossible for most Punjabis to eat their daily meal without rotis, paranthas, naan, kulche, bathure or puris – all different types of flatbread (generally referred to as “rotiyan” or breads) made of wheat or […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Ghar da Makhan (Homemade Butter)
Long before it became fashionable to eat Amul butter that you bought in tiny slabs from the corner store; long before sliced bread became so widely available and eaten and long before different types of breakfast cereals became popular there was a simple way to start your day in the mornings in North India: get […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Mathura Pede (Sweetened Milk Patties)
Across many parts of North India, many worshippers ask for blessings at mandirs (temples) to give thanks for the old and rejoice for the new and it is customary to offer some sweets to the Gods for their blessings. Outside each mandir, there is at least one shop that sells Indian sweets of the type […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Rajma Di Turri (Red Kidney Bean Curry)
One of the great comfort foods for many Punjabis is a steaming plate of rajma (red kidney beans) and chawal (rice), served with a little bit of dahin (yogurt) and garnished with some achaar (pickle). Though there are other beans that are served with rice, like chole (chickpeas) and lobia (black-eyed peas), the flavor that […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Lima Bean Di Kurri (Lima Bean Curry)
India is truly a vegetarian’s delight, as you never have to search the menu at a restaurant for something meatless to order. Thanks to warm weather, in India you can find most types of tropical vegetables and fruits that are common all across Asia, except for a few items like the interesting looking dragon fruit, […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Pheetu (Vegetable Chips)
The word pheetu is an unusual one, even for Punjabis, as it is not in common usage. That’s because it is a Jhungi Punjabi word, which is only one of the over six main Punjabi dialects from West Punjab, which became part of West Pakistan in the Partition of 1947. The others are Lahori (for […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Kale Channe da Snack (Black Chicpea Snack)
Many people don’t mind eating boiled safayd chole (white chickpeas) in snacks like gol gappas (also known as pani puri elsewhere in India) or in aaloo chaats, Boiled chickpeas are even served in many mainstream American restaurants as an item to be mixed in when creating your own salad. One of the main reasons for […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Puri (Deep Fried Puff Bread)
There is one type of fried bread that elicits great excitement because it is a cross between an appetizer and a meal, but can be eaten as either. You could call it a snack, but puris (deep fried puff bread) can be eaten for breakfast (with aloo sabzi), lunch (with kale channe), dinner (with different […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Chinni Da Parantha (Punjabi Crispy Sugar Flatbread)
What makes Punjabi paranthas (crispy flatbread) so tasty and popular with everyone who tries them are a few important features: they have to be served hot; they have to be thicker than plain Punjabi rotis; they must be slightly crispy on the top side and they must be coated with a small dab of ghee […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Kale Channe Turi Wale (Black Chicpea Curry)
Most people are used to eating safayd chole (white chickpeas) in restaurants and at home; and even at mandirs and gurdwaras where they are served after services. Chole are fairly cheap, are readily available pre-boiled in cans so they are easy to make and are filling and a good source of protein. Even with a […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Shakkar Parre (Fried Sugary Flour Sticks)
A few snacks which are made to be salty can also be made in the sweet version with just a few adjustments and of course, the taste is quite different. This switch works quite well with matthis (fried salty cookies) and namkeen mutter (fried salty peas) which are also called namkeen parre (fried salty sticks). […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Wadiyan Da Pulao (Lentil Dumpling Rice Pilaf)
There are as many different ways to make pulao (rice pilaf) as there are cultures in the world. Each area’s pilaf dish one uses different types of ingredients, different spices and even different types of rice. Spanish people make a seafood paella; Arabs make a pulao using cuts of meat and the Chinese cook it […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Safayd CholeTuri Wale (White Chickpea Curry)
Punjabi-style chole are a staple dish in many gurdwaras and mandirs in North India as they are both nutritious and filling and you can easily make a huge pot full of them to feed the faithful. But they are also very popular in parties if you need a dish with plenty of curry and of […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Cheese da Parantha (American Cheese Parantha)
Punjabi paranthas (crispy flat bread) have become so popular and readily available the world over that they have taken on a new identity for the younger generation in a variation called the parantha roll which is nothing more than some filling rolled up in a plain parantha. So it’s like having the stuffing outside the […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: SUGAR KI DAVA (Home Remedy Sugar Control Medicine)
(This recipe was first published in December 2012 and is being repeated with some minor revisions for the fourth time by popular demand) Type 2 diabetes has become a worldwide epidemic which especially gets manifested when people reach mid-life and beyond. Among Indians, the situation is quite grave and the disease is rampant because the […]
