Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Jaldi se Baingan da Bhartha (Easy-to-Make Spicy Eggplant Puree)
By popular demand from many readers, below is a reprint of Mama’s Baingan da Bhartha recipe, which is fast becoming a popular dish in restaurants and for caterings. It is reprinted with some additional information and directions. Eggplant are among the most popular vegetables cooked all over the world, but the main reason for its […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Kathal da Achaar (Pickled Jackfruit)
It would be fair to say that, among Punjabis, kathal (jackfruit) is a very underrated and misunderstood vegetable and perhaps even less appreciated as a fruit when it is the sweetest. It is hardly the vegetable that most housewives in Delhi go to first as it is so large to manage. It is quite difficult […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Baingan Di Dip (Eggplant Dip)
In the middle of the summer heat, thoughts turn to ways to cool yourself down. Though there are many Indian comfort foods to do that, like gol gappe or pani puri (wafer puffs in spicy water), chaat (spicy cubed potato salad), bhalle (lentil cakes in yogurt), rooh afza (a drink of fruits and herbs), mango […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Sirke de Piyaaz (Vinegar Pickled Onions)
In Northern India, especially among Punjabis, it is almost considered sacrilegious not to offer piyaaz (onions) with a meal, akin to making a hamburger without onions or eating barbeque without onions and Dill pickles. You’d hear somebody quickly complain, “Kuon bhai, piyaaz khatam ho gaye sun?” (Oh brother, did you run out of onions?). The […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Daal De Poode (Lentil Flatcakes)
There are many ways to eat daal and not just with roti (flatbread) or chawal (rice). Some people will fry it, then mix in some spices and eat it dry like a snack. Others make a thick soup with rice and eat it like khichaddi (watery daal and rice), eaten often when one has an […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Parmal di Subzi (Sauteed Pointed Gourds) – Quick Recipe
These pointy vegetables with yellowish-green color resemble small cucumbers with yellow stripes, but are really a member of the family of gourds and are abundant in Eastern India in the summer time. The flesh is creamy white with small firm seeds, and is quite bland, allowing it to pick up the flavor from spices in […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Sukki Khumban (Sauteed Mushrooms) – Quick Recipe
Most people like the taste of mushrooms, and even though they can be expensive, they are an often sought after ingredient on pizzas or as a side dish in restaurants. But these mushrooms are usually not fresh, coming out of a can or frozen and the taste is very ordinary. A popular variety is the […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Plain Paranthas (Wheat Pancrusted Flatbread)
This was the first recipe I wrote for this column almost four years ago. Since then, I have paid attention to the types of homemade paranthas I have had occasion to eat and try, both in the US and in India and I have been surprised to see that only a very few come close […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Jalebi (Fried Sweet Flour Spirals)
Some dishes that originated in Northern India have been so widely accepted that they are available all around the country now, especially the sweet desserts. Gulab jamun (fried rose colored ball); rus gullas (syrup soaked sponge balls); burfi (evaporated milk wedges); ladoos (chickpea flour balls) are just some of these. To this list, you must […]
