Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Khumban da Appetizer (Mushroom Appetizer)
Until recently, khumban (mushrooms) were a seldom found vegetable on the street markets in Delhi, but if you happened to live in the country or near a farm, you might have been able to find some. This is why mushrooms have not really been part of the mainstream Punjabi cuisine until quite recently. In the […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Gajjar da Parantha (Carrot Stuffed Crispy Flatbread)
The favorite Punjab comfort food – the parantha (crispy flatbread) – is popping up everywhere as a convenience food too! Taking a tip from American marketing savvy, the plain parantha has come out wrapped around a meat filling like a kebab of shredded chicken as a “wrap”. It’s a variation of a taco, burrito or […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Kathal Di Sabzi (Sauteed Jackfruit)
Though you can find kathal most of the year in Delhi, it is hardly the vegetable that most housewives go to first as it is difficult to prepare. First, you have to choose a green, unripe one; then get a quarter or half piece as the kathal is usually very large and next, take the […]
Friendly TV Chef Kapoor Gives Lessons at the Home Hearth
By Jawahar Malhotra SUGAR LAND: Not only did he come fully prepared to demonstrate how to make some dishes for the invited crowd of admirers who have seen him countless times on cable TV, he was completely at ease cracking jokes in Hindi and English and used his Facebook page to do a post live […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Loon Mirch da Parantha (Salt ‘n’ Pepper Crispy Flatbread)
If you want to make a true Punjabi really happy about a meal, just tell him or her that you’ll be serving hot paranthas and they will come right over. They might even invite themselves over if they smell the paranthas being cooked on a hot tava (flatplate). There’s just something about the smell of […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Gajjar Methi (Sauteed Carrots and Fenugreek)
Punjabis love carrots in several ways, but seldom cooked alone –unless it’s halwa -as no matter what spice you add, the dish comes out too sweet and doesn’t go with any type of roti. There are at least three ingredients that can be accompaniments to tame that sweetness: mutter (peas) or methi (fenugreek) or wadiyan […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Gajjar Mutter (Sauteed Carrots And Peas)
Punjabis loves carrots in several ways: as a sabzi (dish) with mutter (peas) or methi (fenugreek) or wadiyan (spiced dumplings); stuffing in paranthas or sweet as in halwa (pudding) or even in achaar (pickle). In North India, carrots can be found in many colors and shapes, mostly black, red, orange and white, each of which […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Sukha Mutter Paneer (Sauteed Peas And Cheese)
The lowly vegetable mutter (peas) is used in many Indian dishes in one form or the other as a complement to other main ingredients, but seldom as the main dish. Peas are prized for tenderness in bringing a gentle texture to aaloo (potatoes), briyanis (rice palaos), paneer (cheese) or khumbhan (mushrooms). They are even used […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Imbli di Chatni (Tamarind Chutney)
There are two chutneys that are commonly found in most Indian restaurants, no matter where you go: pudine ki chatni (mint chutney) and imbli ki chatni (tamarind chutney) and these are usually served as dipping sauces to go with all types of fried snacks like samosas, pakores and tikkis or as condiments with fast foods […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Mithhe Ambh di Chatni (Sweet Mango Chutney)
If there’s one fruit that wins the heart of Indians, it has to be the mango which is grown all over. The mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and The Philippines and the national tree of Bangladesh. And any schoolkid in these countries can proudly tell you, it takes seven years before a […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Chivda Gobi Mutter (Flattened Rice Snack)
Finding the right things to snack on can be a frustrating thing – it’s either too sweet, like chocolate or too plain like tortilla chips and salsa; and Lord knows Punjabis like to snack! Finding the right combination that can not only be satisfying between meals but filling without putting on calories can be a […]
A Double-Eights Celebration for Mama
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: The passage of another year has not dimmed her mind, nor has it diminished the ardor of her admirers who have grown accustomed to calling her mama. Even if her step is a little lighter, and her gait a little slower, mama still remembers each person by their name and with […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes: Bhune Pyaaz ka Pulao (Brown Onion Pilaf)
This pulao recipe is tasty and unique because the cooked rice comes out looking brown, though it is not made with brown rice. The rice still has the distinct taste and aroma of regular basmati rice and because of the way it is made, the pulao has the additional taste of spiced onions. It is […]
Shakuntla Malhotra Recalls Her 86 Years for the FIS Oral History Project
By Jawahar Malhotra HOUSTON: Perhaps it was the hardiness of her rural upbringing that taught her to be focused and not give into her fears or it is the wisdom of her years from which she has learnt the calmness that she exudes, a quality many who know her admire. Still, it may have been […]
Mama’s Punjabi Recipes – Sabudana di Kheer (Tapioca Pudding)
BY SHAKUNTLA MALHOTRA During the days of Navratri and just preceding Dusserah, the truly devout emulate the types of foods that Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshman ate while they were in exile. They had vowed to eat only foods grown in the forest, fruits, honey. Sabudana (large grain or pearl tapioca) is one such food […]
