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The people of Punjab are renowned for their high spirits, extravagant festivities and hearty appetites, and their distinct, well-loved cuisine is a direct reflection of them.
India's state of Punjab is referred to as the Land of Milk and Honey for its robust climate and thriving agriculture and farming industry.
"Punjab has always been considered the breadbasket of India," explains , Punjabi chef and owner of , a Sydney-based restaurant group. "It's a very fertile and agricultural land so the number of resources that Punjab has, due to its fertility, means that there is a lot of variation and unique dishes that Punjab makes which other places don't."
DAL-ICIOUS
Ma ki dal
The fields are flush with wheat and grains, so naan, roti, stuffed parathas and kulchas (stuffed bread) feature in most home meals. Rice is mostly only cooked for special occasions and nearly always with cumin or fried onions.
Punjab is also a major producer of dairy products and boasts one of the highest capita usages of milk in the country. Instead of flavouring dishes with elaborate marinades or sauces, generous dollops of ghee (clarified butter), butter or cream are used.
, chef and owner of in Sydney, tells SBS Food, "In other northern cuisines, a lot of the richness and thickness comes from nuts, like cashews.
"Because the dairy industry is so important in Punjab, they add a lot of cream and a lot of butter."
Everything is very rich, and I'd say it's a good reflection of how the people are.
Cows and buffalos are milked daily and the fresh milk is churned into butter and curd. The curd can then be turned into a dressing for raita dishes or used to make . Its by-product, the buttermilk lassi, can be enjoyed as a beverage. In fact, Punjabis will rarely sit down to a meal without a glass of lassi or chaas by their side.
Milk is also used to make an Indian-style cottage cheese called paneer. This is a staple in the Punjabi diet and appears on menus as saag paneer.
Minhas explains, "Saag comes from the mustard plants, and it only grows in extremely fertile areas. However, in Punjab, mustard grows in fields and fields."
When the mustard leaves are blended with spinach and bathua, it creates a thick sauce called . This is a winter essential in Punjab and is typically accompanied by makki ki roti (maize flour bread).
Saag paneer features paneer, a type of cottage cheese.
Rahul Punjabi says, "Even though Punjab is landlocked, another really popular dish is Amritsari fish. The name of the state means five waters, and it's named after the five rivers that flow through it."
FISH 'N' CHIPS
Battered amritsari fish with smashed fried potatoes
Amritsari fish is almost like an Indian version of fish and chips, albeit without the chips. "The batter is made from chickpea flour with a lot of spices and then it's topped off with chaat masala and served with green chutney."
Above all, Punjab cuisine is best known for its tandoori cooking. It's rare to attend a Punjabi feast where chicken tandoori (tandoori murgh) isn't served.
Tender pieces of marinated meat are spiked on skewers and cooked in a huge earthen oven called a tandoor. This Punjabi street food has led to many derivatives, such as butter chicken. These dishes are now served in restaurants around the world.
Punjab is known worldwide for its tandoori chicken. Source: Martin Poole
Rahul Punjabi concludes, "With Punjabi food, the spicy food is very spicy but then the sweet food is very sweet.
"Everything is very rich, and I'd say it's a good reflection of how the people are. They are very heavy handed, but they're also very full of life and full of laughter."
