Share
Baisakhi is a Punjabi festival that is popularly celebrated in Northern parts of India with great joy and enthusiasm. The festival Baisakhi marks the beginning of the Punjabi New Year and also coincides with Vaisakhi, the day when Guru Gobind Singh formed the Sikh Khalsa. Thus, it is one of the most awaited festivals, especially in Indian states like Punjab and Haryana.
To celebrate the Punjabi New Year in high spirits, people of all ages come together and wear the colour “yellow” to show a glimpse of the harvest season. Other than that, for decades, Punjabi families come together at their table and enjoy traditional food along with something yellow. In the spirit of Baisakhi, Slurrp interviewed Chefs Romy Gill and Taranjit Singh Madan for traditional Punjabi dishes.
Chef Romy Gill’s Favourite Punjabi Dishes For Baisakhi
Celebrity Chef Romy Gill is a British-Indian chef who was appointed an MBE in 2016. With her roots in Punjab, she shared some of her favourite Punjabi delicacies.
Kada Parshad
Starting with one of the auspicious and mouth-melting dishes of Punjab, Romy Gill expressed her love and fond memories of Kada Parshad. Kada Parshad, or atte ka halwa, is popularly made in almost every Punjabi household and in all Gurudwaras. The rich desi-ghee dessert can be made more indulgent with an addition of dry fruits and nuts, which is kind of a mandate while celebrating Baisakhi.
Boondi Ke Laddoo
“The first thing that I made when I came to Punjab was boondi ke laddoo,” chef Romy Gill shares. Unlike the orange motichoor laddoo, the Punjabi boondi ke laddoo are yellow and has bigger grains. Made in desi ghee and garnished with melon seeds, boondi ke laddoo are a not-miss Punjabi dessert while you’re preparing your menu for Baisakhi.
Kali Dal
For any Punjabi festival or celebration with a full-course meal, kali dal made with rajma, or as some people might know it by the name, Dal Makhni is an essential dish. If you are making a traditional Punjabi meal for Baisakhi, you cannot skip over Dal Makhni, which is made in pure desi ghee with a spicy tadka. You can pair it with a simple sabzi, raita, and roti or a plate of jeera rice.
Kheer
Since Baisakhi marks the beginning of the Punjabi New Year, the menu will be incomplete without the quintessential dessert, kheer. You can make a generous serving with soaked Basmati rice in milk and sugar. After the kheer is thoroughly cooked, you can add chopped dry fruits and nuts along with spices like cardamom and saffron for a traditional and royal touch.
Chef Taranjit Singh Madan Shares Yellow Foods For Baisakhi
Chef Taranjit Singh Madan is a popular chef at ITC Hotels. He has a Punjabi background and has shared the yellow dishes he and his family used to enjoy on Baisakhi.
Meethe Chawal
One of the most loved Baisakhi-special dishes that’s made in almost every Punjabi household is meethe chawal or saffron rice. You can start off by rinsing and boiling rice till it is soft. Then, you can take some desi ghee in a pan and saute some cardamom seeds till they are fragrant. Next, lay a layer of half of the boiled rice in the pan, top it off with a layer of sugar and then add the rest of the rice. Let the rice cook in saffron milk till the rice absorbs the colour and flavour. Finally, you can enjoy it hot with some chopped dry fruits and nuts.
Kadhi Chawal
Another classic yellow-coloured Punjabi dish that’s made on Baisakhi is kadhi chawal. To make kadhi, you can start by making a batter with curd and besan (gram flour) and add some spices like salt, turmeric powder, and a little red chilli powder. Then, take some ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, kadhi patta, and methi seeds with the batter you just prepared. Let it cook for about half an hour till the kadhi is thicker, and then add besan pakoras to it. After the kadhi is made, garnish with a tadka made with mustard seeds, red chilli, red chilli powder, and coriander.
Makki Ki Roti
Everyone is familiar with the classic Punjabi dish – sarson ka saag with makki ki roti. To make the yellow makki ki roti, you can start by kneading dough with makki ka atta, boiling water and spices like salt, black pepper, and ajwain seeds. Then, you can take small portions of the dough and cook the roti with some coriander. You can either eat it with butter or pair it with sarson ka saag.
Phirni
The Baisakhi menu will be incomplete without the bright yellow-coloured dessert, phirni. Just the way you make kheer, with just a few extra steps, you make a mouth-melting serving of phirni. By adding spices like saffron, cardamom, and a pinch of turmeric to the regular serving of kheer, you can make the festive yellow-coloured phirni. You can further garnish it with dry fruits and nuts to make it even more indulgent.
