Long Lost Punjabi Recipes: Dishes My Family And Friends Enjoy
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Growing up in a typical Punjabi family, I have always been around ghee and gud (jaggery). Usually, starting my day with a paratha, either made by my mother or dadi (paternal grandmother); I take plight whenever I spot the flatbread at a buffet. Even when I went to my nani’s (maternal grandmother) home, she made me regional dishes like gajar ka achaar, bhurji, pakore, and much more.

While everyone thinks Punjab is all about sarson ka saag with makki ki roti or the winter staple, gajrela, I still have a special place in my heart for the lost recipes that we as a family still enjoy from time to time. Be it the cheeni ki churi my mother makes when I refuse to eat rotis or my dadi’s ganne ke rass ki kheer, here are some of my favourite Punjabi dishes that my family and friends have still kept alive in our homes.

Cheeni Ki Churi

As a picky eater, I don’t always like it when my mother makes me eat dal with roti. To keep my tummy filled, mum often resorted to a quick fix by making me churi. While the traditional recipe is made with ghee and gud, my mother made it by tearing the roti into bite-sized pieces and cooking it further in ghee and sugar. The sugar crunch and roti's warmth in a bite still make my heart melt.

Chhit

One of my friend’s go-to recipes when he needs to quickly make a meal is chhit. Upon asking, he puts it in the simplest words, “tadke vala dahi.” Made with basic kitchen ingredients like dahi (curd), ginger, garlic, haldi (turmeric powder), red chilli powder, and a little salt, anyone can whip it up in 5-10 minutes. Pair it with a roti or paratha, and you’ll have a healthy Punjabi dish.

Alsi Ki Pinni

Alsi, also known as flaxseed, is an impeccable ingredient to be added to meals. Adding a nutritious twist to the classic atte ki pinni, my nani adds alsi to the recipe and prepares them every winter. She dry roasts whole wheat flour in desi ghee and then adds in gud. Roasting flaxseeds in a separate pan, she then adds the prepared mixture. With chopped dry fruits and nuts like almonds, cashew nuts, and walnuts, she pours her love into the alsi ki pinnis.

Bhindi Pakore

Pakore are a staple street snack in Northern India. My younger brother and I love bhindi, probably the only green-coloured vegetable. Making the most of the lady finger, my mother makes bhindi pakore, which she learnt from our grandmother. Slitting the bhindi, she at times even fills them up with a potato-based masala and dips them in a besan batter. Like every pakora, the bhindi pakoras are then deep-fried, and my family enjoys it with homemade imli ki chutney.

Ganne Ke Ras Ki Kheer

Talking about my father’s side of the family, they love eating something sweet. My dadi makes almost every elaborate classic like malpua, shahi tukda, kulfi, and much more. Even though kheer is often made in every household, the summer-special recipe that includes ganne ka ras, aka sugarcane juice, is a forgotten one. Narrating her recipe, my dadi says, “I take fresh sugarcane juice and give it a boil. Then, sieve it once and add rice. Once the rice is soft, add in elaichi (cardamom) and chopped nuts. Keep cooking till you get the desired consistency, and then garnish with almonds and raisins.”