Articles
By Satpal Gore Tribute to Punjab
Land of my fore fathers
Served by five rivers Punjab is a lush – green fertile land full of nutrients
A BREAD BASKET OF INDIA
Punjab is in north India , it was divided in two by the british before the end of the british raj , one half being in pakistan and the other half in india. It is the Indian half we are discussing here, even though there is very little to distiguish between the two punjabs apart from religion . Pakistan section being predomainatly muslim and the indian section being Sikhs.
Punjab is the historical region of the sikh faith, it`s most sacred place THE GOLDEN TEMPLE ( Harimander Sahib ji ) being in Amritsar. Most of other important Gurdwara ( sikh temples ) are in punjab too – be it pakistan or india
God fearing Punjabi`s enjoy life to the full and take great pride in hard work - loyalty- peace & disciplined living. Their distinict warrior nature and looks ( healther – taller – stronger ) make them ideal material for the armed forces, even though sikhs make only about 1 % of India`s population –they made up 10% of the armed forces until recent times. The Sikh battlions are reknown for their courageous battles throughout the wars , be it the pre british raj or the world wars 1 & 2 under the british
Punjabi cuisine is as colourful & vibrant as its people, thier passion for good wholesome food is equally accompanied by passion for music and dancing ( bhangra ). There is never a rejoyful occasion when there is no food ,dancing ,music and merry making by the punjabi`s. Such is their persona - they will indulge a total stranger in thier rejoicing and consider it a honour that a stranger has shared food with them...
Original all time favorite Punjabi dish
One dish every punjabi born in punjab will relate to with love and effection
Maaki the roti ( maize flour bread / chappati)
Saag the sabji ( green mustard & spinach curry )
Ganda ta hari mirachi ( Onion & green chilli salad )
Lassi ( drink made from yogurt and butter – with salt or sugar to taste )
Original pro-biotic drink ? or what
Desert sweet rice
Goor ta chawal ( molasse – raw sugar cane and rice) Plain rice diced with warm butter & sugar cane – No additives ..........
Molasse can be seen being made by the fields in large wok like utensils at harvest time in rural villages as farmers boil raw sugar cane into molasse before it is sold as form of (hard rock) sugar – Oh to taste fresh piping hot sugar cane molasse as it is being made is quite a culnary experience.
Butter
majority of milk in punjab is from the buffalo,it is much richer then cows milk ,but is well suited to the punjab climate as most of the fat is sweated out anyway. The butter made from buffalo milk is white in colour- it is used in almost every aspect of punjabi cooking, not only does it perform the function of oil in cooking , it is also said to be healther for you as there are no additives but just pure organic butter and helps to lubricate your insides. Customary / Traditionally
A glass of warm milk with a small piece of hardernd sugar cane is taken every night before bed
Dhaba
Best place to eat wholesome punjabi food is by the roadside Dhaba ( small roadsite open air eatery )The food is cooked fresh as required and the taste is quite unique
Punjab from bygone era
Snacks by the roadside
Boiled eggs with sprinkle of salt & pepper
Roasted peanuts
chick peas
all sprinkled with chilli & spices
cucumber with salt & pepper
Mooli ( horse radish )
Confectionary
Peanuts and sesame seed mixed with piping hot raw sugarcane and cooled –broken in chunks and sold as confectionary
The above has been a memory trip into one`s child hood preception of Punjab
To experience the culnary delights of Punjab are quite another - if this has whet your appitete for more punjabi dishes please visit my online site www.poshindian.co.uk
POSH INDIAN
indian - delightS
