The ultimate Punjabi festive night is around the corner. It is the Lohri festival we are talking about. Lohri is the best excuse to indulge in evergreen Punjabi foods along with binging on peanuts, rewri and gajjak.
Talking about Lohri special food menu, one should always plan the dishes in advance to make the celebration a sure shot hit. Although Punjabi cuisine has given a number of options but these amazing foods will make your Lohri celebration fantastic. The menu can include:
Makki ki roti and sarson ka saag: It is the most loved Punjabi dish made by mustard plant and corn wheat flour. It is served hot with fresh white butter and jaggery.
Rajma Chawal: Rajma (kidney beans) is a savoury and delicious Punjabi curry dish made with kidney beans, onion, tomato, garlic and ginger. Flavoured with aromatic spices, this Punjabi dish is loved across India. Rajma goes well with roti or naan but it tastes best with boiled or jeera rice. When you have rajma rice in the menu, you do not need anything else. The dish just melts in the mouth because of the soft rajma beans in creamy gravy and properly cooked rice.
Chole Bhature: It is one of the most delicious and tempting dishes from Punjab cuisine. The combination of boiled chickpeas cooked in spicy onion-tomato gravy and golden-crispy fried flat maida breads is one of the most lovable snacks in the northern parts of India. The dish can be served in breakfast, lunch or dinner. Ideal to be served in Lohri party.
Dal makhni and garlic naan: It is an authentic Punjabi food. Dal makhni is creamy and buttery and it is the most favourite dal among Punjabis. The dal is made of whole black urad lentils cooked with garlic-ginger-onion-tomato gravy and infused with aromatic spices for the unique flavour. It tastes best with garlic naan.
Amritsari chole kulcha: These amazingly awesome chickpeas in delectable curry tastes heavenly. It surely brings the flavours of Amritsar streets right into your home. Accompanied with potato, onion and paneer stuffed kulcha that is topped with lots of butter, this dish is so inviting, rich, spicy and full of mind blowing flavours. Eat the dish with pickled onions.
Stuffed paratha: The most common stuffing for parathas is made by potato, cauliflower, onion and paneer. Many other stuffing options also exist without which no Punjabi meal is complete. These parathas are usually cooked with pure ghee and served hot with lots of butter and a chilled glass of lassi.
Traditional Punjabi kadhi pakoda and boiled rice: This quintessential Punjabi curry with pakodas is one of the most favourite dishes in most Punjabi families. It is a besan curry recipe which is prepared with gram flour and sour curd. Its rich and tangy flavour comes from its basic ingredients besan and sour yogurt. The tempering of hing powder, whole red chillies and mustard seeds makes it more delicious and tempting. Besides boiled rice you can eat kadhi with roti or paratha as well.
All these food suggestions are perfect to get into the Lohri festive mood. These are the traditional Punjabi dishes that feature the best flavours of Punjab.
Happy Lohri!