Let’s Get Back to Some Punjabi Food!

I honestly did not know what to make this post about because I started running out of ideas. I went back to my posts and thought I did mostly everything, until…I suddenly remembered some of my other favorite Punjabi foods that most Punjabis and others love! These foods are famous and of course delicious so let’s talk about them and some of my personal experiences/stories. As always, I get hungry as I write and add pictures, even though I eat before! Can’t stop from being hungry when there is mouth watering food in front of you!

So, chole (chickpeas) gravy or subzi is commonly used to eat with the different breads/chapatis and chole indeed, enhance the taste of each dish it is served with! The dishes I will be talking about in this post are all served with chole.

1. Chole Bhature

This dish is a combination of chana masala which is the Chole (chick peas) and fried bread made from maida (wheat flour) which is the Bhatura. Chole Bhature are usually eaten for breakfast if your looking to eat something nice and filling or some people eat them for lunch (I usually do). For some people this dish may be a little heavy, like me, so in my experience, lunchtime would be best. Note: Best when hot/warm! This dish is famous in the Northwestern region of India where are the states of Punjab, Haryana and others. In Punjab, the cities of Amritsar (where I/my mom is from) has majority of the best restaurants with all kinds of Punjabi food! Whenever we go to India, we always eat here when we go out, shopping and site seeing.

Recipe: https://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/Recipe/Chole-Bhature.html

Chole Bhature

Chole Bhature with onion, chili, and achar (mixed spiced pickles)

 

2. Chole Puri

This dish is similar to Chole Bhature but the bread is not that heavy, thick. The bread is called Puri and is also made of wheat flour fried but is less fatty because of the lesser ingredients and methods used to make it (this is explained in the recipe link too). My brother sometimes prefer this, Chole Puri over Chole Bhature because it is easier to digest although where one may be able to eat only one Bhatura, more Puris can be eaten easily since they are usually smaller and not as heavy. It is also easier to make this dish at home because both the Puri can be made a lot quicker than the Bhatura since all you do is make a chapati our of the wheat flour and then just fry it. This is the simple and basic Puri whereas other people might like to add some other ingredients such as cumin seeds (these taste good too!)

Recipe: https://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/Recipe/Chana-Puri-Fun-Food-For-Fussy-Kids.html

Chole Puri with onion, chili, lemon

Chole Puri with onion, chilli, achar, and dahi (yogurt)

 

3. Chole Kulche

So Kulche or Kulcha is soft textured flatbread that can be made in a tandoor (clay oven) which is a very famous method and commonly used in India or in a skillet. I am remembering the times I’ve been to India and eaten this dish in Amritsar at “Ashoka’s”, the BEST place that serves this dish! How I wish I was there right now! The taste is that delicious that I can never forget it, though I wish I can somehow transport myself there whenever I want to eat Chole Kulche! One time in India when we went for my mom’s youngest brother’s wedding and all the guests were at home, my other uncle brought the chef at home so he can cook all the different and special kinds of kulche for everyone! Everyone was delighted and couldn’t stop eating! I got tired serving everyone! 

Recipe: https://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/Recipe/Bheeghe-Kulche-Chole.html

http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/kulcha-punjabi-flatbread/

Chole Kulche with onions, chilli, and achar

Chole Kulche with onions and lemon

 

Achar (mixed, spiced pickles-mango, lemon, carrots…etc), Dahi (yogurt) and Mirch Piaj Salad/Masala (Chilies and Onion spiced mixture) are usually served with all the dishes above to add some more taste and sometimes the Dahi (yogurt) which is cooler and not spiced up, helps if someone thinks the Chole are too spicy.

Achar (mixed, spiced pickles)

Dahi (yogurt, in this case is plain so there is nothing added, no extra spices) Usually sweet and cool this way

Places/Restaurants Nearby To Try These Dishes:

• Restaurants in the India Square-Oak Tree Road Edison/Iselin (As Always) Such as the Mithass there

Address: 1655-170 Oak Tree Road, Edison, NJ 08820

Phone: (732) 947- 3014

Rating on Google: 4/5

Menu: ordering.chownow.com

• Delhi Garden Indian Restaurant

  Address: 1677 NJ-27, Edison, NJ 08817

  Phone: (732) 248-1888

  Rating on Google: 4.5/5

  Menu: delhigarden.wixsite.com

• Mithaas Restaurant

Address: 1463 Finnegans Ln, North Brunswick Township, NJ 08902

Phone: (732) 658- 3880

Rating on Google: 3.9/5

Menu: places.singleplatform.com

Yes these dishes are again vegetarian and the breads are fried (but you can ask for them to be not too oily) which is why some may not like these, but they do taste amazing and make you lick your fingers! Hope you like these dishes too! Stay tuned for more!