Cuisines of Chandigarh

Chandigarh’s affluent citizens are extremely fond of good food. A visit to Chandigarh is incomplete without tasting its mouth-watering and lip-smacking delicacies. Special items are prepared on special occasions to celebrate the festivity. Chandigarh has its own share of multi-cuisines restaurants. You would be able to taste the best quality of Punjabi dishes here. Do not forget to try the traditional Sarso-da Saag and Makki-di-Roti. It is mainly the Punjabi food that forms part of cuisine of Chandigarh.

The main feature of Punjabi food is the extensive use of butter, cream, ghee and cheese. The meals usually comprises of pulses cooked on a slow flame with the traditional Punjabi tadka. For preparing the gravy, a mixture of onion, tomato, ginger, garlic and spices are used. There are no intricate marinades or exotic sauces, but an exuberant use of spices with a liberal addition of oil or ghee.  Usually the traditional Punjabi food is prepared in the earthen tandoors, which give the food a unique aroma. In the category of beverages, one name that truly deserves a mention is the Punjab-di-Lassi. Besides they usually garnish their food with finely cut coriander leaves and juliennes of ginger. Let us now explore the most popular dishes that form a part of Chandigarh cuisine.

• Makki di Roti : It is a flat, unleavened North Indian bread made from corn flour. Like most roties in Indian/Pakistan cuisine, it is baked on a tava.
  
  
• Sarson Ka Saag: It is originally a Punjabi dish but now its gaining popularity all over North India. It is prepared with mustard leaves and often accompanied with makki de Roti. The luscious green sarson ka saag tastes fabulous with makki de roti and a dollop of butter.
  
  
• Lassi Patiala: This is a very delicious beverage, especially one that beats the heat in summers.
  
  
• Daal Makhani is delicacy from Punjab filled with rich proteins and fiber.  Dal Makhani  is a combination of whole urad and red kidney beans.
  
  
• Punjabi Chhole or Chana masala is one of the popular and favourite dishes of Punjab and Delhi, but loved all over India. Chole/Chana/Garbanzo Beans cooked in spicy Indian gravy, goes well with Puris, Parathas, Chapatis or Rice.
  
  
• Navratan Korma: This is a Mughlai dish and gets its name Navratan (meaning nine gems) from the nine different veggies, fruit and nuts used in it!
  
  
• Rajma is one of the most loved Punjabi vegetarian curry and it goes best with steamed rice. It is a very popular weekend brunch idea. In this dish, red kidney beans are cooked with onions and tomatoes.


• Sukhi Chana Dal: This is a dry lentil preparation with kabuli chana or chickpeas cooked with onions, tomatoes, chillies and Indian spice powders.
  
  
• Palak Paneer: Palak Paneer is a delicious, hearty North Indian dish prepared with spinach and cottage cheese. This traditional vegetarian dish is a rich, smooth, creamy curry where paneer cubes are cooked in a onion-tomato-spinach based gravy which is moderately spiced with Indian spices.
  
  
• Baingan da Bhurtha: This is an exceptional vegetarian eggplant dish. It is a traditional Punjabi dish and an excellent way of cooking the baingan or aubergines or eggplants. Bhurtha in Punjabi means mash, hence baingan da bhurtha means mashed eggplants seasoned with Indian spices. It is one of the favorite delicacies from the Punjabi cuisine. In this dish, the eggplant or aubergine is roasted directly on the fire (traditionally done) and almost charred to black color. The skin of the eggplant if burned thoroughly gives an amazing smoky flavor to the dish.
  
  
  
• Dhai Bhalle: Dahi bhalla is a very popular North Indian street food recipe. Basically, Dahi bhalla are lentil (black gram/urad dal and yellow split pulse) based savory balls which are smothered with frothy fresh curds and sprinkled with spices like chili powder, cumin, chaat masala and salt with sweet chutney.
  
  
• Bread And Flour Preparations: There are also a variety of bread and flour preparations consumed in Chandigarh. Some of them are Naan, Tandoori Roti, Kulcha, Lachha Paratha, Phulka or Chapatti, Aloo Paratha, Mooli Paratha, Poori, and Bhatoora.
  
  

Sweets of Chandigarh Several sweet items are made by the people of Chandigarh, to titillate the taste buds. The most popular and distinctive among them is Roh Di Kheer, prepared by cooking rice in sugarcane juice. Some other popular desserts of the area are baalushahi, jalebi and malpua. Don’t forget to taste all of them while touring Chandigarh.

Punjabi Non-Vegetarian Delicacies