When you think of Punjabi cuisine what comes to most people’s minds is saag Makki ki roti, butter chicken, dal makhani and lachcha paranthas, etc, right? There is a lot more to Punjabi food than that!
This unique collab started with an idea to do just forgotten/rare recipes of Punjab that are known in Punjabi households but hardly have any visible presence online/in cookbooks. During the partition, a lot of Punjabi cuisines were lost due to migration. Here are a few hidden gems of Punjabi cuisine/recipes of Punjab curated by 14 Punjabi home chefs for you!
Kharode da soup by Sakeena (@culinarypassions)
I get extremely nostalgic about this dish. My father would take me to eat these kharoras from a street food vendor in Jalandhar, Punjab. I still have that vision so clear in my mind of this hawker with a big patila (pot) of steaming hot Kharoras on his cart, of which he would pour a portion in stainless steel bowls and serve hot to his customers. We were regular and absolutely enjoyed sucking on those juicy Kharoras and drinking its medicinal soup.
In the olden days it used to be cooked on mild heat for hours (usually overnight) slow-cooked on coals until the morning. I have made mine in a pressure cooker.
Ingredients:
- 1 bay leaf
- 1cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 chopped onion
- 5 green chillies
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp haldi
- 2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- One tomato chopped,
- 1.5 cups paya bones/kharode
- 6 cups water
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions:
- In a pressure cooker put oil and fry bay leaf, cinnamon and 2 tbsps of ginger garlic paste.
- Keep stirring till light brown. Add one chopped onion, 5 green chillies and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Now add all the dried masalas/spices (Coriander powder – 2 tbsps, Garam Masala – 1 tsp,
Haldi – 1/2 tsp, Red Chilli powder – 2 tbsps, Black pepper – 1 tsp and salt to taste) and fry till the onions change colour. - At this stage add one chopped tomato and paya bones about 15 pieces and fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Then add 6 cups of water and chopped coriander leaves. Give 3 whistles.
- After the pressure drops open the lid and cook the paya on slow to medium flame for an hour for the stock/broth to develop.
- Now add some lemon juice. Taste the broth, adjust the seasoning and serve hot.
Enjoy as it is or with some hot paranthas, rice or pao buns.
