Punjabi Lunch
Traditions: Hearty Meals For Hard Work

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Quick Summary

Punjabi hospitality is unmatched. Remember when Aditya Kashyap sits down for lunch at Geet’s house in Jab We Met. That’s not just for the movies. It’s the perfect example. While the regular lunch spread is not as crazy as the one he’s served in the movie, it carries the same warmth. Freshly made rotis with ghee, slow-cooked dals, seasonal sabzis, curd or lassi, and of course, a spoonful of achar make a hearty meal meant to satisfy farm hands (history right here) after a hard day of work.

Deep Dive

Punjab means ‘land of five rivers’ (Beas, Sutlej, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum). These rivers and fertile plains give good water and soil, so growing crops is easy. Consequently, the state is abundant in staple crops like wheat, rice, maize, and pulses. Such lush lands also facilitate the keeping of cattle, making it rich in dairy products. So, Punjabi cooking tends to feature milk products like butter and ghee. There’s also an abundance of seasonal vegetables, e consumed with the pulse of the seasonal shifts.

How Did Punjab Lunches Evolve?

Punjab is one of the oldest agricultural regions in South Asia. Long ago, people grew grains, millets, and lentils, and kept cows and buffaloes for milk. Texts from the Vedas mention milk, curds, ghee, leafy greens, and grains as food items. Over centuries, Punjab saw many influences – foreign invaders, traders, and migration. Mughals, Persians, and Afghans all had some influence on food, in using richer spices, nuts, cooking with more meat in feasts, and cooking styles like tandoor.

The Partition of India in 1947 also shaped Punjabi food – people moved across borders, bringing dishes, tastes, and cooking styles with them. That helped spread Punjabi dishes all over India and even abroad.

What Goes Into A Typical Punjabi Lunch?

A typical Punjabi lunch is warm, filling, and made with local, fresh ingredients. Most meals include roti (flatbread) or rice, served with one or two vegetable or lentil dishes. Ghee or butter is often added, especially to the flatbreads. A bowl of curd or a glass of lassi towards the end is a common fix, especially during summer, to help cool the body and aid digestion. On the side, people enjoy pickles, raw onions, and green chutney. The food is cooked with basic spices like cumin, ginger, garlic, and turmeric, making the meal tasty but not too heavy. Lunch is usually a family affair in Punjabi households.

Punjabi Lunch Staples

Now that you know the spread, here’s what’s common in a typical Punjabi meal, from its flatbreads to its accompaniments.

Flatbreads

Soft rotis made with wheat are made on a clay tandoor or tava (especially in homes), and brushed with ghee when serving.
Parathas are thicker than roti, griddle-fried with ghee and often stuffed with spiced fillings like mashed aloo or grated mooli. Not just lunch, parathas are a breakfast and lunchbox favourite.
Come winter, makki di roti or cornmeal flatbread is a staple, flattened by hand and cooked on a tawa. It’s eaten hot with sarson da saag and white butter.

Side Vegetables

Aloo gobi is a dry sabzi made with a mix of potatoes and cauliflower, and often cooked in mustard oil, with jeera (cumin) and fresh dhania (coriander).
There’s also bhindi masala, which features sliced tender bhindi (okra), cooked with onions and amchur (dried mango powder).
A Punjabi classic, baingan bharta is an open fire-roasted eggplant dish. The roasted brinjals are hand mashed, mixed with raw onions, garlic, and mustard oil.
A winter favourite, sarson da saag is a slow-cooked mustard leaf dish that uses cornmeal, garlic, and ginger.

Dals And Curries

Dal makhani is a slow-cooked dish using whole black lentils simmered overnight with cream, butter, and kasuri methi, often reserved for Sundays or guests.
Using split chickpeas, chana dal has a tempering of garlic and tomatoes, sometimes with a bit of desi ghee.
Rajma is another lunch classic that features red kidney beans soaked overnight and cooked in a thick onion-tomato masala.
Not the bhature ones, but the kala chana ones, chole masala is a Punjabi household favourite. Home cooks often use black tea to give the dish its signature deep brown colour.
Curd in a dish is an instant lunch classic. Kadhi pakora uses whisked curd and gram flour to form a curry in which crunchy onion fritters are simmered before serving.

Accompaniments

Rice is the next favourite thing for Punjabis after ghee-slathered rotis or parathas. Usually, simple steamed rice or jeera rice is the norm, often reserved as a side for dal, kadhi, or rajma.
Freshly set curd, scooped straight from a steel pot, is a nice after-meal or a side to stuffed parathas. It’s usually homemade and eaten especially during summer.
Lassi or chaas might be both made with yoghurt and served in steel glasses, but they are poles apart in taste. Lassi is sweet and topped with cream, whereas chaas is salty and is flavoured with roasted cumin.
Homemade achar (pickles) made from raw mango, lime, or chilli, soaked in mustard oil and aged in the sun, are also common at lunches.
Rough-cut slices of red onions, radish, cucumber, and green chillies make up a mismatch salad, usually served with a sprinkle of salt and lemon juice.
Green chutney is also a common fixture. Made with ground paste of fresh mint, coriander, green chilli, and lemon, it goes perfectly with flatbreads.

A Lunch That’s Always Close To The Heart

Punjabi lunches are more than just fuel for hard work – they’re a slice of everyday life. Whether it’s a weekday fix of roti and sabzi routine or a weekend of rajma-chawal or dal makhani with parathas, these meals are simple yet soulful. The flavours are rooted in age-old traditions, seasonal knowledge, and ingredients passed from one generation to the next – not from a packet, but from the parat (kneading plate), the belan (rolling pin), and an open flame.