TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Punjabi Foods
Coming from the North Indian city of Amritsari, Amritsari kulcha is a flatbread stuffed with potatoes, onions, cottage cheese, and spices. The flatbread is commonly garnished with coriander seeds, cilantro, and red chili powder. Thin, crispy, and smeared with ghee butter, it is a staple food in Amritsar, with almost every shop in the city sizzling with the sound of kulchas baked in large tandoor ovens.
Not much is known about the history of this flavorful dish, and even the locals say that kulcha is just something they have always eaten, a variation on numerous flatbreads that the country is known for.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Kulcha
MOST ICONIC Amritsari kulcha
View moreTandoori chicken or tandoori murgh is one of the most popular dishes in Indian cuisine, its name derived from the Persian word tannur, meaning fire. The dish consists of chicken meat that is marinated in yogurt, seasoned with tandoori masala, nutmeg, and cumin, then placed on skewers.
It is a unique dish because of the way it is prepared - traditionally, it is cooked at high temperatures in cylindrical clay ovens called tandoor, resulting in succulent meat with a smokey flavor. One popular theory suggests that it was invented by a man named Kundan Lal Gujral in his restaurant Moti Mahal (Palace of Pearls).
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Tandoori
MOST ICONIC Tandoori murgh
Indian saag paneer is a famous vegetable curry which incorporates diced paneer cheese doused in a creamy mixture of fresh leafy greens, also known under the name saag. It is typically made with mustard, fenugreek, spinach, bathua, or collard greens, mashed and incorporated with tomatoes and a rich spice blend.
In India, the saag mixture is believed to have originated in the Punjabi region, and paneer version is just one of many varieties which incorporates this fragrant curry base. It can be enjoyed as a smaller side dish or a nutritious main meal that is usually accompanied by roti or naan.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Curry
Phirni is a dessert made with ground rice that's cooked in milk and flavored with almonds, saffron, and cardamom. A favorite in North India, it is most often prepared for special occasions or festivals such as Diwali and Karwa Chauth. Traditionally served in small clay bowls known as shikoras, phirni is always eaten well-chilled and garnished with nuts, rose petals, and often with silver paper or chandi warq to make it even more luxurious.
MOST ICONIC Phirni
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Bhatura is a deep-fried, leavened bread with North Indian origins and a light, fluffy texture. Its unique texture is achieved by letting the dough ferment for almost one hour. The dough consists of flour, oil, baking powder, and yogurt. After the bread is fried, it is usually sprinkled with Indian masalas or stuffed with paneer.
If it's stuffed with chickpea curry, it becomes another popular dish, known as chole bhatura, found at almost every street corner in North India. Bhatura's versatility is seen in kulcha, which is made with the same dough, but it is baked or cooked on a pan instead of being deep-fried.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Palak paneer is a popular Indian vegetarian dish made with paneer cheese in a rich, thick sauce consisting of puréed spinach mixed with tomatoes, garam masala, garlic, and numerous spices. The key ingredients are even mentioned in the name of the dish, since palak means spinach in hindi, and paneer refers to the cheese.
Palak paneer has roots in the Punjabi region, but there are also other variations of the dish throughout India. It is a highly nutritious meal that can be consumed either for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, accompanied by rice or Indian flatbreads such as naan and roti.
MOST ICONIC Palak paneer
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Aloo paratha is one of the most popular breakfast foods in northern India, a flatbread stuffed with a spicy potato mixture. Its name is derived from aloo, denoting a potato, parat, denoting layers, and atta, denoting flour.
The flatbread is made from whole-wheat flour, salt, and ghee, forming flaky, soft, and crispy layers that are golden-brown in color. The filling consists of mashed potatoes, ginger, green chilies, coriander, dried pomegranate seeds, chili powder, and salt.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Paratha
MOST ICONIC Aloo paratha
Although it originated in Punjab, dal makhani has become one of the most popular Indian lentil dishes, both in the country and outside of its borders. It consists of red kidney beans and whole black lentils, which also go under the name urad.
The dish is prepared with hefty amounts of ghee and various seasonings such as ginger-garlic paste and chili, and it is slowly cooked in a rich, tomato-based sauce. The name makhani, meaning butter, stems from the last addition, a drizzle of melted ghee or butter that provides the typical velvety flavor of this classic.
MOST ICONIC Dal makhani
Baingan bharta is a vegetarian side dish that is very popular in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh due to its rich aroma and flavor. It consists of minced and grilled eggplants that are combined with coriander, onion, chilies, and mustard oil, making it an ideal winter dish that is commonly consumed with Indian flatbreads or rice.
It was invented by the Punjabis, but as time went by, it crossed the Punjab borders and became popular throughout India and in other countries. Served piping hot, the dish is usually garnished with grated ginger and coriander leaves. The word baingan refers to the eggplant, while bharta refers to a variety of dishes where the ingredients are mashed before or after the preparation.
MOST ICONIC Baingan bharta
Masala papad is a traditional snack and a version of papadum flatbread that’s topped with a mix of tangy and spicy ingredients. The flatbread is roasted or fried and it’s usually made with lentil, chickpea, or rice flour. After it’s been roasted or fried until crunchy, it’s topped with a mixture of onions, tomatoes, coriander, hot chili powder, lemon juice, chaat masala, and salt.
It’s important to add the topping after the flatbread has been fried or roasted, otherwise it will get soggy. If desired, additional ingredients can be added to the topping, such as cucumbers, mint leaves, carrots, or raw mango. Masala papad is traditionally served as a snack or an appetizer, but it can also be served as an accompaniment to various Indian meals.
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Best Punjabi Food Producers
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Best Punjabi Food Products
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IWSC- International wine & spirit competition - Spirit Gold
2019
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 23 Punjabi Foods” list until March 20, 2025, 1,731 ratings were recorded, of which 1,301 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.