A typical Punjabi cuisine consists of food varieties from both the Punjab states of India and Pakistan. There are both vegetarian and non-vegetarian menu. The main characteristic feature of Punjabi cuisine is its diversity. There may even be difference between homemade and restaurant cuisine. This is because in Punjabi restaurants, they make use of a large quantity of clarified butter (ghee) together with better volume of milk cream and butter. But, homemade foods are mainly based on rice and whole wheat together with various other ingredients spiced with the masala.

Even within the Punjab territory, there are variations in their food preferences. People residing in the region of Amritsar and Lahore like to eat dairy based products and stuffed parathas. This region is well recognized for its good quality milk products. Authentic Punjabi cuisines include makki di roti and sarson da saag. The major constituent of delicious Punjabi cuisine is ginger, garlic and onion. The method of tandoori cooking was developed in former unpartitioned Punjab. Most of the food items in traditional Indian cuisines (like pakoras, vegetable menus with paneer base, naan and tandoori items) that are well known to foreign food lovers is obtained from Punjab state.

The concentration of spices used in Punjabi recipes may range from very minimum quantity to highly customary. Maize and wheat form a major portion of their staple foods. Yellow gram and black gram are essential lentils in Punjabi food items. Their cuisine also consists of curd and rotis.

Even now, the tradition of cooking food in tandoors or community ovens is popular in rural regions. Tandoor breads like rotis, parathas and naans are made by using wheat and maize. These are served together with a chunk of desi ghee and plateful of onions, lime and green chillies.

In Breakfast, they prefer to consume Lassi, Falooda, Halwa Poori and Paratha. Their vegetarian menu includes Dal Makhani (lentils cooked with cream and butter), beans and mushroom sabzi, aloo (tasted with poori), choley (eaten with kulcha or naan), rongi (black eyed peas), Rajma (red colored kidney beans) with rice, sarson da saag (green mustard leaves based dish item) and makki di roti (corn flour based bread). All these menus are prepared by using lentils and/or bean and pulses.

They also love to eat kadhi pakora (pakoras served with their authentic chutney) and rice. Kadhi belongs to the category of curry cooked by using gramflour with buttermilk or curd. It is optional to add fried lumps of gramflour together with chillies and salt to this preparation. Punjab people eat samosas and pakoras as their snack. The pakoras are served with green colored chutney which is popular as pudine ki chutney. They love to consume paneer and paneer-based dishes like khoya paneer and shahi paneer. Breads are available in Punjab in both raised and flattened (unleavened) form. Their breads are made from various types of flours and can be prepared in various ways too.

If they bake their bread in a tandoor, then it can be named as lachha paratha, kulcha or tandoori roti. The flour can also be baked drily in a tawa and it is named as chapatti or phulka. One can also prepare makki ki roti, baajre ki roti and jowar ki roti by following this protocol. There is also availability of radish paratha, potato paratha, keema paratha or simple paratha. Bread can also be deep fried and it is called as puri and bhatoora (deep fried fermented dough). Naan is the famous dish in Punjab. It is popularly served with most other dishes prepared in Indian kitchen.

Vegetarian Punjabi Dishes

Punjabi vegetarian cuisines are available in various names and flavors. The following is a list of delicious and lip smacking Punjabi vegetarian dishes:

Aloo Capsicum Masala

This masala is a dry sabji/curry that goes well with chapatti or rice or any form of bread. This can also be used as packing material for sandwich or chapathi roll.

Daal Makhani

This is their party dish and goes well with freshly prepared rotis. It can also be tasted as soup.

Kaale Channe

This savoury dish delivers excellent taste with poori or rice. Kaale Channe with poori and halwa is traditionally consumed during ashtami day of navaratri season.

Coriander Chutney

Coriander chutney is prepared with green chilli and salt. This is very easy to prepare and is served with many Indian appetizers as a dip.

Rajma Recipe

Rajma when cooked with a good amount of onion and ginger garlic paste is enjoyed with rice and roti.

Other vegetable cuisines in Punjab include matar paneer, baingan bharta, moong masoor dal, aloo spinach paratha, Punjabi kadi pakoras, stuffed gobi paratha, aloo gobhi, cucumber raita, raungi, sukhi or dry moong daal, toor daal, green beans ki sabji, Aloo methi, Kachumber, colorful vegetable idlis, Punjabi aloo methi, aloo tikki, spicy bhindi, aloo gobi ki sabzI, Vegetable samosas, Pomegranate, ginger and cinnamon rice, gobi mutter masala, ghar ka masala (a blend of adrak, mustard seeds, mirchi, haldi, dhania and crushed jeera), baked aloo gobhi, Palak ke paronthe, mango mint lassi, aloo capsicum masala, karahi paneer, tawa paneer, cauliflower spicy cheesecakes, Lajawab shai paneer, Roti pulao and palak paneer bhurjee.