Jeera Rice · Punjab. Fluffy basmati cooked with cumin seeds crackled in ghee, with a bay leaf and a few whole spices. The everyday partner for dal and any North Indian curry.
Aloo Palak · Punjab. Homely Punjabi potatoes cooked into fresh spinach with garlic, ginger and cumin. Simple, green and gone with a stack of hot phulkas.
Paneer Tikka Masala · Punjab. Smoky, charred paneer tikka with peppers and onion, folded into a buttery tomato and cashew masala scented with kasuri methi.
Dry Chana Masala · Punjab. Punjabi sookhe chole: dark, tangy chickpeas tossed in a thick roasted masala with amchur and anardana until every one is coated. Made for bhature, kulcha or a pile of sliced onions.
Palak Chicken · Punjab. Tender chicken simmered in a bright green, garlicky spinach gravy. A Punjabi home favourite that tastes rich but is easy going on the waistline.
Chicken Tikka Masala · Punjab. Smoky, chargrilled chicken tikka folded into a bold onion, tomato and cream masala. Punchier and more onion-forward than butter chicken, with the tikka's char front and centre.
Tandoori Masala · Punjab. A deep red, smoky-warm blend of Kashmiri chilli, roasted whole spices, kasuri methi, ginger and garlic for tikkas and tandoori chicken.
Garam Masala (Punjabi Style) · Punjab. The warm, peppery, cardamom-heavy blend of North Indian home kitchens and dhabas. Freshly ground, it smells nothing like the dusty shop-bought jar.
Veg Pulao · Punjab. An everyday one-pot pulao of basmati, carrots, beans and peas cooked in ghee with whole spices, light enough for a weeknight and pretty enough for guests.
Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry · Punjab. Home-style Punjabi chicken curry made start to finish in one pressure cooker: onion, tomato and ready-ground spices, done in three whistles.
Paneer Bhurji · Punjab. Crumbled paneer cooked Punjabi style with onion, tomato and a little garam masala. Twelve minutes to a high-protein dinner with roti.
Gajar ka Halwa · Punjab. The Punjabi winter pudding: grated red carrots cooked slowly in full-fat milk until it all reduces, then fried in ghee with sugar, cardamom and nuts.
Tandoori Chicken · Punjab. Chicken legs slashed, marinated twice in lemon, chilli and spiced yogurt, then roasted hot until charred at the edges and juicy inside.
Dal Tadka · Punjab. Yellow toor and moong dal cooked soft with onion and tomato, then finished with a sizzling ghee tadka of cumin, garlic and red chilli.
Aloo Paratha · Punjab. Whole-wheat flatbreads stuffed with spiced mashed potato, cooked crisp on a tawa with ghee and served with white butter and curd.
Kadai Paneer · Punjab. Paneer, capsicum and onion tossed in a thick tomato masala with freshly roasted and pounded coriander, red chilli and cumin.
Aloo Gobi · Punjab. Dry Punjabi sabzi of potato and cauliflower florets cooked slowly with turmeric, ginger and cumin until golden at the edges.
Rajma Chawal · Punjab. Punjab's Sunday lunch: red kidney beans simmered soft in an onion-tomato masala until the gravy turns thick and creamy, ladled over steamed basmati.
Mango Lassi · Punjab. Thick, cold Punjabi yogurt drink blended with ripe mango, a little sugar and cardamom.
Dal Makhani · Punjab. Punjab's slow-simmered whole black urad and rajma, cooked down until creamy and finished with butter and cream.
Amritsari Chole · Punjab. Dark, tangy Punjabi chickpeas simmered with tea for colour and finished with amchur and ghee. Best with bhature.
Palak Paneer · Punjab. Soft paneer in a bright green spinach gravy with garlic, green chilli and a little cream.