PUNJAB DI MITHAI
December 19, 2020
2 Comments
Punjab di Mithai or the desserts of Punjab are unique in its own right. Lets get to enjoy and taste some of these mithais. Mention Punjab and the imagery in our mind is of wheat fields and rivers of milk. This is the main reason why most of the sweets made in this state are made of milk and milk products or are wheat based. Jaggery is also used extensively in the preparations .
Let me start with the milk based mithas. The very tradional delicious mithai is the Tosha which is made of paneer, sugar, dry nuts and cardamom. In Punjab festivities are incomplete without Phirni which is a rice pudding and can be considered a variant to the varities of Kheer. Also popular are the paneer ki kheer, makhaane ki kheer and our very own chawal ki kheer.
Another favourite dessert of this region is the Doodh ki barfi which is very similar to the milk cake or kalakand of Uttar Pradesh. Another summer dessert is kulfi in the various flavors like Malai, pista and kesar.
In every sweet lovers’ crave list is the mouthwatering Gajar ka Halwa which I like best eaten hot in the cold winters. My other all time favourite is Doodhi ka Halwa.
The three desserts commonly eaten during winter are Panjiri , Aate ki pinni and Gajak which can be collectively referred to as “Ma ka pyaar “. Traditionally mothers prepare and pack these sweets for their children who leave home for further pursuits. Panjiri is a wonderful nutritional snack made from whole-wheat flour fried in sugar and ghee, laced with dry fruits and herbal gum or gond. Aate ki Pinni are sweets made of wheat flour, ghee, jaggery, and dry nuts. A crispy textured treat, Gajak is made using jaggery and sesame seeds mostly for Lohri festival.
No Punjabi wedding is complete without Gud paare , a jaggery coated biscuit like sweet. Of course , Meethi matri goes very well with garam chai.
Kada prashaad is a heavenly sweet halwa made of wheat flour, sugar and ghee usually served in Gurudwara saab .
The dessert journey of Punjab is incomplete without the mention of meethi lassi.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of some of the traditional Punjab di Mithai. Of course. there are many more mithais to explore and enjoy in this region .
Tags: gajak, gajar ka halwa, panjiri, pinni
I cannot say anything except” Ballé Ballé”
Brings the taste of all the Mithais to the mouth. Punjab does it everything with extravaganza. It may be simple Atté ki pinni or kaju rolls , it’s a treat. I love a Punjabi quickfix recipe…. Ghee baked crisp rotis with “gur” … It’s just awesome.
Talking of gaajar ka halwa…there are more halwas….
Suji , Loki , also gobi … A Punjabi is so versatile that he can make halwa out of karela also and bet it will taste yummy.
Nice glimpse into punjab da mithai . Upadhriti you are as versatile as the Mithais in your blogs. Beautiful writing.
You bet , Punjabis are indeed versatile . Thank you for your kind words of appreciation and your amazing observation .You inspire me to excel.