Contest -Traditional Food | Dahi Bhallay

When it comes to cultural food, Punjab and its people are famous for eating their heart out. In Punjab, weddings and festivals are incomplete without fancy foods. They are gonna compromise on everything but on food? Never.

^{Dahi Bhallay}

Punjabi people literally overeat and their out grown stomachs are an evidence. Their breakfasts are incomplete without halwa puri, Naan Chanay, Nehari and Parathay.

Eid festivals, Weddings and Fridays are boring without Biryani(but not mine). All of my siblings and some friends are crazy for biryani and Chicken karahi.

^Biryani

However, I'm not into any of these foods.
Whenever i go to any wedding I look for rice, gravy of chicken or beef, and Dahi Bhallay, which people mostly don't pay attention to. Because they're too busy to look for beef, mutton, barbecue, and Biryani(i don't eat non-veg).

I can't eat my rice without yogurt, and if we have Dahi Bhallay or Pakoriyan, what would be better than that?

Last time when we made it at home was Ramadan in 2022. My Nana Abu was home for iftari one day.
My brother and mother made it for the 2nd time, the first time they made it was one year before that(In the fast of Shaban).

^{I became familiar with it in my childhood, but its history is too old, this recepie is supposed to be descended from Mughals in India. Mughals were Muslims and their traces in the form of buildings, palaces and mosques are present in Punjab.
That's why Bhallay are more common in Punjab of both countries(Pakistan and India)
In Urdu it is called Dahi Bhallay, in Punjabi Dahi Pallay and in Hindi as Dahi varay. It's a kind of chat which can be eaten as a snack}.

What is your all-time favorite traditional food and why?

It's Dahi Bhallay/Pakoriyan, native to Punjab of Pakistan and India. I don't know why i love it. I just remember that i am eating them since my childhood. Whenever we used to visit my Nano, my mamu and Nana Abu always brought Dahi bhallay and pakoriyan for a dinner.
That's how my craze for bhallay grew up along with me.

What is the most surprising or unexpected ingredient in your traditional food?

There is no surprising thing as such, but it's benefits can be surprising for a good health.

Major ingredient in Dahi Bhallay is yogurt which is a natural probiotic. Doctors recommend to take probiotic every day for a good gut health. It is good to treat stomach issues like constipation and diarrhoea. Because it ensures a healthy environment for good bacteria in stomach which is essential for proper digestion.

Yogurt is also rich in protein(our skin and hair are made of it), which our body requires in adundance after carbohydrates.

These can be surprising facts for a layman but to a person with science background these facts are normal.

If you had to describe your traditional food to someone who has never tasted it before, how would you describe its flavor and texture?

For that i have to mention the ingredients:

• Yogurt
• Lentils
• Spices like (cumin, salt, Dahi bhallay masala,)
• Sauces for topping

By mentioning the ingredients we can persue and convince a person to eat anything. Then i will tell them how these lentils are deep fried (people love fried stuff more) and soaked in Yogurt. You can have it extra spicy with additional Spices or sauce(sweet) on top of it. It feels so fluffy just try it for once and there would be no way coming back.

If you could only eat one traditional dish for the rest of your life, which one would it be and why?

It would be always Dahi bhallay/pakoriyan along with rich (preferably matar, chana pulao).
There is no reason for liking it, i just love it. Imagine having a plate of pulao with gravy on top of it along with Dahi bhallay (saliva is flooding lol), and a glass of coke in summers, a perfect treat at the end of a day.

That's all for this contest, kudos to @aaliarubab for organizing this light minded contest:)

Inviting @abdullhahsafdar @sabanaqsh and @murriumkhalid