The Essential Guide to Sikh Weddings: Food and Desserts

2015 Jun 23 - by dulhan

As with any lavish celebration, Sikhs enjoy the finest food and desserts during weddings. Sikhs are not uniformly vegetarian, so the menus often contain meat dishes. Sikh diet only insists that the foods are all natural and as healthy as possible - so as to avoid processed foods and chemicals. As a result, the food served at a Sikh wedding will be freshly made and delicious.

From Suneera & Faizal's Wedding

Punjabis in particular, Sikh or not, are known for their love of alcohol at weddings. Unlike Maharashtrian weddings or Brahmin weddings in general, alcohol is not banned at the reception. However, both Hinduism and Sikhism frown on the consumption of alcohol within a temple or holy place - so it is unlikely that liquor will be served anywhere but the reception hall of a wedding.

Sikh food is mainly prepared with ghee and butter, with rich gravy to accompany the various vegetables. Here is a sample menu that you might see at a Sikh wedding:

Appetizers:

Aloo Tikki

Samosas

Pakoras

Main Course:

Naan

Paratha

Sabzi with vegetables (beans, carrots, potato and spinach)

Daal

Paneer dishes (dry or with gravy, like paneer tikka masala)

Chicken tikka masala or tandoori chicken

Rice served with yogurt or spiced raita (yogurt with spices, cucumber, and coriander)

Dessert:

Gulab Jamun

Kheer

Various mithai (such as rasgulla, halwa, or ladoos)

Drinks:

Lassi (sweet, salt, or mango)

Specialty Dishes:

Paratha

Paratha is a flaky, layered bread that many Sikh families enjoy with ghee for breakfast. It can be stuffed with other vegetables to make variations on the dish, such as aloo paratha (with potatoes) and methi paratha (with fenugreek leaves).

Paneer

Recipe via Veg Recipes of India

Paneer is a thick slab of fresh cheese made from curdling milk with an acid and not aging it. Sikhs enjoy paneer made with spices such as turmeric, garam masala, and cumin. It can be enjoyed dry, as in paneer tikka, or with gravy, such as butter paneer.

Sarson ka saag

Recipe via Veg Recipes of India

This green dish is made with mustard (sarson) and various leafy vegetables. Mustard leaves are key to the tangy taste of this dish, along with spinach, fenugreek, and radish leaves. The leaves are blended into a paste and mixed with spices such as chili powder and garnishes such as onions. The curry is simmered for a long time and enjoyed with corn rotis, called makki di roti.

Karhai Chicken

This spicy chicken dish involves the leg and breast meat of the chicken being cooked in traditional spices after a quick fry in a wok. The gravy in the dish is often best enjoyed sopped up with naan or paratha.

Sikh food is meant to be enjoyed heartily, with tasty drinks including cocktails, lassis, and buttermilk. The reception is a time for family to get together and celebrate the spiritual journey of marriage - and food is the best way for everyone to have a great time.

Check out the rest of the series here:

Post-Wedding Traditions

Bridal Attire and Jewelry

Groom's Attire

Food and Desserts - You are here!

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