A Recipe for Manna from Lahaul Valley

Shanti Devi runs a homestay in Lahaul. The smiling matriarch of the family As we thaw, the otherwise uninhibited yet initially awkward Shanti Devi begins the preparation for manna — a neer dosa-like crepe made solely with locally grown buckwheat and kala jeera found in the valley’s forest. This simple dish is enjoyed with ghee made from the milk of livestock reared by each household.

Eaten only during two indigenous festivals, manna holds cultural significance for the 15-odd households in Rashil and an equal number of households in the neighbouring villages of Rapay and Jobran. The residents of these three villages on the left bank of the Chenab form a unique community that is Tibetan Buddhist by birth but worships Shiv and considers Vasuki (serpent king, popularly depicted coiled around Shiv’s neck) as their kul-devata (clan deity).

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SHANTI DEVI’S MANNA RECIPE

Ingredients

Fine buckwheat flour
1 tsp Himalayan kala jeera (black cumin, not Nigella seeds/kalonji)
Salt to taste
400-500 ml water

Method

Take water in a large mixing bowl and add a teaspoon of kala jeera and salt.
Start by adding a fistful of buckwheat flour to the bowl while stirring the mixture.
Keep adding buckwheat flour and stirring it until you reach a smooth, flowy mixture with a consistency similar to a pancake, pakoda or a slightly watery dosa batter.
If the batter is too thick, add more water.
Taste and adjust the salt.
Place a flat, preferably non-stick or pre-seasoned, pan placed on the lowest possible flame ensuring it does not heat up too much.
Use a regular tablespoon or the smallest available serving spoon and start to pour the batter on the pan and spread it out in circular motion to form a thin layer before adding the next spoonful of batter. Continue with this process until the entire surface of the pan is covered in a thin, uniform layer.
When the batter dries out and tiny holes or peeled-skin like bubble marks appear on the manna, carefully lift it off the pan [traditionally, lifted off with fingers, you can use a silicon or a spatula with a blunt edge]. Fold the manna twice over to resemble a neer dosa/ triangle.
Use the rest of the batter the same way.

Words by Yoshita Sengupta. Photos by Terrence Manne. Art by Ariel Wills.
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