A Taste of Tehri: Food from the Mountains of Uttarakhand

Cannabis seeds, rhododendron, nettle grass, horse gram, barnyard millet and more. The region of Tehri has a cuisine that is unique and unusual, with a variety of fascinating ingredients. The local cuisine of Uttarakhand a must-try, says writer Fareeda Kanga.

Cannabis seeds or bhang, rhododendron, nettle grass, horse gram, barnyard millet and more. Trekking in the mountains of Uttarakhand, in the region of Tehri Garhwal, throws up many lesser-known ingredients that this hardy, unpretentious mountain state has been harvesting and consuming without much ado. It is surprising, (and rather disappointing), to report that despite the surge of tourism, especially post Covid, as Indians race to the hills for homestays, that this unique cuisine hasn’t gained the audience it deserves.

The author samples traditional foods on an Uttrakhan thali

We climb the circuitous mountains — most local restaurants and roadside dhabas along the way serve the ubiquitous Maggi in every imaginable form, from Schezwan to chocolate. Finding authentic Garhwali food is a challenge. Most culinary experts and books offer few clues, so we did our own digging.

‘Foraging’ and ‘sustainability’ are buzzwords in the business, but the cuisine of the Tehris has lived these these principles from time immemorial. The state of Uttarakhand is known broadly for two types of cuisine – Garhwali and Kumauni. Both feature dals, rotis and saags, but recipes vary according to seasonal produce and crop cultivation. Indo-Aryan and Indo-Iranian influences on the locals, believed to be their descendants, is clear to see in the food culture as well.

Imagine my surprise when I tasted bhang chutney. Made from locally grown cannabis seeds, that are crushed and tossed through with green chilies and coriander leaves. Some recipes add cumin, garlic, pomegranate seeds and souring agents like tamarind. Unlike the bud (or flower) that is consumed to get ‘high,’ the chutney, made from the seeds, has no psycho-addictive qualities, but offers instead, a hearty texture and sharp hit on the palette. Served with millet (Jhangori) roti, it is the perfect start to a traditional thali.

Eat at a Local Home to Taste Garhwali Food

Our first stop is the home of Deepa Pathak, who has run a successful homestay for 20-odd years in these mountains, and has always served the cuisine of this region to her guests, many of whom are creators who return here year-on-year for a biannual film festival.

“Dals like rajma and black soya bean or bhatt are an integral part of our diet” she explains. The range of pulses one finds here are quite something — Kulath (gehet dal), Himalayan toor (a different version of the arhar or toor dal), Pahari urad dal, riyaans dal (a small kidney bean like legume made up of a rainbow of colours) and harsil ke rajma (larger beans) are staples. Cooking styles vary from one part of the state to another; some regions choose for slow cooking on a fire, whilst the Garhwalis use a pressure cooker.

If you are lucky enough to get yourself invited to a local home, especially in the colder months, ask your host for Ras Bhatt, akin to a ‘soup chawal’ – comfort food at its best! Ras bhatt is made from an amalgamation of many dals – Pahadi rajma, black and white soya or bhatt, urid dal, small black chana and gehet all soaked overnight. In the morning, the dals are cooked slowly on a low flame in the very water they were soaked in, with the addition of a few spices.

Purists will tell you that the water becomes redolent with flavour, like a slow-cooked stock and that is essentially the ras that is drained and finally tempered with ghee, hing, and special spices like Jhambu and Dhungar.

If America is the Granary of the World, Garhwal is India’s answer

The variety of millets—bajra (pearl millet), jhangora (barnyard millet), kadra or mandua (kodo millet), which, according to Sharma, pack in three to five times the nutrition that rice and wheat offer. They blend well with other flours and can be used to make rotis, parathas or puris, but also can be baked into biscuits, cookies, breads, cakes and muffins. A local recipe for biscuits that combines mandua, jowar and bajra, bound by a mixture of ground flax and chia seeds instead of eggs, was a revelation.

Surprisingly, when it comes to the non- vegetarian fare, I find Chef Suresh from The Westin, Resort and Spa Himalayas, who serves a delicious Pahadi mutton and fresh trout curry. The Westin, perched amidst 12 acres of expansive greenery close to Rishikesh, takes pride in serving the region’s traditional food, and an integral part of the experience is sampling the traditional Uttarakhand thali.

Served in an alfresco setting with a bird’s eye view of the mountains, we dig into trout fish curry, delicately flavoured with jakhiya (a type of mustard) seeds and tomato. The freshness of this river speciality comes alive through this simple preparation. Other dishes we sampled in the thali were a unique aloo sabji seasoned with jhakiya, and the jhangori ki kheer and baal mithai – soft and gooey, a maava and sugar amalgamation.

Nettle leaves in saag is another masterpiece of carefully selected tender spinach leaves. Balancing the bitter leaves with sweet and earthy ones, is truly an art form.

Sharing recipes below for trout fish curry, bhang chutney, and palak kandali saag, from the Westin kitchen.

TROUT FISH CURRY

Ingredients
100 g Himalayan trout fish
½ tsp jakhiya seed
4 tbsp mustard oil
2 red chillies, whole
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp red chilly powder
10 g freshly chopped garlic
10 g onion, chopped
10 g tomato, chopped
1 lemon
½ tsp ginger garlic paste
Salt, to taste

Method
Wash and clean the trout, add to a bowl with salt, red chili powder, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice and mustard oil.
Rub the marinade all over the fish and set aside for about 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan and place in the marinated fish. Cook on both sides on low flame for 10 minutes.
For preparing the gravy, heat oil in a pan. Add the jakhiya seeds, whole red chillies, then the chopped garlic, onions into the pan, and sauté until light brown.
Now, add tomatoes and spices, and allow to cook. Add in a cup of water.
Then add trout fish and cook for a few minutes. Now, remove the pan from fire, garnish with coriander leaves, lemon juice.
Serve hot with rice.

BHANG KI CHUTNEY

Ingredients
50 g hemp seed (bhang)
½ tsp cumin seed
10 g coriander leaf
3 g ginger
5 g tomato
2 green chillies
2 g garlic
2 g mint leaf
1 lemon
Salt, to taste

Method
Add hemp seeds to a pan and toast on medium heat, until the colour changes.
The seeds burn very easily, so watch them carefully.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Add this into the food processor with fresh mint leaves, salt, green chilies, tomato, lemon juice and all ingredients then blend into a smooth paste.
Remove into a bowl and serve.

PALAK KANDALI KA SAAG

Ingredients
100 g nettle grass (kandali)
50 g spinach
½ tsp jakhiya seed
2 whole red chillies
10 g garlic
10 g chopped onion
2 green chillies
5 g turmeric powder
Salt to taste
10 g ghee

Method
First, pick the softest and smallest leaves of kandali and spinach.
Boil the leaves in water, and cook until the acidity disappears and the leaves become pulpy.
Drain the water and roughly chop the leaves.
Heat oil in thick bottom wok.
Now add jakhiya seeds and dry red chillies, followed by garlic and onion.
Cook until brown then add green chillies and turmeric powder.
And finally, add the spinach and kandali, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Check for seasoning.
Serve hot with mandua ki roti.

Fareeda Kanga is a freelance travel and features writer, who work has appeared in most leading magazines and newspapers across the globe.

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