Mustard Greens, Yak Cheese & Wild Herbs in Khuri Khu
Lungmying Lepcha introduces us to a beloved staple from the cuisine of the Lepchas of Sikkim, a millet wrap that utilises local produce and traditional techniques.
Growing up in urban Gangtok, I was unschooled in many of the traditions of our community, and things my parents knew instinctively when they were young.
I belong to the Lepcha community, an indigenous community that lives in the foothills of the Himalayas, in Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Nepal. Us Lepchas are a people whose cuisine is rooted in the local forests; in our dialect, we call it jungle ko sabji (vegetables from the forest). Through the stories of our elders, especially grandparents who live in the countryside, we learn to navigate the nearby forests, visit our neighbours, and harvest wild produce.
It is difficult for me to know and recognise the names of everyday plants and the trees in my hometown; it took me almost until the end of high school to know their names, and how to grow and care for them.
One of the first things I learned was khuri khu, a traditional food of the Lepchas. Khuri in Lepcha literally translates to buckwheat, but people often use millet flour instead; and khu translates to bread or roti. Khuri khu is a buckwheat crepe, filled with leafy mustard greens, local yak cheese and wild herbs. It is served with spicy sauce made with wild herbs. Despite being a fundamental building block in the cuisine of the Lepchas, the making of khuri khu demands patience, especially with the base of the wrap.
Khuri Khu or khuri is a traditional dish made by the Lepcha community. Credit: Kitchensalubrious on Instagram
RECIPE FOR KHURI KHU
Ingredients
110 g of buckwheat flour
1 bunch of chopped mustard greens (rai saag)
2 tbsp of butter
A small bowl of local cottage cheese (churpi )
Salt, to taste
100 ml water
Method
Mix the flour and water to make a batter of runny consistency. It shouldn't be too thick or too thin.
For the stuffing
Heat a pan and melt a tablespoon of butter. Add the greens, the salt, and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes. Then, mix in the cottage cheese.
Heat another pan on medium flame and pour a ladleful of batter without any oil. Fill the mixture only once one side is cooked.
For the chutney or chili sauce
Take two to three local chillies (dalle or khursani), with timbur (forest fruits which are green small in size has a sharp taste of sour and bitter).
Crush them using a mortar and pestle or on a sil batta.
Add one boiled tomato and crush again on the sil batta. It is ready to serve once it reaches a smooth consistency.
Lungmying Lepcha is a teenager from Gangtok, who wants to work for her culture in the future by preserving the stories and inheritance of the indigenous way through the field of Literature.
Read about other culinary gems from Sikkim, here.
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