We metropolitan dwellers are forever starved of authentic regional cuisines across India's traditionally rich and diverse home kitchens. SHOBORI GANGULI had the fortune of feasting on one such regal platter wafting from the heart of Uttarakhand in Delhi

Tamra, at Shangri La Eros, New Delhi, had a monsoon delight on offer this month with a pop-up of some truly earthy, hearty and soulful Uttarakhandi cuisine handcrafted by the extremely gifted Dehradun based Chef Yojana Khanduri Chaudhary. Those familiar with the flora and fauna of this northern Himalayan region would clearly know of the robust aromas of a pahadi kitchen and some of its most mouth-watering dishes to be savoured on a rain-drenched August afternoon.

Here, I will pause to underline that Chef Pin is God's gift to those who worship and crave for, authentic Indian regional cuisines, far away from the butter chicken and paneer tikka fare that parades under the "Indian cuisine" banner in restaurants across metropolises. A unique and innovative platform across Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, Chef Pin is an app which offers diners local, authentic and home-cooked meals from hundreds of talented home chefs. Apart from opening up these secret kitchens to urban diners at their homes, the pop-ups organised by Chef Pin at leading hotels allow these chefs to showcase their unique culinary flair to a much larger audience.

So this month it was Chef Yojana, a textile designer by training, her passion for food having taken her on a parallel route of creativity: Cooking. Her dedication to cooking, imprinted with her signature flourish on time-held traditional recipes of the Himalayan landscape, gave us a truly delectable meal. This infectiously bubbly Chef has made a commendable effort to act as a bridge to bring the raw, earthy robust spices, herbs, vegetables and seeds sourced from the heart of Uttarakhand to the uninitiated urban metro dweller.

I was indeed fortunate to savour the innovative fusion of aromatic spices, fresh ingredients and traditional cooking techniques masterfully curated by Chef Yojana. Her passion for authenticity and originality, deeply inspired by her Himalayan roots, to cater to the urban palate is nothing short of a marvel.

This young Chef put out quite a royal feast, her signature creations infusing each preparation with the warmth of a pahadi rasoiya. She was kind enough to detail all the ingredients she had sourced from her home town to give the Delhi diner some authentic flavours, like Jakhiya, Bhang beej, Bhang jeera, Phara, Jhangora (millet), Mandua (Ragi millet), Lal Bhaat, (red rice), Chemi (pahadi rajma) and gehet (horsegram). Chef Yojana is passionate about roasting and hand grinding her masalas on a sil batta (stone mortar and pestle). Rare to see such enthusiasm for tradition in today's generation of professionals.

With everything in place, I set out on a heart-warming culinary journey through Patudi, a mini Dal Cheela, the absolutely irresistible and aromatic Bhaang Sookha Chicken. With Lal Bhaat as a companion, Chef Yojana walked me through with chicken cooked in arbi leaves (colocassia). Her Shikar Mutton was the show stopper of the whole spread with its smoky flavours lifting the rich gravy to an unbeatable level. There was palak hari bhujji (Spinach) and Urad ki Kichdi. All accompanied by side dishes like Bhang ki Chutney, Kheere ka Raithu, Naal Badi ka Saag and Mooli Thechwa. 

Chef Yojana concluded the fare with her signature take on traditional Uttarakhandi sweets like Jhangore Ki Kheer and Mandwe Ka Halwa, descending straight from the serene landscapes of the Himalayas into the heart of Delhi. Hope these roving chefs continue to visit us with their art and craft of cooking!