It is now the season of fairs and festivals in the hill State and Dehra Dun is preparing itself for events which will be attended in large numbers not only by locals but also by tourists from all parts of the world who are drawn towards this region during this season. Most of the fests and fairs that are held in the Doon valley from October to December try to ensure that the local hill cuisine is made available to visitors so that they are acquainted with the various tastes of these hills and dales.
Pulses and grains special to this mountain State along with spices have always been very popular among consumers at trade fairs where they are made available in their dry form by many units from across the hill State. However, it is now also becoming a trend that cooked dishes of this region are also put up for sale at the food courts in the several melas and fetes that are held here in these winter months. These dishes are wholesome and give warmth and energy that is much required in the winters here.
Tourists visiting Uttarakhand are always interested in tasting the local cuisine. In Dehra Dun, we can now see many restaurants serving the local fare. Some visitors prefer to have a traditional Pahadi meal at the home of a friend or an acquaintance.
Rice, pulses, finger millet (called kwada or mandua ), jaggery, mustard oil and potatoes form the broad base of almost all the important Uttarakhandi dishes. Rice, Kulath Daal (also known as Gahat ki Daal), Tor ki Daal and Mandua (finger millet) are the main stars of the Garhwali diet and besides tasting delicious are full of nutrition and medicinal properties. “Tor-Bhaat” is cooked in all pahadi homes almost every day during the winter months.
Several of the Garhwali and Kumaoni recipes are related to festivals and special occasions. These include kesar halwa which is cooked on Basant Panchami, Meethha Bhaat (sweet rice) and “Urad Dal ki pakodi” which one can savour on Makar Sankranti. This pakodi is regarded as auspicious and is cooked at weddings, birthdays and almost all festivals. These taste quite like the South Indian Vadas but are also different in that they have “white tils” (sesame seeds) haldi and garam masala. Rot (pronounced Roat) and Arsa, which can be kept for weeks, are also made on auspicious occasions, specially, during marriages. Rot is a thick roti made from whole wheat flour kneaded with milk and then with a solution of water and jaggery. Arsas are small puris made of rice flour kneaded in sugar solution.
Chainsoo, a Pahari delicacy, is made from Black Urad daal, roasted and then ground into a coarse powder which is cooked in oil in the form of a curry. Chainsoo tastes great with rice. Bhatwani, which is popular in Kumaon, substitutes Urad with Bhat(a variety of soyabean).
Thechwani is made either with round-rooted pahadi radish(called mula) or with patatoes. The radish or patatoes are not cut but crushed to pieces. A gravy is prepared using cumin seeds, chopped onions, turmeric powder and asafoetida to which the fried vegetable is added with salt. There is a variety of green leafy vegetables like the pahadi palak(made into a thick, green curry called Kafuli). Leafy greens are, usually, cooked simply by stir frying the chopped leaves in smoking mustard oil. These preparations are called “bhujji” and are served with rice.
Rather unusual chutneys are found in Garhwali and Kumaoni kitchens. The most popular chutney among the Garhwalis, especially in winters, is the “til ki chutney’ made from white sesame seeds .For the Kumaonis, it is “Bhang ki Chutney’ which substitutes til with “bhang” (marijuana) seeds. Unlike the leaves of bhang, its seeds are not an intoxicant.
Mutton is also greatly relished in Pahadi households. “Bhuttua” and “Kachmauli” are regarded as delicacies . Bhuttua refers to the cooked intestines of a goat while for Kachmauli, a whole animal (usually a goat) is smoked for hours over a fire of green leaves and tender twigs.
Baal Mithhai, Singori and Chocolate are the three popular sweets of Uttarakhand. Baal Mithai is made by cooking khoya (evaporated milk cream) with cane sugar until it becomes dark brown in colour. When cool, it is cut into cubes which are garnished with white sugar balls which look like beads. Singori is another preparation of flavoured khoya which is wrapped in oak leaves. Chocolate is Baal Mithai without the sugar balls.
Travellers to this picturesque region savour all the unique taste and are surprised how such delicious food is prepared with such simple ingredients. Winter is especially the time to enjoy this exquisite variety of cuisine. If the Government ensures that more outlets serve this food it would go a long way in boosting tourism. Visitors always look forward to savouring these tastes.