India is home to a variety of delicious foods. It would be a crime to avoid the meal when it is as beautiful as the mountains, right?
Pahadi cuisine is all about mouthwatering food that radiates simplicity, with simple vegetables and extravagant sweets.
Lentils, potatoes, and pahadi vegetables are the key ingredients in savory dishes, while rice, sugar cane, jaggery, khoya, and other ingredients are used to make sweets. But for the majority of their recipes, the handmade ghee works its magic. So here is a list of five Pahadi meals you absolutely must eat that taste like the mountains!
Chainsoo
One of the most delicious Pahadi foods, chains, is prepared using kali dal. You will see Pahari folks serving this dal with cooked rice or baadi if you ever go out to eat with them. Chainsoo also maintains your strength and offers a host of health advantages.
You can get a lot of protein from it as well. So Chainsoo is an excellent choice for everyone who is a vegan. The meal includes urad dal which has been spiced and baked. The secret, though, is to garnish it with finely chopped coriander and pure ghee.
Anardana Chicken
Pahadi cuisine has a completely distinct method of cooking meat. Therefore, if you’re tired of eating the same old tandoori chicken, here’s a tasty alternative. Butter and ghee are heavily used in anardana chicken.
However, the method of marinating is what makes the dish the most distinctive. The chicken is marinated with dry pomegranate seeds and chiles, which gives the dish its bronze hue. Later, when the dish cooks on low heat, a lot of mountain spices are added. Absolutely delicious!
Singori
One of the well-known Pahadi dishes is singori or singodi. It’s a sweet meal with a special green garnish. This dish is encased in condensed milk-smelling malu leaves. The majority of malu or molu leaves can be found on mountain slopes, mainly in Uttarakhand.
Khoya, cardamom, sugar, and grated coconut are the ingredients in the filling for the leaves. Singori is Kumaon’s pride, therefore if you visit Kumaon, there is no way you should pass up this delectable treat.
Pahadi Aloo Palda
The majority of pahadi dishes feature fresh vegetables, however, this one is a mountain potato curry. The meal is composed of a rich, silky sauce that contains pieces of boiled potatoes. However, a variety of spices, primarily cardamom, and mustard oil, are added while the food is simmering.
The curry, which features yogurt as its main ingredient, tastes best when paired with hot, steamed rice. And if you choose to prepare it yourself, bear in mind that the entire dish is cooked over a medium flame.
Also, Read Must-try dishes from Maharashtra
Bhang Ki Chutney
Bhang ki chutney on the side is essential for enhancing the flavor of Pahadi dishes. Among the Pahadis, this chutney recipe is highly well-liked. Green chiles, mint, and bhang seeds are used in its preparation. Additionally, if you are eating meat, adding this chutney will cast a spell over your taste receptors.
Chutney preparation is quite easy, and you can do this at home with no problem. The bhang seeds need only be roasted and then ground. In the grinder, combine the green chilies, lemon juice, mint leaves, water, then salt after that. It’s time for your pahadi chutney.
Chamba
Deep-fried fresh fish from the Chamba Valley is prepared with red chili powder, turmeric, ginger, and other seasonings. After that, it is deep-fried till golden and crispy after being coated in a besan batter.
Thechwani
To make the ideal thechwani, potatoes, and radish roots are cooked in a variety of masalas and chiles. To achieve the ideal earthy texture in the meal, the radish roots with potatoes are never chopped but rather broken up into little pieces.
Chha Gosht
Do you enjoy lamb dishes? Chha Gosht, a Himachal traditional cuisine delicacy cooked from marinated lamb that has been left out for hours to soften, is a must-try special food of Himachal Pradesh. Later, gram flour, yogurt, and spices were added to create a rich gravy.
The flavor of this meal is further increased when it is prepared using Indian spices like cardamom, red chili powder, coriander powder, bay leaf, asafoetida, or ginger-garlic paste. A true non-vegetarian treat, the flesh is so juicy that it melts in your mouth. Make sure you don’t leave Himachal Pradesh on your trip till you’ve tried this mouthwatering cuisine there.
Akotri
Many of us are familiar with the well-known cheesecakes, but are you familiar with Akotri? Akotri is a form of regional cake or pancake that is the ideal rival to this international baked treat. The preparation of this Himachal Pradesh food recipe uses buckwheat leaves, which are then cooked in wheat flour, and is a traditional dish in Himachal Pradesh (in the Northern Hills).
This Himachal Pradesh cuisine is popular among the natives and is frequently served during celebrations there. Even though it is believed that this meal originated in the Spiti Valley, it is frequently made and eaten as food in Himachal Pradesh. As a result, it ranks among the top traditional Pahadi dishes.
