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THE scenic beauty of Himachal Pradesh is well-known not only in India but all over the world. But what is far less known is the fact that the hill state has a rich and elaborate culinary tradition as well. This may have some resemblance with cooking in the neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir but has a distinctive existence entirely different from that in the plains. It is just that these dishes have never been presented to the world in their full glory. Bhawanee Singh, who originally belongs to Chamba, has now done the needful, in style. She has gathered exotic dishes from her region and the rest of the state and presented them in a tastefully produced book, which can do any coffee table proud. The recipes have been given in a concise, easily understandable, step-by-step manner, reminiscent of the style of Tarla Dalal. Colour photographs of many of the dishes make them all the more palatable. Coming from a family of shikaris herself, she has included non-vegetarian dishes aplenty. Even otherwise, non-vegetarian dishes are an integral part of Himachali cuisine, considering that vegetables are hard to get by during the harsh snow-bound months. These include exotic dishes like Chasnidar Maas (mutton in a sweet and spicy gravy) and mutton cooked in yoghurt. In Himachali cooking, spices are not fried in ghee or oil. Instead, these are added to the dish at the end, to retain the flavour. But to suit the general palate, Bhawanee Singh has not insisted on this peculiarity. Another switch she has agreed to—on the insistence of her health-conscious soldier family (her husband is a serving General)—is to cut down on the lavish use of ghee and spices. Still, if some dishes use one or even one-and-a-half cups of ghee, treat that as a tribute to Himachali appetite. Another distinctive feature of Himachali cooking is that the rich, highly flavoured and seasoned preparations avoid the excessive use of onion and garlic, favouring the use of lassi (buttermilk) instead. Dham is a lavish Pahari feast held during marriages, childbirth and religious festivals, etc. The meal is cooked and served by family Brahmins, on plates made of dried leaves. The guests are seated on the floor and the food is eaten by hand. The author has included a special section on the dishes served on such joyous occasions. There are mouth-watering dishes like Madhra, Meetha Bhat and Boor Seviyan. Again, because of the extreme weather, pickling is an important food activity in the hills. Since most vegetables are not available in the winter, these are preserved in the form of spicy pickles, eaten with maize roti or rice. Pickled game meat is also a favourite. The book devotes large sections to these activities. The foreword has been written by Mrs Usha Narayanan, wife of former President K. R. Narayanan, who has expressed confidence that it will not disappoint a connoisseur, or fail to lure the uninitiated into the art of cooking. The book will also,
hopefully, help revive and preserve the Himachali cuisine. |
