Day 2 - Himachali food

Hi friends, 

Hope you would have enjoyed reading about J&k dishes. Today I come to you with Himachal Pradesh dishes.

Himachal pradesh is a hilly state. So their cooking is also called pahari cooking. 

Day 2 - Himachal pradesh 

Himachal pradesh is famous for its Dham. It is a feast prepared for weddings, special occasions and festivals. I was pleasantly surprised to know that all Dham dishes were purely vegetarian and sometimes they were made without onion and garlic too. Usually it's cooked in big pots over wood. There are around 8-16 dishes cooked. All the dishes are made in these pots to keep them hot as it is very cool there. I wanted to cook everything. Sometimes we don't have the native vegetables or the dals or flours. So I am not able to try everything. I decided to make with what I had in my pantry.

Today, since it was solar eclipse, I didn't try to cook for lunch. So I have made some dishes for dinner. 

Today I have made 

Channa madra

Madra is gravy made of curd. Boiled channa is simmered with whole spices in a curd gravy.

Himachali Jhol

Jhol is like morekulambu without coconut. Similar spices are mixed with buttermilk and simmered.

Tudkiya bhaat

It is a mix between pulao and a khichdi. Sometimes vegetables are added.

Bhaturu 

It is a stuffed fermented bread cooked in the fire itself. Usually filling is made with urad dal and spices. Sometimes they are fried too. I just cooked in the flame.

Siddu

It is a steamed fermented bread with stuffing inside. Usually its stuffed with nuts and spices.

Both bhaturu and siddu are made with wheat dough and for fermentation yeast is added.

I was skeptical about a curd gravy but it tasted good. Next time I would like to try more dishes. I would also like to try the original versions. 

I really liked the flavours. I am looking forward for the next state.