You've never truly tasted Indian cuisine until you've tried this!
Julley! A region that is so remote and deep within the mountains offer so much flavour in their food. Ladakh’s rich food culture is worth exploring and if you think you’ve tasted all there is to Indian food, wait till you try some of the dishes below!
Succulent stuffed dumplings steamed to perfection. Flavorful broths, rich in spices, warm your body. Soft, fluffy buns dipped in spicy chilli gravy and a cup of hot buttery milk tea to revitalise your body after a day’s hike.These are just a few delicacies on offer in Ladakh, the land that has some surprising influences from their neighbouring countries.
These yummy dumplings are filled with meat or vegetables and wrapped in dough before being steamed in a container called Mokto. The steaming process begins by boiling water at the bottom-most container and the steam that rises cooks the momos. You can also get creative when wrapping the momos, some are beautifully pinched and sealed into half moons, hearts or you can always stick with the simple round pleated ones. It is usually served on a plate of 10 with a chilli garlic dipping sauce on the side. Today, several restaurants in the capital, Leh, serve momos with yak cheese or even chocolate. For a more rustic version, it is usually served in Ladakhi homes, similar to the ones our participants get to make at Timosgam Village. Check out this Instagram Reel we made of us making Momos from scratch!
Similarly to momos, it is served with assorted vegetables or minced meat. Usually, in Ladahki homes and the countryside, hosts and restaurants only serve vegetarian styled Thukpas. Whereas, in the city, to accommodate the numerous tourists that visit all year round, you can find plenty of restaurants serving meat Thukpas as well!
What does it taste like? It does remind abit of home, as it tastes something similar to Mee Soto.
This mouth-watering dish is slow cooked and will definitely fill your stomach. More commonly served in places of higher elevation, it is the ideal dish to bring warmth to your heart.
Tingmo are soft, delicate, fluffy buns made from wheat flour without any filling, just like our local Golden Pillow buns. It goes through a similar cooking process just like momos. These marshmallow-like buns served with the best gravy, Shapta, taste soooooooo good! So what are Shaptas? Inspired by Tibetan flavours, Shapta is a gravy cooked with chicken or minced meat with red-chilli and ginger. Do not devour the Tingmo in one bite, but slowly peel off piece by piece and dip into the gravy. Just talking about it makes me miss it so much! If you’re a foodie like me, not to worry, this dish can be found at every nook and corner of the capital, Leh!
Gulab meaning ‘rose water’ and Jamun meaning ‘berry sized ball’ are sweet treats that are served to you after every dinner at the hotel in Leh. They are one of the most popular sweets in India as well. Grab a couple, get that first bite and it will leave you speechless! One of the hardest parts of leaving Leh was separating from this sweet treat as it may not be found elsewhere in the countryside. But if you're craving for it eagerly, try to ask your local guide to search for it.
Till today, we are still trying to find this popular sweet in Singapore. Oh how much we've missed you!
Also known as gur-gur chai, it is brewed with milk, salt and yak butter. It is boiled and churned thoroughly before mixing with boiled tea leaves. Tea connoisseurs claim that the best Butter Teas are brewed up in the monasteries.
Besides eating the fruit on its own, several other products such as apricot jam, oil, dried apricot, juice, cakes, and jelly are produced for commercial purposes. As you nibble to the centre of the fruit, you can find an apricot seed that can be cracked open and eaten as well. It is said that apricots come with plenty of health benefits as well - it helps you to lose weight, regulate digestions, treat various infections, prevent heart diseases, reduce cholesterol levels and many more.
There you go fellow adventurers! Now that you’ve known more about Ladakhi cuisine, the only thing left to do is to fill your stomachs with all these mouth watering delicacies! I know you’re just as hungry as I am! What are you waiting for? Time to travel up to the remote land and taste Ladakh’s finest foods!