A Traveler’s Food Diary: Kumaoni Cuisine at Munsiyari

I had been planning to visit Munsiyari in Uttarakhand for quite some time. A few years back we had traveled up to Chaukori but could not continue on to Munsiyari due to bad roads and landslides. As the sleepy hamlet in the heartlands of Kumaon is known for its scenic view of the Panchachuli peaks, a repeat trip was planned just to visit this place.

The Sleepy Town of Munsiyari

We had hired a Mahindra Scorpio from Haldwani, and the driver was a young lad named Chandra Prakash.  On the long journey, we had to stop at a number of places for food, and I noticed that Chandu was a food lover, and his choices for roadside pit stops were immaculate. Over some hot aloo paratha and dahi during breakfast Chandu told me about Chachiji’s Mutton Curry, very popular at Munsiyari with both travelers and drivers. He told me that the mutton curry was prepared with khade masala or whole spices in typical Kumaoni style.

Khade Masale KI Mutton Curry

After an overnight stay at Chaukori and a rough journey, we reached Munsiyari around noon on the second day. We were famished and I told Chandu to take us straight to Chachiji’s place to try out her mutton. A small and dark place next to Munsiyari Bus Stand, it had three tables, and could barely seat twelve people.

The Mutton Thali

Soon we were served a hot thali of rice with a bowl of mutton curry and a little bit of local saag. A runny gravy (they call it soup here), the curry here had simple flavours of turmeric, chillies, garlic and the mustard oil in which it was prepared, and the lamb pieces were slightly tougher than we normally like in the plains. We were told that Kumaon boasts of some flavourful local turmeric which gives a special taste to the curry here. The side dish of leafy vegetables also had a rustic aroma from the mustard oil. The entire meal with ample mutton cost us Rs 110 per head, and we made up our mind to come back for some more food here.

Chachiji in front of her shop

Bhang Ki Chutney

A friend back in Hyderabad had told us that Bhang Ki Chutney is a must-have dish in Kumaon. I asked Chachiji about this and she agreed to prepare it the next day. Next afternoon along with lunch, we tried the Bhang ki Chutney with rice and some onion. The chutney is made by roasting the seeds of the hemp plant, crushing it and then preparing a thick paste with onions, coriander leaves, green chillies and a dash of lime. The chutney had an earthy taste, and I was told that this was a food for cold climates as it heated up the body.

Some pics of Kumaoni Dishes at the Tribal Museum

In the evening, we visited the local Tribal Heritage Museum, a collection painstakingly assembled by Dr. S S Pangtey, an erudite person with deep knowledge about history of Kumaon. There was a section in the museum about Kumaoni food with photos of Kumaoni delicacies like Dubka, Madua Ke Roti, and Thathani.

Some Grains and Cereals of Kumaon displayed at the Tribal Museum

We had a discussion with Masterji (as Dr. Pangtey is known locally), and he explained that rice is the staple carb in the Kumaon belt though roti prepared from gehu (wheat) or mandua (ragi) is fairly popular too. Potatoes and soybeans are popular vegetarian dishes cooked with local herbs. Gahat and Bhatt are local beans which are used to prepare a lot of dishes like Churkhani or Dubke. As there is a lot of cattle grazing in the area, mutton is by far the most popular meat, usually cooked in whole spices and local herbs. When I told him that I was curious to try the local cuisine, and he gave me the phone number of Mallika Virdi.

The Homestay of Kheela Tolia at  Upper Sarmoli

Mallika works with the villagers around Munsiyari and helps them to run a cluster of homestays in and around the town. She was very receptive to my idea of trying out Kumaoni cuisine and arranged a meal in one of the homestays. We traveled to Malla Sarmoli, a village near Munsiyari to visit the house of Kheela Tolia. Kheela along with her husband has rooms in her Kumaoni home converted into a homestay. The rooms are available at Rs 1000 per day and the guests can enjoy Pahadi hospitality with local Bhutia meals. However, since we had put up in a hotel in Munsiyari, we just visited them for lunch.

The Kumaoni Thali at the Homestay

The lunch was a simple affair with few items, but each of the preparations was food for the soul. There was Malka dal (masoor) served with a tadka of jeera and a local dried herb called Jimbu. Jimbu is only grown in the hilly tracts of Uttarakhand and Nepal, and this house had a small garden where it was cultivated. It has a distinctive flavour akin to garlic. The vegetables served were Rai Ki Sabji a preparation of mustard leaves with salt and green chillies. There was a potato preparation with beans and of course Bhang Ki Chutney. We were told that this version of the chutney uses mint apart from the other usual ingredients. The staples served were rice and gehu ki roti.

The Herbs from the Homestay Garden: Tyamur and Jimbu

The garden of this homestay also cultivated Tyamur, a local peppercorn. With a lot of medicinal qualities, this is used to prepare Tyamur Ki Soup, which is another mainstay for the winter. After the delightful lunch, we had a quick primer on some local spices and herbs before saying goodbye to the family.

Singodi

Any cuisine in India has its favorite sweets. The most famous preparation in Kumaon is Singodi, a mewa based sweet wrapped in local leaves. It tasted somewhat like Kalakand to me. Bal Mithai, another milk based sweet coated with tiny sugar balls is another popular mithai in this belt.
Munsiyari is located in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, a serene place with a spectacular view of the Himalayas. The earthy food here with uncommon spices played a perfect foil to the scenery, resulting in an unforgettable experience.

Useful information:

Munsiyari is around 300 km away from Haldwani and Nainital.  You can stay in Hotel Vijay Mount View (05961-222123) where you can get a fantastic view of the peaks from your room. The phone number of our driver Chandu is 9761935850. For Kumaoni homestays or food, you can contact Mallika Virdi at 9411194041 or Kheela Tolia at 9568638795. Chachiji’s Mutton Curry is available in her small single-room outlet at Munsiyari bus stand near Hayat Paradise Guest House.

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Times Passion Trails: The Royal Maratha Cuisine of Madhya Pradesh

In the eighteenth century Maratha chieftains under the Peshwas took control of most areas of Madhya Pradesh, and over a period of time established their own kingdoms. Prominent among the Maratha kings in this region were the Holkars who ruled the Indore region,  Scindias of Gwalior and the Puar Parmars of Dhara. The cuisines of many of these royal families have evoked interest in last few decades, and the food lovers have especially been exposed to them from an engrossing book written by Maharaja Digvijay Singhji of Sailana.

Dinner Table at Ahilya Fort and Palace

The Palace Food Trail organized by Times Passion Trails took a group of enthusiastic food lovers  from all over the country to Maheswar, Dhar and Indore to get a firsthand feel of the Royal cuisine in some of these places.

Our first stop was Maheswar, a quiet place next to the Narmada river.  The 250 years old Ahilya Fort and Palace is now a heritage hotel and our stay was planned here. The property, constructed in the Marathi wada style, has an old world charm and you get a scenic view of Narmada river from the main courtyard. The Ahilyabai temple is just next door leading to the river ghat.

Jackfruit Biryani at Ahilya Fort

H.E Richard Shivajirao Holkar of the Royal family owns the property. He himself is a food lover as well as a chef. I was told that the menus for the guests here are decided by him, and in some cases it is his own recipes too. He had also co-authored a book on Royal recipes. Naturally I was looking forward to the food served here. I was told that often the food served here has a lot of contemporisation of the traditional Holkar cuisine.

Dinner was soon served in an open courtyard adjoining the rooms on beautifully laid out tables. We started with Poyee Bhajji, a stir fried recipe of spinach. Another highlight was Bhutte Ka  Kees, a Maharastrian delicacy of grated corn.

In Indian vegetarian cuisine, often jackfruit is substituted for mutton using the same masalas. Here we had a version of Jackfruit Biryani where the spices well balanced and the kathal cooked to perfection.

Duck in a Pomegranate Gravy

Baked Apples served with white sauce

But the preparation which bowled me over was Duck Cooked with Pomegranate.  Supposed to be a Dogra Kashmiri recipe, the thick gravy with anardana was brilliant and the duck meat soft. Chicken Survedar the other non-veg dish served was a favorite of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar. It was again a delicate preparation with chicken with a subtle coconut flavor. The desserts was Baked Apples – served with a secret white sauce.

For the breakfast next day again some local dishes were served – my particular favorite was Maheshwar style masala scrambled eggs with lots of vegetables and the poha prepared in traditional Maharastrian style.

Maheshwar Style Scrambled Eggs

The lunch, which was the last meal there was again quite sumptuous – the standout dish being a version of Mutton Rogan Josh, which was cooked using a small goat. Though it tasted more like mutton curry to me, the taste of the curry was so delicious that it forced me take couple of extra helpings. Among the vegetarian items, the homestyle potato sabji  was a perfect foil for the puris.

Lunch at Ahilya Fort and Palace

After lunch, we proceeded to the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. Our dinner was arranged at the guest house of the Maharaja of Dhar, another erstwhile Maratha kingdom close to Indore. To give it a festive touch, all the male participants in the trail were in safa – the traditional Marathi headgear.

The guest house of the Maharaja in Dhar town was well lit up. We as guests were invited to the durbar of the King, which was specifically set up for us. I have never been to a King’s durbar and was very impressed with the proceedings, including the kulgeet and the speeches.

The Royal Durbar at Dhar

The Maharaja of Dhar HH Hemendra Singhji is a food enthusiast, in fact he himself prepared couple of dishes for the dinner. We had access to some of the recipe books of the family, which has clearly documented all the Royal recipes. Some of the recipes had been handwritten by the King himself, who took it down from his mother.

Arvi Ka Vadi

The menu for the dinner here was quite impressive too. Among the starters my favorite was Arvi Ka Vadi, colocasia leaves rolled with a besan and garlic based masala and then steamed before cutting them into pieces.  The Keema Samosa was well stuffed and also delicious.  There was a fish fried in a red marinade where the freshness of the fish caught my attention.

Kadaknath Chicken

I have heard about Kadaknath Chicken for a long time. These are fowl with black feather, black bones and blackish blood found in parts of Madhya Pradesh. The meat of this variety has high demand as it is allegedly known to have medicinal use. The Black Fowl Chicken Curry here was cooked in lots of ghee and a ginger and black pepper based masala. I was told that this masala can be prepared and stored and used over a period of time.

Dhar Style Prawn Curry

The other impressive dish was Dhar Style Prawn Curry cooked in a red colored masala which went with the Jowar Rotis served.  There was another type of roti which had two separate rotis sticking to each other – I think it was called Do Phool Ki Roti.  The dawaat had some nice tasting mutton pickle too.

A Handwritten Page from the Royal Dhar Recipes 

I had a long chat with the chef who had prepared the vegetarian items here. He said that recipes in this region are simple and easy to prepare. It is never spicy and chilies are hardly used. A bitter gourd dish with a nice flavourful masala caught my attention. I was told that this special masala has coriander, til, poppy seeds and garam masala among other ingredients. The Bharwa Mirch here had a special masala containing amchur. There were quite a few types of uncommon chutneys served as condiments – peanut based, copra based, and poppy seed based.

The dessert platter had the famous halwas of Dhar – one prepared with corn and the other egg. Both were absolute hits with the diners.

I was told that Laccha Rabri is another famous dessert of this area where milk is condensed into lacchas of malai at the side of the vessel and then other ingredients such as saffron and nuts are added. However it was not in the day’s menu.

The evening really impressed us with the grandeur and the warm hospitality extended by the Royal family.

Goolar Kabab

Our final stop of trying out the Royal Cuisine was at the Daly College Indore where a sumptuous lunch was organized by Mr. Sumer Singh the Principal of the college.  Mr. Ravi Pratap Singh Ranavat, a renowned chef of Indore who specializes in Royal cuisine had prepared the food. Mr. Singh told us that he had conducted food festivals specializing in Royal cuisine for the Taj group at different parts of the country, and he has chosen a few unique dishes for the day.

Dahi Kabab

Goolar Kabab was easily the most popular. The kabab has a round shell of mutton keema wrapped around diced onion and vegetables and then fried with a khus khus coating. It was hard outside and soft inside, presenting a myriad of tastes which burst in the mouth.  The other starter of note was the soft Chicken Sula Kabab, prepared with a Rajasthani masala on charcoal.

Shikari Aloo

Among the main courses, I loved the Kadhi Gosht or mutton cooked in a yoghurt and besan based gravy. Among the vegetarian items, Shikari Aloo was a simple dish of baby potatoes prepared in onion and red chilies with very little masala, normally the little spices carried to a shikaar.

Kadhi Gosht 

The dessert had Gulab Ki Kheer. The kheer here was quite different from the version at Bhopal. We were told that a little bit of sugar is normally added to it. A nice end to a good meal.

The series of dawaats helped us get a significant overview of the Royal food of Maratha Kings of Madhya Pradesh. There were distinct difference in style and ingredients from place to place. Whereas the Holker food had quite a bit of fusion element in it, Dhar and Indore were much more traditional. Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable experience with Times Passion Trails.

Also See: Times Passion Trails - Royal Cuisine of Bhopal and the Palace Dinner

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Times Passion Trails: Royal Cuisine of Bhopal and the Palace Dinner

Food enthusiasts in India are very familiar with the Royal Awadhi or Hyderabadi cuisines. However not much is heard of the cuisine of the Royals of Bhopal, which was a large state under Nawabi rule. I had heard from a few friends earlier that the Nawabi cuisine of Bhopal was indeed very unique and had a strong influence of the Afghani rulers who ruled here from the 16th century.

The Banquet

Times Passion Trails, an initiative of the Times of India group organizes trips which are based on various niche interest areas. So when their latest food trail covering palaces and royal cuisine had Bhopal as one of the venues I was extremely interested. Soon I assembled with twenty other experience seekers at the Jehan Numa Palace, a heritage hotel run by the Royal family, to proceed on this culinary journey.

Taare Zameen Par

Jehan Numa Palace, built in 1890 was named after Sultan Jehan Begum who ruled Bhopal in the 17th century.  The venue for the Royal Feast which was curated by the Nawabi family themselves was one of the large banquet halls of the palace. The lawn at the entrance was lit up beautifully like a thousand Taare Zameen Par. Over drinks and starters I had a brief chat with Mr Sikandar Malik, a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic historian who is also known for his Heritage Walks in the city.

Galawati Kabab

We were having some delightful Galawati kababs and Liver Canopies as finger food for the drinks, and I asked Mr Sikander how the Bhopali cuisine are different from that of Lucknow and Hyderabad. He told us that Bhopal was the second most important princely state after Hyderabad in India. The Bhopali cuisine has influences of Afghan food, as the royal family came originally from Afghanistan.

The Awadhi influence is due to the initiative of Nawab Shahjehan Begum who had brought over chefs from Lucknow.  The stress in the culinary style is on flavor of the ingredients used in the food, as well as its easy digestion. Since the area is a green belt with lots of vegetable being cultivated, a unique feature of the cuisine is use a lot of veggies in kababs especially kachumber. The Afghani influence on the cuisine has also led to use of many herbs in their food. Mr. Sikander Malik also gave us some other useful insights. Like dastarkhaan, Bhopal had a concept of Basthali where the whole basti sits on the same cloth and has their meals.

Vegetarian Canopy

It is said that the origin of Galawati Kababs could be traced to the royal kitchens of Bhopal. Haji Murad Ali, the famous Tunday Kababi, was a rakabdar from Bhopal who impressed the Lucknow nawabs with his version of his famed dish and later moved to Lucknow.  The galawatis here were mounted on flat rusks. I was told that the rusk biscuits of Bhopal are indeed special and the galawati uses about twenty different spices. Qalias are the other specialties of the Bhopal cuisine.

After the first session with drinks and finger food we were now seated at the huge banquet table in the hall. I happened to sit next to Mr Jamal Ayub, the Times of India columnist from Bhopal, who also filled me in with tidbits about Bhopali culture and cuisine.

Chapli Kabab

The starters were quite unique. Chapli Kabab (which is a dish of Peshawri origin) had minced meat mixed with finely chopped onions and vegetables and were soft and succulent. Bhopal is known as the City of Lakes and has numerous water bodies – leading to availability of good quality fresh fish. The Machhli Ki Seekh and Ajwaini Fish Tikka were proof enough of these. I was especially impressed with the mild seekh kabab which was soft yet firm. In all the starters the things to be noted was the stress on the combination of flavors, rather than richness.

Ajwaini Fish Tikka and Machli Ki Seekh

Then came a strange twist to the dawaat. We were served Paan Sorbet in crushed ice in the middle of the meal, possibly as a palate cleanser. The dish was prepared using authentic flavours of the famed Bhopali Paan. Bhopal had some amount of French influence, and I believe French Bourbon descendants are still living in Bhopal.

Paan Sorbet

The Sikandari Raan was next, a recipe dedicated to Nawab Sikander Begum who ruled Bhopal in early nineteenth century. As the raan (mutton leg) was already cut into pieces, it did not offer the usual visual delight. However the meat had taken in the marinade well, and tasted brilliant. The Bhopali version of Nihari to me tasted close to the Delhi one, albeit with a lower dose of spices.

Sikandari Raan

Pasande Pur Bahar was a recipe which has been harnessed for years. Meat is pounded, mixed and marinated with spices for some time and then cooked. It had a smokey aroma and was served covered in onion slices around a pot of charcoal. I loved the Bateyr (Quail) Korma which went well with the Afghani Naans.

Pasande Pur Bahar

The Bhopali biryani is actually a pulav, where they add layers of rice after preparing a meat broth. We were served Yakhni Pulav Badam which had succulent mutton pieces on a bed of fragrant rice. The rice had soaked in the yakhni or meat stock and tasted delicious.  As opposed to its Hyderabadi counterpart, it is light and low on masala, and the focus again is on the flavour.

Bhopal Nawabi cuisine has a lot of choices in vegetarian food as many of the ministers were Hindu. Kathal or Jackfruit Kabab was a delicacy which I had not tried earlier. The paneer dishes included Paneer Achari Tikka and Paneer Makhane Ki Korma. Khareziyan was a potato based dish cooked with jeera. We were told by Mr Sikander that Kharezi could be prepared as a dry of shorba item. It is best enjoyed with Khuska the rice from Bhopal and some dal.

Bateyr Jorma

Among the desserts the highlight was Gulab Ke Kheer, a kheer prepared from rose petals. We were told that no sugar was added to the dish, which had adequate sweetness and a rich flavor of rose.  This was indeed the highlight of the desserts. Muzzafir was a sweet prepared from semiyan. Shahi Tukda, the dish we are so familiar to here in Hyderabad, was not really special.

Desserts

The setting, hospitality, and quality of food made the dinner an unforgettable evening. Apart from that one got some very interesting insights on the culture and food of the Bhopal royals. Our hosts, the members of the Royal Family had taken personal interest in organizing the dinner, and their gracious hospitality during the sit down dinner made it even more memorable.

The Complete Menu


Also See: Times Passion Trails - The Royal Maratha Cuisine of Madhya Pradesh

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A Traveler's Food Diary - Ozran Beach, Goa

Economical beer, delicious seafood and breezy seaside resorts makes Goa India's top tourist destination, a place which can revisited time and again. One of the lesser known beaches, Ozran is quite peaceful and calm with little shacks, rocky coasts and tall palm trees giving an enjoyable picturesque setting.

KIng's Strong Beer

Sitting atop a small cliff with steps leading down to the sea, Alcove Resort was our home for the brief time that we stayed in Ozran beach, Goa. With a good gastronomic spread of Goan, Portuguese and Continental dishes, Alcove had some surprisingly tasty dishes like the Peri Peri Calamari and Chicken Cafreal. A Portuguese styled grilled chicken preparation, the chicken was juicy and spicy. The calamari too was lip smacking with the masala playing a great role in tickling the taste buds.

Peri Peri Calamari at Alcove

English Breakfast at Alcove

We also tried out their breakfast options - Tuna Sandwich and English breakfast. The English breakfast came with bacon, baked beans and eggs made to liking served with bread. The Tuna Sandwich was perfectly grilled with a handsome helping of cheese and tuna fish. 

Tuna Sandwich at Alcove

Just a little up ahead from the Alcove Resort on the Ozran Beach Road is Oneº and Thalassa. An excellent spot to watch the evening sunset, Oneº specialises majorly in seafood and continental fare while Thalassa caters to the Greek palate.

Beer Battered Prawns at One

A must try at Oneº is the Beer Battered Prawns which is served with mayo dip. Light and crisp, the prawns are perfectly marinated  and go well with the fresh mayo dip. For the vegetarians, the Crispy Veggies is a good alternative to the Beer Battered Prawns and comes with similar plating and sides. The other items worth trying include the Pepperoni pizza, Seafood Pizza and their speciality, Blueberry Cheesecake.

Seafood Pizza at One

Thalassa is a bit further down from Oneº but the lights and the loud music will draw you towards the restaurant, one way or another. Reservation is a must at Thalassa, else it is very hard to get a table, be it night or day. There are live fire shows and belly dancing to keep the crowd lively and the whole vibe of the place is quite welcoming and entertaining.

Lamb Gyro Wraps at Thalassa

I am not too fond of the Greek cuisine but I loved the Lamb Gyro Wraps served at Thalassa. A bit on the pricey side, the gyro wraps which are the Greek cousin of the Arabic shawarma were thick with juicy meat wrapped with vegetables and neatly packed in pita. The Long Island Iced Tea served at the bar is also worth the price and is quite potent with copious amounts of the five spirits added to give you the buzz.

Goan Pork Sausage with Rice at Fish Tail

One cannot, however disregard the beach shacks of Goa in favour of Oneº and Thalassa. After hours of splashing in sea water, one is bound to get hungry and what better way to douse the burning hunger than eating in one of the beach shacks. We visited two beach shacks, Fish Tail which is located just at the foot of Alcove when walking down to the beach and Our Shack which is located close to the Trishul on the beach. While both are equally adept at the art of making delicious and scrumptious food, the variety at Fish Tail is way better.

Masala Grilled Pomfret at Fish Tail

We tasted the Goan Pork Sausage with Rice and Masala Grilled Pomfret at Fish Tail. The Masala Grilled Pomfret was definitely the highlight of the trip. Lightly marinated and served with fries and vegetables, the pomfret was full of flavours which created a taste riot in my mouth.  The Goan Pork sausages were made of pig meat with a lining of pork fat and are sliced to increase the surface area for maximum jus penetration. The gravy was quite spicy and tangy and play a perfect foil to the rice. We finished off at Fish Tail with a Classic Sundae and a Banana Split which were made with different ice-cream and the goodness of chocolate syrup; definitely not for the calorie conscious.

Banana Spilt Ice Cream at Fish Tail

Our Shack was one of the last stops of our trip. Located almost on the beach, it has a breathtaking view, one you can get lost in. Although they close quite early like most of the small time beach shacks, they were courteous enough to take our last order though most of their ingredients was over. A simple preparation, the bacon omelette was all they could make with whatever was left. The omelette was fluffy with bacon strips bringing in a meaty surprise with every bite.

Bacon Omelette at Our Shack

It is fascinating how Goa is filled with restaurants and beach shacks across the coast with each serving the Continental cuisine with Portuguese and Goan influence. No matter which beach or which part of the town, they just cannot disappoint you !!

Addresses:

Alcove Beach Resort
Ozran Beach Road, Little Vagator

Telephone 0832 2274491, 0832 2273349

Thalassa
Ozran Beach Road, Little Vagator
Telephone +91 9850033537

Oneº
592/5 Ozran Beach Road, Vista Mare,
Little Vagator, Goa
Telephone +91 9167825893

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