Food and Beverage Buzz (FnBBuzz) August 2017 Edition

Editor's note

The Quintessential

T

Himalayas

he Himalayas and its echoing valleys have become the perfect escapade from what is the ephemeral urban.

From the parched summers and the mundane monotony, we deliver ourselves into its surreal beauty and as much as the Himalayas may be symbolic of serenity and transcendence, satiating and enriching the soul, it is also an experiential taste of the flavours of simplicity and divinity.

Celebrating the quintessential Himalayas, Food and Beverage Buzz brings to you the charms of the culinary traditions from TransHimalayan regions. Along the vast stretch of the Himalayas, the trail of spices leaves imprints of cuisines unexplored. The spices of the abysmal

heights of the Trans-Himalayas are explored in our Food Trail section.

Munch on its bread delights in the Delish section as we unwrap history in the Food Trail section to witness the metamorphosis of walnuts from being a Persian glory to becoming the Indian Himalayan culinary pride.

The shadows of the lofty Himalayas are felt far and wide; relish its influence in the making of Arunachal Pradesh cuisine in State wise section and Bhutan cuisine in the Globally section, and on our recommendation, if you happen to go to experience the flawless flavours, you will find the words of our expert useful as he talks about food you must have while trekking in our Expert Speak section.

We finish off with the cherries on the cake - Akshay Kumar speaking about his food mantra in our Celeb Talk section and Diamond Oberoi speaking about the legacy of the Oberoi hospitality and the Elgin Hotels.

But as the popular saying goes, you can never have too much of a good thing. So dear readers, open the casket of surprises and through the ‘Gate Fold’ amidst the pages, an annunciation awaits you.

Happy reading!

Urvashi Agrawal

Chairman Shyam Sunder Publisher Pawan Agrawal Director Shishir Bhushan Editorial Editor Urvashi Agrawal Senior Consulting Editor Ashish Chopra Editorial Advisor Gautam Mehrishi Associate Editor Supriya Aggarwal Assistant Editor Diana Mehra Manager – Sales & Marketing Vishal Kishore Corporate Communications Natasha Creative Senior Graphic Designers Manish Kumar Alka Sharma Production Dilshad and Dabeer Webmaster Amit Jain IT Operations Sonia Shaw Abhishek Bhargava Photographer Subhash Circulation and Distribution Prem Kumar Contact Us Publisher ceo@oceanmedia.in Editor urvashi@oceanmedia.in +91-11-23243999, 23287999, 9958382999 info@oceanmedia.in | www.fnbbuzz.com Advertising and Marketing info@oceanmedia.in Editorial and Corporate Office Prabhat Prakashan Tower 4/19, Asaf Ali Road New Delhi-110002 (India) Disclaimer

All rights reserved. Reproduction and translation in any language in whole or in part by any means without permission from Food and Beverage Buzz is prohibited. Opinions expressed are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and/or editors. All disputes are subject to jurisdiction of Delhi Courts.

Food and Bevergage Buzz Magazine is printed, published and owned by Pawan Agrawal and printed at Graphic World, 1686, Kucha Dakhini Rai, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110002 and published at 4/19, Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi(India).

Editor : Urvashi Agrawal

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From Snow Clad Peaks

to Lush Green Valleys There’s something inexplicably mesmerising about the Himalayas!

The serene peaks majestically standing with their head held high makes ones heart filled with awe. The beauty of the entire Himalayan region is enhanced by the people who live here. Whether it’s the idyllic Sikkim, the culturally rich Kashmir or Himachal, the musical Uttarakhand or the colourful Northeast, the simplicity of the people and the warmth of their hospitality makes you feel like you have transcended to an entirely different world altogether. A world where the importance of materialistic things wither away and what matters most are the simple smiles exchanged while participating in their festivals or breaking bread with them. The Trans-Himalayan food is a delight to savour. Everyone is familiar with the delectable Wazwan of Kashmir but the entire stretch of the Trans-Himalayas is a treasure trove for a foodie. The momos and the soups are less on spices but high on flavour. The locals also produce magic in their kitchens with Yak meat on special occasions. And it’s not just the meat but Yak cheese is very popular for making desserts. The thukpa also brings local flavours to it and it gradually changes its taste as you move along the entire stretch of the Himalayas. The local mountain herbs add a very rustic and fresh flavour to the food.

The ‘abode of snow’, the Himalayas, keeps you spellbound not just by the natural beauty but indeed with its cuisine too, which is carefully passed down from generation to generation. The virgin beauty of the Himalayas fills innocence in the hearts of the denizens that have lived on these mountains for ages which is reflected in their food too.

In this edition, savour some of the best dishes of the Trans-Himalayan cuisine and do plan for a gastronomical trip to this wondrous region!

Happy reading! Happy eating!

Ashish Chopra

Con The First and Only ISO 9001:2015 Certified F&B Magazine in India

Volume 01

Issue 12

Food AND Beverage Buzz India ₹150

SAARC countries US $20

Rest of the world US $25

August 2017

A YUMMYLICIOUS JOURNEY...

F O O D

CELEB TALK

A N D

AKSHAY KUMAR

B E V E R A G E

EXPERT SPEAK

B U Z Z

FOOD FOR TREKKING

Wonderous WALNUT

TM

Bounty of the Himalayas

know all about Indian culinary heritage

}

36

On THE COVER

Walnuts came from foreign shores and became an indispendable part of our culinary heritage

t e

n

ts

In I bam ndia, f r b are oo sh esh oot con a d sidere s elica d cy

10 liquids

First slush of the hills

14 health

Know your Salt!

16 statewise Fresh and Spicy

20 Inspiring

Down to Earth with MittiCool

24 celeb talk akshay kumar

28 dine out

Flavours of Northeast in Delhi

31 food trail

04

The stream of spices and herbs

42 food trail

delish

Grainy delights of the Himalayas

Tasting the Raw Ecstasy of Walnuts

Sangeeta Khanna

48 snacky treat

What’s cooking in a Bihari Household?

22

52 globally

In the lap of The Himalayas

56 heritage

check-in

Snigdha Bhowmick

68

legend

Like a Diamond in the Himalayas

From the country of happiness

Mountain fare from Ladakh

60 in focus

Soaring the Indian skies

62 expert speak

Trek it right and healthy

Sarikah Atreya August 2017

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DELISH

Grainy delights of the Himalayas

The largest mountain range of the world, the Himalayas is also home to a wide variety of grains in the Indian subcontinent.

From sticky rice of the Northeast to amaranth and buckwheat of Himachal and millets from Uttarakhand, the offerings are many. And the by-products of these grains are the scrumptious steamed cakes and baked breads.

Fresh Kashmiri breads rolled out for its succulent buyers

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Sangeeta Khanna The writer is a renonwed nutrition consultant and trainer.

Images by Sangeeta Khanna

Pakoras from Jaipur

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I

t was a cold December morning as we walked towards Ward’s Lake of Shillong in Meghalaya, clad in our warm jackets and mufflers, watching some morning walkers and joggers pass by. We were looking for some birds around the lake and may be some native flora to be photographed but it turned out that we had chosen the wrong day to visit the lake as it was closed for Sunday. But we were at the right spot and at the right time for a treat which we were sure we will never forget for a lifetime.

We spotted a few kettles spewing steam through their spouts on a cart manned by two portly women, a sure sign of tea being brewed and just the kind of warmth we needed after a long walk and the disappointment of not being able to go inside the lake premises. As we approached towards the cart, we realised the ladies were serving a freshly steamed snack with the laal cha (black sweet tea), having heard of tekeli pitha I was excited by my discovery. After some chatting with the giggly women and learning how they steam the pitha, when they handed over to me a hot steaming pitha on a piece of newspaper, the most eco-friendly plate they could get, the aroma of sticky rice engulfed my senses. I realised this is the best bread one can have with their tea to start the day.

Served just like the bun-maska and chai of the plains, this tekeli pitha was so much better with its freshly steamed appeal, made completely of whole grain (sticky rice), some coconut and a hint of jaggery and salt, melt in the mouth texture and so light. Tekeli pitha is one of the pithas (rice cakes) from the east that is closest to being the conventional bread known by the rest of the world. In fact, the other pithas and some types of deep fried or steamed dumplings,

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From left to the facing page: the steaming process of Pumaloi; the way it is wrapped in the leaves; and Kashmiri breads

In fact pithas, essentially rice cakes, are a delight to taste some griddle baked crepes, etc are the staple breads of the Northeast India, rice being the grain of sustenance. Incidentally, tekeli pitha is common in Assam and Bangladesh as well. The technique of steaming this pitha is such a genius that it can be made anywhere from a home kitchen to a hotel kitchen or even on a roadside cart, using the same equipment and method. Frugal living at its best.

In fact some of the other pithas, essentially rice cakes that are steamed

after wrapping a rice-based dough in the leaves of a wild turmeric family plant or hollow bamboo, are a delight to taste as well. While walking into the markets of Shillong, I found neatly bundled packs of green leaves and bought a few of them to taste. The rice dough is mixed with little salt or jaggery and is wrapped tightly into cylindrical or square parcels, which is bundled so neatly it doesn’t open till it reaches your table. The leaf wrap becomes the eco-friendly packaging that stays good for a couple of days and one can just unwrap and eat the breads known

Poha with tea

Down south in Kerala, heavy downpours are welcomed with ceremonies and special foods as sakin gata. Pumaloi is another round sticky rice cake steamed into moulds and putharo is baked in an earthen pot and so on. These rice cakes are mostly eaten as snack while the soupy gruel and congees made of rice is consumed with meals if not Jadoh or steamed rice.

Breads are made with different grains all over the world although the wheat flour breads have become the most commercialised variety, owing to its portability and shelf life, all thanks to chemical intervention into the recipe.

In the eastern parts of the country especially the Himalayan states, rice is the most common grain and there are many sticky varieties fit for making rice cakes of different hues and flavours.

Some other grains like buckwheat and amaranth is also used to make breads in some parts, though the breads are not always conventional in terms of appearance and taste.

The griddle baked crĂŞpe made of buckwheat, called as khuri in Sikkim is a bread that soaks up the stews and chutneys of Sikkim very well.

They have a unique cast iron griddle that they use for making the khuri, with raised sides and a pout to pour off extra oil. The pots and pans also evolve with the cuisine and the produce available, the climate and geography being the guiding factors.

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Tingmo is popular all over the Tibetan settlements across the Himalayas In fact, the sel roti of Nepal which is very popular in Darjeeling and the rest of north Bengal looks almost like a pretzel but is rice-based deep fried bread shaped like a ring.

Tingmo is wheat-based steamed bread, folded beautifully into a knot that blooms when steamed. Tingmo is popular all over the Tibetan settlements across the Himalayas as we have had it from Leh to McLeodganj

to Darjeeling. I learnt shaping and steaming the tingmo breads by an old Tibetan lady, in the kitchen of a little restaurant in the main market of Leh. I still remember the aroma of that frugal kitchen where they used only the fresh produce that came to the market everyday.

Another steamed bread called as big momo in Shillong is a leavened wheat based bread that is stuffed with a huge

amount of pork and vegetable mix, served with fiery hot dallae chutney.

The western Himalayan states have the wheat-based breads mostly, with a few amaranth-based steamed breads and some finger miller rotis and dumplings too. Like Uttarakhand grows a lot of finger millet and amaranth; and the rotis of finger millet are enjoyed with the meat curries as well as with a mix of ghee and jaggery.

Some parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh make a steamed dumpling of amaranth flour called as baadi which is a round ball of steamed

Clockwise from left: a local woman holding out tekeli pitha; the big soup bao; and the sweet black Himalayan tea

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dough with a deep depression in the middle, used to pour ghee and eaten for breakfast with a little honey, salt or jaggery. The baadi is also served with lentil stews and meat curries.

Another steamed bread from Himachal is called as sidu, made of leavened whole wheat dough and stuffed with a lightly spiced paste or poppy seeds. Sidu is stuffed with walnut paste or even soybean paste sometimes, eaten always with some hot ghee on the side. I have had the best sidu made by Lata Bharti of Raju Guest House, a quaint home stay in Goshaini village of Himachal Pradesh.

Kashmir has a tradition of tandoor baked wheat breads, the bread bakers are called as Kandur who specialise in baking breads only, never any biscuits or other baked stuff. The breads of Kashmir have a unique character that comes with the tradition that has not adopted the commercial ovens; the breads are still baked in the huge ovens jutting out of a pit, fired with wood. The tandoors are believed to have come from the Middle East and the art of bread baking adapted to the local flavours and traditions. Katlam, girda, bakarkhani, kulcha, roth, shirmal, etc are the distinct Kashmiri breads.

In fact, I have had the pleasure of eating almost all the breads and rice cakes of the Himalayan regions, I have even learnt how to make some of them but Kashmiri breads are the only breads I haven’t explored much.

Top: Buckwheat; above: katlam; and below: rice cake balls

the breads in Kashmir are still baked in the huge ovens

are baked exclusively for breakfast and tchochvoruis baked for the afternoon tea time and this order is never reversed. No resident Kashmiri would eat tchot with afternoon tea or vice versa even though they have noon chai both the times.

I asked senior journalist and writer Marryam Reshi who has her family in the valley and she informed me that the breads called as lavasa and tchot

I believe such traditions have some logic behind them, we may or may not understand as the oral traditional wisdom is being forgotten, the climate and geography playing a major role in each of these recipes and traditions of the cuisines and cultures.

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liquids

First slush

of the hills Himalayan teas is a love for herbs, fruits and aromatic plants. It is this passion which has inspired a wide range of teas.

F

or tea lovers everywhere, the majestic and mighty Himalayas is like home, the srot (source).

When the morning delicate sun rays seep through the morning mist and touch the dew-soaked two leaves and a bud, you know, you just know that there is nothing but purity that would envelop your senses with every sip of the beverage that the world calls ‘tea’.

The lofty Himalayas are spread across five countries and each of them has tea growing in their lands. Varied in taste, flavour and aroma, each tea flavour is distinct in India, Nepal and China. Just recently tea production has begun in small areas in Bhutan and Pakistan.

Anamika Singh The writer is a renowned tea sommelier and owns Anandini Himalaya Tea brand.

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India and tea are synonymous to each other just as China and tea are as well. The China variety of tea was introduced to India by Bessegaum, a Singphoo chief of Assam. Bessegaum was given some plants and seeds in 1823, marking the introduction of the crop to India. But, Robert Fortune, a renowned Scottish botanist, established India as a tea growing region. After the opium wars in the first half of the nineteenth century, Fortune travelled to China, bringing prized seeds and cultivation techniques to India. The technique was then refined and perfected, until

the trade flourished and the best tea growing areas of India became household names.

In Assam, the tea variety has been indigenous to the Brahmaputra Valley.

The teas grown and manufactured in tea estates located in the Brahmaputra Valley in Northeast India are called as Assam teas. Assam teas are grown near to the sea level. Tropical weather conditions prevailing there render the tea with a brisk flavour category. The black teas produced in this region are renowned world over for their strong, bold, brisk, malty flavours and dark liquor look, making it an ideal pick for a breakfast tea world over.

Situated along the lower Himalayan range, Darjeeling is arguably the most scenic of all tea growing regions in India. It was in the 19th century that the British East India Company discovered the tiny Darjeeling valley, the blissful experience of which led them to develop a destination for a quick getaway during the summers.

Upon exploration, it was found that Darjeeling’s soil and climate conditions were well suited for tea cultivation. A few experimental plantations started operations in the 1840s. Seeds of the Camellia sinesis imported (or

nature enthusiasts. Darjeeling, now a district town within the Indian state of West Bengal, has been one of the top tourist destinations in India for the past 50 years. Darjeeling resides in the foothills of the snow-capped southern Himalayan mountains. A year-long cold climate, coupled with the highly ozonised atmospheric conditions of the Himalayas bestow this part of the world with an ability to produce some of the most prized aromatic teas.

Sikkim is mostly a maze of plunging, super-steep valleys thick with lush woodlands and rhododendron groves, rising in the north to the spectacular white-top peaks of the eastern Himalaya. Sikkim accounts for the largest share of cardamom production in India.

The Temi Tea Garden is a Government of Sikkim undertaking, established in the year 1969. It is located in South Sikkim region of the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim. This is the only tea garden in operation in the state of Sikkim. The teas produced here are well-known for their rich aroma and delicate taste.

The Himalayan teas have varied flavours and aroma some say ‘stolen’) from China were used for this as a commencement project. The outcome of this trial, impressive as it may be, led to a fullfledged commercial development of the plantations started by 1850s. An official Darjeeling tea industry took form by the 1860s.

Darjeeling has been consistently producing some exquisite teas also known as ‘champagne of teas’ for over 160 years which have become world renowned. Apart from tea lovers, Darjeeling boasts of avid travellers and

Darjeeling has been consistently producing some exquisite teas also known as the ‘champagne of teas’

Kangra consists of a handful of exotic plantations of India which harvest chinary as well as hybrid chinary and clonal varieties of tea bushes. Ninety per cent of the region is known for growing the orthodox variety of black tea, but few gardens also produce high-quality green teas as well, the most notable ones coming from the Wah tea estate in the Palampur region of Kangra. Most Kangra teas boast a green, vegetal aroma that follows through in the taste, along with a subtle pungency that is quite understated and pleasant.

Nepal tea is considered to be a sister variety of Darjeeling tea, however, there are few distinctive qualities August 2017

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An enthralling tea garden the way it is

Uttarakhand was known for the first tea plantation in the country by the British

that set the teas from this region significantly apart from the rest.

Nepal is situated among the Himalayan range, bordered to the north by China and to the south by India. In Nepal, orthodox tea is produced and processed in the mountainous regions at an altitude ranging from 3,000-7,000 feet above sea level, while the CTC variety of tea is produced at lower altitudes in the more fertile, tropical plains. There are six major regions which produce the orthodox variety of tea – namely Ilam, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Terhathum, Sindhulpalchok, and Kaski. About 15 per cent of the total production of teas in the country is accounted for by the orthodox variety.

Uttarakhand was known for the first tea plantation in the country by the British. Kausani, situated in Uttarakhand is also famous for its several tea gardens and pear orchards.

Girias Uttaranchal tea is produced in 208 hectares of tea plantations near Kausani. The high-flavoured tea is exported to Australia, Germany, Korea

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and the United States of America.

Located on the Bageshwar Road, at an elevation between 1,200 and 1,800 metres above the sea level, the tea garden of Kausani is being developed as a tea-base for the entire state.

Tea cultivation in Nagaland of late has become a reality and there is much enthusiasm among planters as the land here is suitable for quality tea production. The challenges faced by the tea industry in the country led to the exploration of cultivatable land and further formation of tea estates in less than famous states around the country.

Hence, the name spread and Nagaland was one such state that caught the eye of a bunch of curious tea explorers. It is still a non-traditional area where tea is cultivated but slowly and surely rising.

About 800 acres of land in Mon and 300 acres in Mokokchung district have been brought under tea cultivation, and the per hectre production of tea in some estates here was more than in Assam.

tea tourism has helped promote the tea from the Himalayan belt land to cultivate and grow tea. Now, Pakistan does produce its own limited tea in Chinkiari (KP) farms, however it ranks as the third largest importer of tea in the world.

Tea popularity and production has seen a rapid increase Tripura has a history of tea plantations going back to 1916. In fact, Tripura is categorised as a traditional tea growing state with about 60 tea estates and 3,000 small tea growers, producing about 7.5 million kilograms of tea every year. This makes Tripura the fifth largest, among the 14 tea producing states, after Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Good blending qualities give the necessary recognition to Tripura as a land to currently produce tea in excess. Many estates have gone the organic route in Tripura as far as tea plantation is concerned. Not only tea production, but tea tourism is another business practice on the rise in Tripura due to favourable agro-climatic conditions. Soils being generally fertile, along with lack of major problems of toxicities and

deficiencies, average annual rainfall being 2,100mm with a fair even distribution over the year also add to the reputation of Tripura as a tea growing state.

The Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh is good for tea because tea does best in hot, humid climates. Thus, areas in and around the foothills of the Himalayas are quite good because they pick up so much moisture from the clouds hitting the mountains beyond. Tea plants in Arunachal can live well past 100 years. After which, the plants decrease in productivity and hence, must be pulled out and replaced accordingly.

The new plants once mature enough, are ready to be picked after 2-3 years. Pre-partition in 1947, the now Pakistan region was a less than thriving

While green tea has been a tradition in Pakistan for 1,000 years, black tea was introduced during British times in South Asia. Lahore was once considered a city with the most vibrant tea cultures, tea being big part of the local culture.

Tea in Bhutan is grown in Dooars or Duars, the alluvial floodplains in northeastern India that lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and north of the Brahmaputra River basin.

Thousands of people are engaged in the tea estates and factories.

Tea tourism has helped promote the tea from the Himalayan belt. Tours in the factory to breakfast in the estates have brought the source closer to the people around the world. To the elixir of life, the two leaves and a bud, may it kiss many a sun before it reaches the lip.

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health

Know your

Salt!

Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) is a major global public health problem.

Anaemia and IDD both affect the health of a person dramatically

The Double Fortified Salt (DFS) is basically iodine and iron added to common salt

I

magine the beautiful Himalayan peaks and the picturesque landscape. The trans-Himalayan region of India holds within itself beauty that sparks up your imagination. The panorama of snowcapped mountains is unlike any other landscape of India. People who live in the hilly areas usually have iodine deficiency due to the fact that the iodine content leaches out of the soil in the hilly areas although a majority of the people in India suffer from IDD. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), in order to address the problem of anaemia along with iodine deficiency, has come out with the standards for Double Fortified Salt (DFS) which is basically iodine and iron added to common salt. The fortification of common salt with both these micronutrients will help address both anaemia and iodine deficiency for the masses as common salt is consumed daily by all.

To gain knowledge about the causative factor of endemic goiter in the Himalayan belt, a study was organised in 1956 in the Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh in India by Sooch and Ramalingaswami.

The result of the study laid the

foundation of the National Goiter Control Project which later on was changed to the National Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control programme in India. This study also showed that Iodised Salt is effective in addressing goitre. The FSSAI CEO, Pawan Agarwal says, “The FSSAI has set up the Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) which is the go-to centre for Fortification. We work with various line ministries, development partners and key experts, together with whom we provide end to end solution for food fortification. The use of DFS has been encouraged in the government safety net programmes like the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and the Mid Day Meal (MDM) by the MoWCD and the MoHRD since 2011. A latest directive has been issued by the MWCD to include fortified wheat flour, oil and salt in ICDS.” Anaemia and the IDD both affect the health of a person dramatically. The IDD covers a myriad of consequences of iodine deficiency at all stages of human growth and development – from foetus, infants, childhood, adolescent and to adulthood. Studies have shown that children who are deficient in iodine show poor scores on IQ tests (13 points less) and

have impaired school performance.

Coupled with anaemia, there is lack of concentration, increased fatigue and low energy. This is why it is essential to choose double fortified salt or iodised salt over non-iodised salt. People who don’t get sufficient iodine usually exhibit lowered mental function, low intelligence levels and high degree of apathy which is reflected in lack of ingenuity and decision-making capacity.

The FSSAI has also released the +F logo which can be now found on many of the fortified products available in the market. As a consumer, a wise and informed choice would be to pick up the products that will provide health benefits to you and your family should be a decision to be made while purchasing groceries.

For more information on fortification or on fortified products available in the market, please log on to http:// ffrc.fssai.gov.in/

www.ffrc.fssai.gov.in/fortification

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state wise

Fresh and Spicy

Food forms an essential part of the culture of Northeast India, and in a traveller’s urge to understand the unknown, the food of Arunachal Pradesh is a topic that draws a lot of attention!

Team FnB

Stir fried chicken with chilli basil bamboo shoots

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T

he hill state of Arunachal Pradesh has some amazing biodiversity spots, national parks, wildlife habitats and rich tribal culture that enthrall visitors. However, the cuisine of Arunachal Pradesh is equally compelling.

Rice is cooked in the hollow bamboo

Most of the state’s recipes are not difficult to make and they are also healthy. Food is just an extension of the culture of the people of Arunachal Pradesh.

Rice is the staple food of Arunachal Pradesh and different rice dishes are paired with meat, fish and vegetables. Any other food is just a side dish. The most important and different aspect about their rice preparation is that the Arunachalis prefer to cook their rice in the hollow bamboo over some hot coal to give it a different flavour.

Immense Variety Even though the cuisine of Arunachal Pradesh vary as per the region and also along with the tribes (such as Apatanis, Chuki, Adi and Nishi) that inhabit that region, nonvegetarian food is preferred here and food in the region is cooked with the minimum spices. Arunachal Pradesh is home to 26 major tribes and over 100 sub-tribes, therefore, the variety in food is mind boggling. As you move toward the eastern side of the state, people are dependent on bamboo and other leafy vegetables which are strictly boiled. Fried food is not very popular as people like to eat either boiled or smoked food.

The incredible feature of Arunachali tribal gastronomy is that they avoid using any kind of oil or other dry or packed Indian spices. The tribal cuisines are nutritious and healthy as they regularly use herbs with medicinal properties and indigenous fresh spices which are not found in any other regions of India except in some part of the hilly areas of the Northeast excluding Assam, Tripura and Sikkim. Maybe because of this reason, the tribals are very cautious of what they eat while coming to the plain areas. Organic vegetables, curative herbs and fermented bamboo shoots with a couple of fresh scented

leaves are the integral ingredients of tribal food habits.

Rice

Dung Po and Kholam are the two different processes of cooking rice.

Dung Po is basically steamed rice but is cooked with effort. Two brass utensils are used for this purpose.

In this part of the world, the myth persists that food cooked in brass utensils is always delicious. Maybe because of this persisting myth, brass has become a popular cooking apparatus found in every household.

The rice, in the brass utensil, is filled with some leaves to secure it from scattering as the pot is hollow from beneath and the second pot is filled with water to generate steam to cook the rice. The cooked rice is wrapped in leaves to serve.

Kholam is also another popular but a unique process to cook rice. In this method, a bamboo tube is used instead of metal utensils. The rice is filled with water in a custom-made bamboo tube measuring 21/2 feet in height then it is left beside the traditional hearth with enough heat to cook it.

Boiled rice cakes wrapped in leaves are a popular snack. Tai khampti, steamed August 2017

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Arunachal Pradesh has a mouth watering range of pickles, chutneys and other savouries rice wrapped in a local leaves, is really delicious. In tai khampti, people call the leaf tong while the other tribes call it ekkam.

nung (fish blended with local herbs and wrapped in tong or ekkam and steamed) is a delight.

Apang or rice beer is a popular alcoholic drink in Arunachal Pradesh, which is made from fermented rice or millet. There are different varieties of rice beer with different flavours, some even incorporating fruits.

The nou kai noo som, a chicken preparation with tender fermented bamboo shoots, is one of the best non-vegetarian dishes that is prepared in Arunachal Pradesh. Pork is extremely popular in the Northeast and Arunachal Pradesh is no different.

Nou moo phan – pork blended with local herbs – and nou moo shen (fried pork prepared with bamboo shoots) are to die for.

Fish Fish is used to make curry, soup or it is consumed in fried form. The most extraordinary tribal cuisine is a soup called pasa – a fish soup prepared from fresh raw fish. The head and tail portion is chopped off.

The remaining red meat is minced and a paste is prepared. All the ingredients like garlic, ginger, chilly, makat, pee chim khim, phoi hom (indigenous scented spice leaves) are grinded to make a paste. The paste of the fresh raw fish and spices are mixed and flavoured with the juice of ooriam (khumpatt) leaves which gives a tint greenish colour to the soup. It is said that during war time, tribal soldiers used to prepare this soup instead of cooking food that would have revealed their hideouts.

Top to bottom: Spices and herbs used in the dishes of Arunachal Pradesh; rice beer; ngatok; and bamboo in brine

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Ngatok is an ethnic fish curry and the preparation method is incredible.

The fish is sliced into small pieces and marinated with the indigenous spices. Thereafter, a medium sized stone is extremely heated which is then kept amidst the marinated fish and wrapped in a particular leave. The wrapped fish is covered by charcoal or ashes and left to be cooked. Paa

Meats

Bamboo shoots Bamboo shoot is widely eaten throughout the Northeastern states because of its delicate flavour and is a chief component of Arunachal Pradesh food. The cuisine of this state incorporates a lot of bamboo shoots in the form of main dishes, as part of other dishes or pickles.

Pickles Arunachal Pradesh has a mouth watering range of pickles, chutneys and other savouries. This is also because sometimes, in adverse weather conditions, fresh vegetables or meats may not be available. These pickles serve as accompaniments to rice in such conditions. Pika pila is a famous and a rather popular type of a pickle (popular even outside Arunachal Pradesh) that is mostly made by the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh. It is made by using bamboo shoot and pork fat with a little addition of king chilli or as we lovingly call it raja mircha.

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Inspiring

Down to Earth

with MittiCool Mansukhbhai Raghavjibhai Prajapati is a renowned rural innovator known for his earthen clay-based products. MittiCool is changing the way urban India looks at earthenware.

Team FnB

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clay product manufacturing company, MittiCool has been producing clay product for more than a decade. Their main purpose is to promote eco-friendly products. They make various kinds of products such as cookware, tableware, water filters, etc. This company has been offering products in India since 2004. Recipient of various national and international awards for producing high efficiency and eco-friendly products, MittiCool products are also available online.

Mitticool Cookware Pure Indian clays are used to make MittiCool clay cookware, which have been carefully selected and harvested from specific areas. The clay is rich in minerals and has no chemical and

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additives. It is tested and totally free of toxins like lead and cadmium. It is naturally and chemically inactive and non-reactive. Using this cookware, we can get nutritional value of food and unlike conventional cookware, it will not damage the nutritional quality of food.

Mitticool Water Pots and Benefits of Water Bottles MittiCool water bottles are made out of the clay and completely natural and free from chemicals. Also it maintains your pH level by neutralising the acidic qualities in water. These bottles and pots are eco-friendly and totally handmade using a special mixture of 100 per cent natural clay, which result in getting natural cool water. Water is

Pure Indian clays are used to make MittiCool clay cookware, which have been carefully selected and harvested from specific areas

very core factor of our life and most of the people drink tap water which is usually not clean and hygienic.

MittiCool water filter is very important to help in such conditions unlike other filtration machine. It only needs gravitational principle to run smoothly.

It cannot require any electricity and filters dust and other bacteria from water. Even though this natural clay filtration not even kills bacteria and impurities but also provide you cool drinking water. It can filter germs and bacteria up to 0.9 microns, which is small enough to block most of the harmful water pathogens.

Advantages of Mitticool Refrigerator MittiCool refrigerator is made of natural clay and it is eco-friendly natural refrigerator. It weighs 20kg and hence it can be easily passed from one place to another place as compared to a conventional fridge. This fridge doesn’t require any kind of electricity.

The upper part of the fridge can store about 10 litres of water and the lower cabinet has enough space for storing fruits and vegetables.

Mitticool Antiques, Handicrafts And Tableware There is no need to fix polymer clay ornaments for these products at home because they require less than 130 degree celcius to be completely rigid. Polymer clay jewellery doesn’t need any paint because it is created from mixed colour clay so that you can choose any colour of ornaments as per your choice and these jewellery will not fade in long time and remain in exact shape. Eventually MittiCool provides full outdoor catering service to make sure your event should be perfect. It provides services for events of any size, any theme and any place in India. Instead of that it creates clock with the natural clay which

Various ranges of MittiCool products for our daily needs

Mitticool has also made night lamp lanterns with unique designs

shows traditionalism in the house and it wouldn’t be so expensive.

MittiCool Company has also made night lamp lanterns which seems beautiful and attractive because of its unique designs. Even though, they made special Diwali MittiCool Diya.

MittiCool Company uses natural clay to make these beautiful and eco-friendly diyas to enlighten your surrounding so delightfully.

August 2017

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check-in

In the lap of

The Himalayas Meghauli Serai – A Taj Safari is set on the banks of the Rapti River overlooking the core zone of this spectacular lush landscape with the lower Himalayan ranges as the backdrop.

T Snigdha Bhowmick The writer is a food and travel blogger who writes at www.saltandsandals.com

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he beauty of Nepal has always been undeniable but one of the gems of this serene country is its wildlife sanctuary: Chitwan National Park. The story of the one-horned rhinoceros residing here has indeed been a miraculous one. It has been brought back from almost being extinct to a sizeable population. I’ll take you on a luxury trip through Nepal’s magnificent firsts with Taj Safaris’ lodge Meghauli Serai.

Nestled in the midst of the jungle, the luxury at this property is beyond imagination. The hotel has 30 rooms

overlooking the Himalayas and the Rapti river. My room overlooked the grasslands and the river and I could often see an elephant or two strolling about.

Rooms at Meghauli Serai I immediately fell in love with my room the moment I walked in. The traditional luxury of Taj is displayed in the beautiful motifs on the walls along with four poster beds that are colour coordinated in shades of grey and white.

The entrance to the resort is traditional Newari architecture while I find a slew of copper pots from the Tharu culture

of river Rapti and the hospitality of Taj came to the fore again. Our breakfast consisted of some tasty sandwiches, kathi rolls, croissants along with some juices. While we sat down on tree stumps munching on our tit bits, a mommy elephant and her baby started playing by the riverside.

Dinner at Meghauli Serai

spread all over the resort. But the thing that absolutely takes my breath away is the personal outdoor swimming pool that opens out into the forest.

The resort also makes me fall in love with its colours. The sitting area has a large sofa topped off by a huge chandelier hanging from the sloping wooden ceiling. The cushion covers here are made of organic banana fabric.

Forest Safari Even with all these amenities, the true test of a forest lodge is in the jungle trails it organises with the small group of adventurers. Our naturalist, Pradeep, gives us a brief description of what we are supposed to expect on the next day in the forest. After a quick light breakfast, we head out in our 4x4 Tata jeeps for a ride into the forest. First, we saw paw prints of a tiger on the ground in patterns leading to the jungle. Our encounter with the one-horned rhinoceros was a sight to behold.

The beautiful sitting area for guests at Meghauli Serai

the true test of a forest lodge is in the jungle trails it organises with the small group of adventurers

We return back to our resort after a full day’s worth of adventure and the welcome took away our day’s tiredness.

Cold towels and a glass of juice set us up perfectly for the frivolities of the evening. A traditional Tharu thali dinner scene is set up at a small little manmade village right behind the resort.

We witnessed the beautiful Tharu tribe decked up in traditional attire for an exuberant dance performance. My friends and me joined along and danced into the night. Meghauli Serai was one of the highlights on our trip to Nepal.

With the luxury of Taj Safaris at our service, it is one of my favourite ways to explore Chitwan National Park.

How to get there?

The easiest way to get there is a drive from Kathmandu airport for about 4.5 hours (176 kms). The best time to visit is after the monsoons get over in July.

Dugout canoes traverse the Rapti River which is home to several animals

After a good four hours of hiking deep into the jungle, we settled down for an elaborate breakfast on the banks August 2017

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celeb talk

“I will never ever

have protein shakes…”

- Akshay Kumar

Pushing (but definitely not showing it) 50, Akshay Kumar is one of the fittest stars around.

However repeated the cliché may be, he is the perfect example of the relation between wine and ageing.

Aarti Kapur Singh

Akshay Kumar

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The writer has been writing on cinema and lifestyle for more than a decade.

Her interest in cinema is also why she is pursuing a doctorate on the subject.

An ardent foodie, she feels travelling and eating are the best stress-busters.

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he star is taking the offbeat route in 2017 and has eight films on his hands. The mosttalked about is the Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, which is based on the concept of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and talks about the unhygienic conditions in rural India. A martial arts expert and the ‘Khiladi’ of Bollywood, he has been professionally trained in Taekwondo and Muay Thai. He is a black belt in Taekwondo and learnt Muay Thai in Thailand where he worked as a chef before beginning his acting career.

Akshay Kumar shares tips on how he maintains that perfect work-lifefitness-looking good balance…

Food and Beverage Buzz: What is fitness to you?

Akshay Kumar: Fitness is a sense of completeness – in how you feel, how you look and how you treat your body and mind. Fitness comes from keeping your body active and there are different ways to do so without hitting the gym. But that does not mean you do not work on your body. Take out at least one hour every day to exercise, in any form. If you can’t exercise, just go for a walk for an hour. There’s nothing that your body loves more than a good night’s rest and an early start. Despite a packed schedule, I wake up with the sun and eat before it sets. I love my sleep and I love to see the mornings. People who invite me to a party know that I will leave early because I have to be in bed.

FnB Buzz: Where does food figure in the scheme of things?

Akshay Kumar: Food is very important for fitness. But more than that, it is about the right kind of food. The important thing is, control your diet and food. I am a Punjabi and love sweets, but after my evening meal, I don’t touch sweets. It’s also written in our shastras that we should not be eating at night. And there is a scientific reason

Its is better to munch on carrots or have soup at nights after an early meal for it. We need three to four hours to digest what we eat. So, if we eat late at night, all your body parts go to sleep, except for your stomach that needs to keep working to digest the food that you have eaten. As a result, while your body gets rest, your poor stomach does not get as much rest as when you get up, you again need to eat. And we all know that all our problems start from our stomach.

“The important thing is, control your diet and food”

Even if you can’t exercise, walk everyday and eat by 7pm and see how it will change your life. If you feel hungry after that, eat an egg white scrambled or omelette, carrot or soup as that is easier to digest. It may sound stupid, I have a sweet tooth so after I eat my food, I quickly go and brush. One, it is a good habit but more importantly, that little bit of sweet toothpaste gives me that little satisfaction of feeling that I have had something sweet.

FnB Buzz: What do you eat on a daily basis?

Akshay Kumar: I don’t eat things made in a lab or anything from a packet. Homemade food is the best.

Eat brown rice. It is so good for muscles as it is good carb. Eat walnuts, cranberries, almond, milk, meat. I usually breakfast with a heavy meal of August 2017

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Left: Akshay Kumar; right: one should eat light like an omelette at night

“I completely oppose starving oneself to reduce weight; it’s just not healthy”

The delicious parathas with desi ghee

parathas and a glass of milk followed by fresh fruits and nuts for snacks.

Lunch is a balanced meal of lentils, brown rice, wholesome veggies or lean meat and yogurt. The last meal of the day is a light combination of soup and sautéed vegetables.

I completely oppose starving oneself to reduce weight; it’s just not healthy for the body goes into shock and stores the food instead of burning it.

And also, the usual human tendency to bingeing after starving makes the whole concept of starving as a means to fitness, counterproductive.

You don’t have to be obsessed with exercising or dieting, the most important thing is to maintain a balanced and active lifestyle.

FnB Buzz: What are the other reasons why you look the way you do?

Akshay Kumar: I have to look a certain way – not just because I am in the showbiz. It comes from within. So, I am into various practices that keep my body active. I like kick-boxing and shadow-boxing and other sports like basketball. I also practice yoga for a

strong mind and enjoy trekking. Yoga ie pranayama and meditation help to calm the mind and make one stress free. What I do not do at all is weight training. I don’t pick up weights at all.

It’s best to pick up your own body weight by engaging in rock climbing, hiking, skipping or swinging.

FnB Buzz: What are your earliest food memories?

Akshay Kumar: I think for most of us it will be the taste of your mother’s cooking. It is true for me also. The whole aroma of aloo ke parathe and the way my mother used to make lassi at home. How my sister, friends and I would steal a few slivers of mango from the terrace that my mother had left out to dry for the pickle – all of these are my very fond memories of food. Then the time I spent in Thailand – as a waiter and as a cook – all of those moments are amazing memories as well.

FnB Buzz: What are your favourite cuisines?

Akshay Kumar: Anything that is

homemade – though I love Asian food and also the way Gujarati food is cooked.

FnB Buzz: What are the things that you will never eat?

Akshay Kumar: I will never ever have protein shakes or body-building supplements or powders. Also, alcohol and caffeine. So, no chai or coffee for me. Also antibiotics or allopathic drugs – I avoid them. I remember I had once got a severe throat infection during an outdoor shoot and was worried whether I will be able to shoot. All I had was what my mother used to give me - haldi wala doodh or warm water with honey.

FnB Buzz: You also enjoy cooking at home…

Akshay Kumar: A lot! And not everyone is happy with it. When our household help had just joined us, she was quite taken aback with the idea that I would go into the kitchen to boil the milk. Or cook that often. I can cook this special red-sauce pasta even in my sleep. My daughter is very fond of it.

FnB Buzz: Where do you like to eat when you go out?

Akshay Kumar: I love JW Marriott, Wasabi, Four Seasons and also at Chandni Chowk in Delhi – I have grown up there and know what kind of an experience it can offer to anybody fond of food.

FnB Buzz: You are a style icon, even at 50, for youngsters half your age…how do you manage that?

Akshay Kumar: The credit for my good clothes goes entirely to my beautiful wife. She has really helped me evolve with sartorial elegance.

My mother-in-law (veteran actress Dimple Kapadia) is a style icon and wouldn’t have me any other way. I have no option but to match up with the ladies in my family.

recipe Akshay Kumar’s version of

Pad Thai Noodles

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

2 asparagus stalks 4 pieces baby corn 1/2 red capsicum 1/2 cup bean sprouts 2 spring onions 50gm cabbage 50gm pakchoy 1 packet flat Thai noodles Salt Sugar 2tbsp peanuts 1tbsp red chilli paste A pinch turmeric powder 1tbsp lemon juice 1tsp white pepper powder Refined oil

Method • Cut the vegetables into juliennes. Keep aside.

• Boil water. Add noodles and cook until almost done.

• Drain off excess water, add oil and mix well. Wash in running cold water and keep aside.

• Heat oil in a wok, add the vegetables and the remaining ingredients.

• Toss well on a high flame. Add cooked noodles, season well, toss well and keep aside.

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Dine Out

Flavours of Northeast

in Delhi

Dare to test your tastebuds with some fiery raja mircha from the Himalayas. Here is our guide to some of the best smoked pork, akhuni and home-style Northeast food in the capital.

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The Vaimiim Chim corn snacks of Rosang Soul Cafe

Jakoi – Assam Bhavan

Dr Sudipto De The writer is a lover of cuisines from the far east to the western world. He is known as the Hungry Surgical Resident amongst his peers. A Surgeon in training and a foodie in full.

Assamese food was probably the first one I tried among the Northeastern states. The similarity to Bengali food was one of the paramount reasons to do so. Just like the Bengalis, Assamese love their staple food of rice and fish. Jakoi at the Assam State Bhavan is the place to go for some authentic Assamese grub. With the restaurant being managed by folks from the state, you should try out the

Image by Mary Lalboi

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lthough Delhi’s food scene is always abuzz with new restaurants and cuisines setting up shops, the restaurants serving Northeastern food are few and far between. But with a steady stream of students and professionals from the beautiful eight sister states starting to call Delhi their home, their cuisines are slowly but surely coming into the limelight.

Parampaara thaali for a taste of the traditional Assam.

Rosang – Soul Food Rosang Soul Food is your one stop shop for food from the Northeast.

The home styled café might be small in size but their kitchen packs quite a bit of punch. From Assamese tenga to the Mizo sochchiar, Rosang’s food resonates throughout the NorthEastern community in Delhi. Owner Mary Lalboi also tells me about the wonderful spread she serves at her Sunday Brunch which encompasses food from all over the Northeast.

Dzouku – Tribal Kitchen Where else can you find the best pork spare ribs if not in Nagaland.

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Where else can you find the best pork spare ribs if not in Nagaland you sweating like crazy. Owner Chubamanen Longkumer’s menu had five different dishes and two chutneys. The chicken in bamboo shoot, smoked pork and smoked river fish should definitely be tasted.

From bamboo shoot to pork and dried fish, you can take a piece of Nagaland home with you. “The different tribes in Nagaland cook their food in their own signature paste giving it a characteristic taste,” Manen tells me as we devour some of his tasty pork pickle.

Image by Snigdha Bhowmick

Mizo Diner

The super hot drink Raja Mircha Bloody Mary wooden plates and spoons, the ambiance at the Dzouku Tribal Kitchen takes you back to the tribal land of Nagaland. The sourcing of fresh ingredients from Nagaland by owner Karen Yepthomi allows for food that piques your taste buds to the fullest.

Do try out the meat curries made with Axone (fermented soya beans), yams and black sesame seeds.

Nimtho – Pamposh Enclave For an authentic taste of the brother Sikkim, Nimtho in Pamposh Enclave is the most appropriate place. Located

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above a store which sells organic produce from Sikkim, Nimtho’s food has elements from Nepal too. The chilli momos and the curried momos are something that you must try out, especially during Delhi’s chilly winters.

The Khuri is a spin off on the spring rolls that we so love.

Nagaland’s Kitchen Raja Mircha Bloody Mary anyone?

This superhot drink was part of the recently concluded Raja Mircha festival at Nagaland Kitchen. With a million Scoville units of heat, this local delicacy will have

When David Lalrammawia came to Delhi, he found out that there was not even a single restaurant serving Mizo food. His modestly sized restaurant, Mizo Diner in the Safdarjung area played host to his hip hop group, Slum Dogs. Today, they serve out a plethora of food in their Mizo kitchen. Unlike a lot of food from the Northeast, Mizo food is not that spicy and has a high dependence on herbs. Must try outs at this place include the smoked pork and changkha bawl.

The Categorical Eat Pham Let’s move over to Manipur now.

From the small river snails to the duck curry, Manipuri food finds home in this place. The river snails undergo a four stage preparation before they become the delicacy that it is. It is best combined with steamed rice and ooti (a Manipuri lentil dish). There is also some smoked pork on offer.

food trail

The stream of

spices and herbs India is indelibly linked to its spices.

And, as one dwells deeper into the range of spices in India, it’s mind boggling.

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ven in Kerala, these prominent ones are a tip of the iceberg, there are plenty of spices and condiments grown and used across homes which never find their way into the mainstream or are talked about. And it is to this range of ‘prominently used spices in homes but never having caught the imagination of the world’ that one can add most of

the spices used in the Trans-Himalayan belt. Spices are used in homes for day-to-day cooking and also find a way to the palates of connoisseurs or the discerning few. To me, no one has really bothered to research into it or make an attempt to popularise it.

As I research into this region, I begin to fathom that I have just scratched the surface and there are plenty of

Chitra Balasubramaniam The writer specialises in food, textiles, travel and heritage writing.

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Jhambu or jamboo

bhut jholokia stands as the hottest chilli on earth with a SHU of 1,001,304 32

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indigenous items used in recipes.

The cuisine in itself has not been fully documented or written about.

This trail takes into account spices, condiments and flavouring agents.

It also includes some quirky ones.

Some of the excellent spices used were mentioned to me by Pinky and Sonam who run the very popular Yeti restaurant in New Delhi. They are a warehouse of information on the cuisine from Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Northeast India. However, a lot of spices they use are so natural that they have to be goaded to think that it is special and different. For them, it is everyday use. Gundruk or Gundruka and Jambua as they say.

This list tries to capture some of these wonderful herbs; the list is in no way exhaustive or complete. This wonderful world of spice is the least explored or researched into. Call this article, a first step in the direction.

Climatic conditions, the topography of a region inevitably influence its cuisine and dishes. Given the climatic conditions of the Trans-Himalayan belt, a majority of the spices grow wild and the inhabitants are attuned to picking it at the right time, drying it and using it as per the vagaries of nature. We start with the pungency and the tang of the chillies. Chillies are used almost everywhere.

Anti-clockwise from above: Dalle chillies, bhut jholokia and seeds from flowers which are used as condiments

The dalle khursani chilli from Sikkim is extremely popular in Northeast India and Nepal. It is a delight to look at, yes it is pretty and very hot! It is small almost like cherry but packs a punch via its extremely sharp pungent taste.

The SHU (Scoville heat unit) pegs it between 1,00,000 and 3,50,000.

Given my low propensity for chilli, I have ventured to smell it, shoot it but afraid not to taste it. Nepal has a similar variety called jeere khursani.

It is tiny almost like jeera and derives its name from it. Dalle is said to have medicinal properties and does not have a burning effect inside unlike

Uttarakhand has over 50 different varieties of chillies documented by the Uttarakhand Organic Board

other varieties of chillies. Speaking of this, how can one forget the raja mircha from Assam, bhut jholokia stands as the hottest chilli on earth with a SHU of 1,001,304. It is found in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.

Pickles out of it are delicious. There is a variety of yellow chillies used

by Ladakhis. It is the only chilli used there and is called Thangyar. Kashmiri chilli is relatively tamer, elongated and deep red in colour. It is excellent for giving colour to a dish without the heat content. It is grown in temperate regions Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Uttarakhand has over 50 different varieties of chillies which have been documented by the Uttarakhand Organic Board. Lakhori or yellow chilli is the most pungent from this region, though nowhere near dalle or bhut jholokia. Lakhori is a commercial crop. Another chilli from this region is jamri, which is lesser known but used extensively to make pickles domestically. Other varieties like dada, lal march, peeli march, talwari mirch also abound.

Sichuan pepper or timur zanthoxylum armatum is its botanical name. It is used in Nepalese, Tibetan and Bhutanese cuisine as well as in August 2017

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For the tadka in Uttarakhand, the jakia is popular with crunchy almost nutty flavour Indian food. It is similar to the konkani teppal.

Zanthoxylum rhetsa, the Indian teppal, is also from the same family but different. There may be a slight variation in taste. It is mildly hot with a tingling feeling to the tongue. It is a part of the Chinese five spice powder. The tree is used to cure dental problems as well.

A common flavouring agent is jambu which has many names such as jambua, jimbu jhambu or jamboo (allium stracheyi). It is very interesting, how a dried herb can bring out flavour akin to onions. It is a perennial herb, with rosy flowers whose leaves and inflorescence are dried and used for seasoning. It grows in high altitude regions and finds its use in Tibetan dishes as well. A member of the onion family which explains the delicious flavour it imparts. It can be fried in oil and added to dal and subzi. Alternatively, it can be roasted and tossed into salads or soups. The herb is underutilised in my opinion and can be taken to greater culinary heights if used innovatively. Another herb from the same family is zimbu allium wallichii which is a form of wild garlic, the leaves and roots are used. It is considered a substitute to allium carolinianum. It is a member of the onion family. It is fascinating as substitutes and the species of the family are used differently. They

Sichuan pepper or Sichuan peppercorn

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are essentially not the same but find similar usage in cooking. Zimbu is used in Nepalese cuisine. Jambu is used in Uttarakhand, Tibet and Bhutan.

The use of onion or garlic flavouring agents from herbs is something which can be explored especially in imparting flavours to chips and other packed snacks.

Flax Seeds or Alsi has suddenly become a popular crop in Uttarakhand. The medicinal benefit of the crop has given a flip to the farmers to grow it. The roasted seeds are being sold to be added to cuisine or eaten per se. The oil from the seeds has also found its takers.

Given its health properties, it is much in demand with the ‘in’ crowd. Using it for flavour though has still not taken off.

White til or Teel (sesame seeds) as it is called is an essential item in cooking in Nepalese cuisine. Similar to the Indian counterpart, it is cleaner and slightly larger in size and imparts an interesting flavour to the dishes.

Black are not used in cooking while the brown are also roasted to get out the nutty flavour from Nepal.

It is cleaner and not as sandy as it is here. Radish seeds are also used in Nepal. It is roasted, ground and added to pickles along with white sesame seeds.

For the tadka in Uttarakhand, the jakia is popular with crunchy almost nutty flavour. Kumyot is used in Ladakh for flavouring. It is almost like the jeera tadka in the plains. Another

herb which is used for imparting a red colour to the dish, especially in Kashmir, is the ratanjot or alkanet.

The roots of alkanet are used to impart the red colour. It is extremely popular in Europe where it is used as a natural colour for cosmetics. Another lesser known root from Uttarakhand is the gandrayani. Gandrayani (angelica glauca edgew) is a root which is hardly known beyond Uttarakhand. It has its own aroma and when boiled with the dal, it gives it a warm and sweet smell.

It has medicinal properties and is used to cure stomach ailments. A medicinal herb, it has been documented for its medicinal properties but rarely for its culinary usage. It is used in cooking whole dals. Since dals cause flatulence, it is considered the right antidote. It has its use in making liqueurs also. It is also a herb with immense potential.

Shop-tsa or dried fenugreek leaves is used as a flavouring agent.

Gundruk and sinki – Gundruk is made by fermenting and drying leaves of radish, cauliflower, turnip and mustard; the leaves are allowed to wilt, it is shredded and packed tightly into jars and allowed to ferment. It starts giving out a sour smell and at this stage, it is sun dried. It is added as a flavouring agent to soups and vegetables. Sinki is a process of preservation of vegetables.

The souring agent in cuisine is equally interesting. Lapsi or Nepalese hog plum is a little fruit which is used as a souring agent. It is left to ripen naturally on trees. Once fully ripe, it can be easily separated. It is dried and the dried rinds are used to give a sour flavour to the dishes. In Uttarakhand, it is daddim which is the desi or indigenous pomegranate seeds. It is used similarly to anardana. Tekhera from the Northeast is what kokum to the South is, it is delicious and sour. It imparts a nice flavour to the dishes.

Top to bottom: Black cardamom; black cumin seeds; and bay leaves

There are more; bhanga, bhangjeera, lai, rai, bay leaf, black cardamom, kala jeera or black jeera, turmeric are also a part of the herbs grown in this area. No account is complete without the salts from the area – the Himalayan rock salt, salt from various rivers and far-flung villages. The natural crystal salts are gaining in popularity.

The biodiversity is mind boggling, may be an organised attempt to collate each of these and their culinary usage will go a long way in making it popular.

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.. . y ne

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Cultural

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s o l hi

P d n

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Gastronomy

Venue

The Lalit New Delhi

Duration: 1 Day Date: 15 September 2017

3

Sessions

Followed by a one-of-its-kind award ceremony

Advisory Board

SK Misra, IAS (retd.)

Former Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and present Chairman, ITRHD

Jose Dominic CEO, CGH Earth Group

Chef Gautam Mehrishi Celebrity Chef & Editorial Advisor, FnB Buzz magazine

Steve Borgia Chairman and Managing Director, INDeco Leisure Hotels

BR Oberoi aka Diamond Oberoi Chairman, Elgin Hotels

Pritha Sen Renowned Food Anthropologist

Sanjeev Pahwa Sr. Vice President South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Maharaja Pushpraj Singh Maharaja, Rewa, Madhya Pradesh

Dr Pushpesh Pant Acclaimed Food Historian and Critic

Rajmata Pramoda Devi Wadiyar Royal family of Mysuru

Maharaja Pradyot Manikya Deb Burman Maharaja, State of Tripura

Rakesh Mathur Former President, WelcomHeritage by ITC Group

Concept Note

U

nderstanding our past is imperative to understand our present food habits. So, how do we come to an elaborate understanding of our cultural habits? How do we connect the dots to unwind history so that we trace the wisdom that built the massive civilisation that was ours and how do we disseminate the same wisdom for the utility and upbringing of the next generations? The first chapter of Swad Sanskriti is dedicated to 'Cultural Gastronomy' and it will play a vital role to explore and trace the wisdom of our cultural philosophy. With the help of its august panellists, the event will look into exploring the culinary philosophy that through the years helped shape the most complex, intriguing and progressive continuum of food culture in India. Some of the themes to be unfolded through the various sessions of Swad Sanskriti are: 1. IMPORTANCE OF MILK IN INDIAN FOOD Milk is an integral part of Indian food culture. From the beginning of Indian mythology, when Shri Krishna enchanted and stole makkhan, cows and milk have defined the pastoral culture and upbringing of the Indian society. As a result, milk is not only a nutritive product but also a symbol of our prosperity and auspiciousness.

2. HERITAGE CUISINE OF INDIA India is a country that lives the true meaning of diversity every single day through its various cultures, races and cuisines. The dishes made in India have many variations because of historical and cultural factors, the spices used and the flavours achieved. It becomes pertinent to bring to eminence Indian heritage cuisine which has enchanted the world with its diversity and exotic tastes.

3. IMPACT OF ONLINE BUSINESS ON F&B AND FMCG COMPANIES To discuss the current F&B industry scenario and the emerging trend of online business which will provide a boost to the industry.

Sponsorship Opportunities Saffron

(Host Partner)

Cardamom (State Partner)

Cinnamon

(Associate Partner)

Turmeric

(Supporting Partner)

Travel

In the Sky

Lunch

Healthcare

On the Road

Dinner

Automobile

technology

On the Rail

Real Estate

Lifestyle

food trail

Tasting the

Raw Ecstasy of Walnuts Walnuts do not have their origin in India.

Nevertheless, with time, they have ceased to be ephemeral and they are now an integral part of the Indian culinary tradition.

Diana Mehra The writer is the Assistant Editor of Food and Beverage Buzz Magazine and Defence and Security Alert Magazine.

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A

s soft as silk, as white as milk/ as bitter as gall, a strong wall/ and a green coat covers me all. This is the way the beauteous walnuts are described in our adorable rhymes.

No wonder, the forests or orchards where walnuts grow assume the caricature of a fantasy land. It’s

a place where the air is covered in a mystic green and wrapped in the transcendence of nature’s nourishment is the metamorphosis of walnuts from green to dry nuts.

From stories and myths around it to metaphors on walnuts, its life in the universe of its shell. They are seen as a potent symbol of

walnuts are a potent symbol of masculinity and intellectual productivity

masculinity and if you crack open the spherical beauty that it is with the brain-shaped nut kernel inside, you will realise why they symbolise intellectual productivity.

In Indian culture, dreaming about breaking a walnut and finding it tasty is a good omen – regardless of the gender.

Classed as belonging to the genus of Juglans, walnuts are found in abundance in the coniferous forest belt of the Himalayas and are largely referred to as akhrot in India. Although, walnuts were initially not cultivated and were collected from scattered trees in the forest, cultivation plans have come to existence resulting in the making of August 2017

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The unripe fresh walnut fruit hanging out from the branch of its tree

India grows three different types of walnuts depending on the shell thickness

beautiful orchards due to their immense prospect for export business.

Jammu and Kashmir is the principle walnut producing state in India.

According to the book, Nut Fruits for the Himalayas by ML Dewan, MC Nautiyal and VK Shah, 98 per cent of the total crop of walnuts is produced by J&K alone.

The state is a germplasm of walnuts producing the Persian walnuts and some select places in the neighbouring areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh also grow walnuts. Some areas in Arunachal Pradesh also grow walnuts. The walnut season in India commences rather early and the maturity of the nut is attained by the

Basil walnut pesto

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end of September. It is interesting that India grows three different types of walnuts depending on the shell thickness. These are hard shelled, semihard and paper-shelled walnuts known as kagazi. There are many varieties of walnuts grown in different states of India. Such as in Jammu and Kashmir; the Lake English, Drainovsky and opex caulchry varieties are found. In Himachal Pradesh; gobind, eureka, placentia, wilson, franquetfe and Kashmir budded varieties are found.

In Uttaranchal, the chakrata selections are found. With a profusion of health benefits, walnuts have weaved its profound taste in regional cuisines all over India.

Walnuts are used in many ways across the Himalayan belt. In Kashmir, the Kashmiri akhrot chutney (walnut dip) is a yummy supplement to go with snacks and dishes. It is also used to garnish the sweet dishes, having a bite of the walnut cake is a relishing experience. It’s pickled and the variety of walnuts have become a majestic quintessential to cuisines of regions around the Himalayan belt.

Akhrot is also part of Kashmir’s Hindu festivals. During Mahashivratri, also

Walnuts metamorphosing into its dry nut form

The plethora of volatile compounds in walnuts prevent pests and worms from attacking the tree known as Herath, Kashmiri Pandits go on a fast to offer their prayers to Lord Shiva. They fill walnuts in brass pots to symbolise the god and worship it during the festival. These walnuts are immersed in water and they are broken after the festivals to be consumed as prasad.

Chef Sidharth Bhardwaj, Executive Chef of JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa provides his inputs on the significance of walnuts in foods in Garhwal. “There are a lot of common practices along the Himalayan belt; this is true for walnuts too. Akhrot chutney is prepared in Kashmir as much as in Garhwal too. There are many ways of using walnuts here. The unripe walnut fruit is edible and is also used to extract oil. Because of the cold climate of the regions along the Himalayan belt, walnuts are a blessing in disguise as it keeps the body warm. Traditional ways of using walnuts are by making chutney, walnut barfi, for garnishing sweets, etc. Otherwise, it has been used to evolve traditional snacks to make walnut aloo tikki, walnut banana bread, walnut cake, etc. Not just in eating but walnuts also have a cultural significance here. Farmers pray by offering walnuts before harvesting their crops.”

Javed Ahmed, pastry chef, RK Sarovar Portico, Srinagar, said, “We use akhrot to make tart and puddings. It’s also preferred as a key ingredient for the chocolate industry here and Kashmiris also use the oil from akhrot.”

Walnuts are also given to the newlywedded bride of the family as she enters her new home to bless her with health and prosperity. Even the woods from walnut trees are used to beat meat and make carved furniture.

The plethora of volatile compounds in walnuts prevent pests and worms from attacking the tree so its furniture is durable against pests.

Walnuts are one of the world’s most venerable foods. Around 2,000 BC in Mesopotamia, the Chaldeans left inscriptions on clay tablets revealing the existence of walnut groves within the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon. There is evidence of walnut consumption dating from the same era on carved stelae containing the Code of Hammurabi, in a section devoted to food.

Walnuts can be called as pandora’s box of nutrients. The nutrients in walnuts are beneficial in preventing the Alzheimer’s disease and also in maintaining a healthy sperm count.

In the Old Testament, King Solomon speaks with delight of visiting his walnut grove: “I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruit of the valley” (Song of Solomon 6:11).

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Walnuts appear in Greek mythology as well in the story of Carya, with whom the god Dionysus fell in love.

When she died, Dionysus transformed her into a walnut tree. The goddess Artemis carried the news to Carya’s father and commanded that a temple be built in her memory. Its columns, sculpted in wood in the form of young women, were called catyatides or nymphs of the walnut tree – so the tree furnished the image for a famous Greek architectural form.

The very name of the walnut tree and its nuts have been passed down to us by the Romans. Juglans regia (walnut tree) and nux juglandes (the walnut) stem from Jovis Glans or the Royal Nut of Jove. The word for nut itself derives from the Latin nux or nucleus (fruit of the shell), with a suggested derivation from nox (night) owing to the dark juice of the nut, which was used to dye wool.

The walnut and the oil extracted from it, therefore, have been known since ancient times. Theory has it that the

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Shops outside the monastery makes delicious lapin and they also display a colourful variety of cultural accessories

The walnut and the oil extracted from it, therefore, have been known since ancient times

Top: Walnut banana bread; above: Coffee walnut cake walnut may have disappeared in parts of northern Europe during the glacial period but was then reintroduced by barbarian invaders and by GrecoRoman conquerors. Once the tree was re-established, the exploitation of its products spread steadily through increasing trade.

recipe

Doon Chetin (Kashmiri Walnut Chutney)

By Chef Reetu Uday Kugaji Culinary Expert, Food Blogger & Author, Hospitality and Food Consultant Cuisine: Kashmiri Course: Dips or chutneys Preparation Time: 8 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes Serves: 6 A spicy, nutty, creamy and flavourful Kashmiri chutney prepared with crunchy walnuts, onion, chillies and curd. In Kashmiri, doon means walnut and chetin means chutney.

Ingredients • 150gm Kashmiri walnuts • 2 no.s onions (roughly chopped) • 2 no.s green chillies (deseeded and roughly chopped) • 3/4 cup hung curd • 1/2 tsp black cumin (shahi jeera) powder • 3/4 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder • Salt, to taste For the garnish • 1/4 tsp dried mint (optional) • 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

Method • Boil the walnuts in water, till soft. Discard the water. Cool the walnuts and keep aside.

• Grind onions and green chillies together to make a smooth paste.

• Add the walnuts and grind again for 30 to 40 seconds.

• Add the hung curd, black cumin and red chilli powder. Add salt and blend well.

• Transfer the mixture into a bowl. You may garnish it with dried mint.

• Serve sprinkled with Kashmiri red chilli powder.

Chef Tips • You may keep the chutney aside for at least 1 1/2 hours before serving, so that the flavours are well combined.

• If you do not prefer mint leaves, garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

• You may serve the doon chetin as it is, that is without a garnish.

• Check the aroma of walnuts as they tend to become rancid if not stored properly.

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snacky treat

What’s cooking

in a Bihari Household?

Bihari food represents the flavourful ecstasy of the east Indian cuisine. Delectably so, it is unique for many reasons.

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Many Bihari meals have rice at its centre and it is easy to say that rice is their staple food

The snacky makhana

T

hat intense aroma of smoked chillies, the splattering sound of the roasting spices and a delightful spread of food.

All of this is synonymous to a Bihari kitchen which is up in action. High on spices, Bihari cuisine makes sure that all of your senses are at work while devouring this sumptuous collection.

Vinay Prakash Mani The writer is the editor of The Articles Today. He is an avid blogger who writes on a spectrum of themes and is a lover of Bihari food.

You can follow him on twitter using @vpmtripathi.

The modern day Bihar was, historically, divided in two kingdoms – Mithila and Magadh. While Mithila is today’s northern Bihar, Magadha was spread across southern Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa. Reflecting the rich Bihari culture and its history, northern Bihari cuisine has undergone variations through the folds of time but have saved itself the distinctive flavour of unique spices and marinades, making it one of the most revered ones in the world. Starting with dahi chura, which is a tentalising welcome to the Maithili

cuisine, one can find a lavish spread of kebabs, kofta, fish, chana ghughni, dal pitthi, malpua and much more in their ghee-dripping glory.

Mithila was also known as Videha kingdom and the kings of Mithila were called Janaks. The region was one of the most dominant social and political cultures in South Asia. Northern Bihari cuisine is mainly vegetarian, since the rulers were Hindu. It was only later during the influences of the British Raj and Mughal emperors that nonvegetarian food came into existence.

The fact that seven rivers used to flow here is evident enough of why fish dishes caught many people’s liking.

Other delicacies include ghughni, which is made of black grams soaked in water and cooked with gram paste and a whole lot of spices, and there is choora made of beaten rice served August 2017

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The crunchy look of Bihari thekua with jaggery and curd. One can also enjoy dal peetha which are like momos but made of rice flour, stuffed with spiced lentil paste. Some immensely loved snacks include: • Kachri: Flaky onion pakodas aur called kachri. Known for its crispy texture, these are one of the most famous snacks in Bohar.

• Dal puri: Pan fried puris stuffed with spiced dal. They look like flattened kachori which are famous in Northern India.

• Paratha: Bihari paratha is a layered roti, fried on a flat pan. One interesting fact about Bihari parathas is that it is flaky and its triangular in shape.

• Thekua: Mostly prepared during Chhath pooja, thekua are wheat flour balls prepared with sugar and ghee.

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• Makhana: Grown in abundance in the region, makhana can be roasted or fried and then topped with dried spices.

The delectable Bihari dal pitha

Bihari main-course items include vegetables like saag, bitter gourd, potatoes, yam and lady-finger. Many Bihari meals have rice at its centre and it is easy to say that rice is their staple food item. When Huen Tsang, the Chinese philosopher, visited Nalanda, he was served Mahasali rice. Rice based preparations include bhat (steamed rice), chitba and pitthow. While people love the spices and the aromatic flavours of the core food items, a Bihari meal always includes papad, chutney, curd and pickles which ends up adding the quirky flavours to the entire spread.

As royal is the main course, the sweets section also does not lack in variety. Malpua, essentially wheat flour fritters, are dipped in sugar syrup, topped with cardomom and are served hot. Other delicacies like kesar peda, laung latika and khaja top the menu. You may also find various fruit murabba (fruits dipped in sugar syrup) as well. Most of these sweet servings are prepared by light or deep frying the items in ghee and topped with sweet stuffings. Other than these, Biharis love their paan; be it sweet or savoury. These are cravings worth craving for!

While northern Bihari cuisine is predominantly vegetarian, because of its Buddhist and Hindu influences, non-vegetarian meal preparations have a story of their own. Bihari kebabs – soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture with yogurt and papaya infused in the meat delicacy – is absolute love for any non-vegetarian foodie. Other kebabs make the list too – galauti, shammi, reshmi, boti and many others.

And what specifically stands out from all these? Their lovely texture and mouth-watering, spicy marinades.

Since four rivers pass through Bihar, namely Sone, Gandak, Ganges and Koshi, fish is also enjoyed here apart from chicken and mutton. Rohu fish fry, kankorak chokha (crabs are mashed after roasting them) and machchak jhor (fish is marinated in spices and is cooked or fried in mustard oil) and dokak jhor (oysters cooked in onion gravy) are a hit amongst the locals.

And spices work their magic here as well!

Most northern Bihari meals use a lot of jeera, smoked red chillis and panchforan – a combination of ‘five seeds’ namely saunf, sarson, methi, ajwain and kalaunjee. Other condiments include cardomom, dried mango strips, nutmeg, cumin, poppy,

Top: malpua; above: fruit murabba

Northern Bihari cuisine is an extensive feast of meals cooked with a lot of love and patience

ginger and garlic. And of course, a generous amount of mustard oil or ghee.

Northern Bihari cuisine is a wonderfully extensive feast of meals cooked with a lot of love and patience. With distinct flavours wrapped in each morsel, it is an absolute delight to have authentic Bihari cuisine.

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globally

From the country of

happiness Widely known as ‘the Land of the Thunder Dragon’, Bhutan is a traveller’s delight and the exquisite food enhances the experience. Chillies are an essential part of nearly every dish and are considered so important that most Bhutanese people would not enjoy a meal that was not spicy.

B

etween the Indian states of Sikkim and Assam, lies a Himalayan kingdom which is an undisputed synonym of beauty, spirituality and serenity.

Bhutan, known as India’s peaceful neighbour, shares its international borders with China. The spirituality in this nation blooms to this date, thanks to Bhutan’s ability to preserve its culture. The Bhutanese ardently call their abode Druk Yul, meaning the ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon.’

This dragon isn’t a ferocious one; it rather is the protector, the guardian of the country.

And when it comes to food, there are no boundaries. This foodgasm weaves a thread through all of mankind. It is a spiritual delight that all spiritualists would agree upon.

Ashish Chopra The writer is the Senior Consulting Editor of Food and Beverage Buzz Magazine.

Bhutan is known for its spirituality and it practices the burgeoning belief of Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is unlike the early form of Buddhism. Here, what is considered to be the aim of an individual is attaining bodhichitta. Bodhichitta is the

The Bhutanese ardently call their abode Druk Yul awakening of the mind for oneself as well as for other spiritual and sentient beings. Nirvana, which is considered the ultimate aim according to the early Buddhism, is believed to be too narrow to be an aspiration by the followers of Mahayana Buddhism.

Compassion or karunya is one of the fundamental wheels of knowledge in this practice.

Mahayana Buddhism has been adopted as the official religion by only one country in the world – Bhutan.

Their practice of Buddhism with the key belief in karunya leads them to a life filled with absolute compassion. One can sense their affection, simplicity and mysticism in their delicious food.

The Bhutanese have a thing for eating and feeding. I must have visited this country more than a dozen times, August 2017

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Chillies lend a special grace to the Bhutanese dishes

Ema datshi is the national dish of Bhutan

only to witness the various segments hosting me, including the royalty. You can always find a passion for hosting in them. Such hospitality is bound to leave you in its magnificent awe and I still have to talk about the food in that region.

Apart from yak meat, milk and cheese that have an extensive presence, chillies are at the heart of any Bhutanese ingredient. A meal fulfills the criteria of being called so only if it leaves one sweating it out. This is all because of the grace of the chillies that have the predominance in the kitchens of Bhutan. Ema datshi is the national dish and it comprises of green pepper and cheese. It is a staple diet of Bhutan which is had with Bhutanese red rice. You would hardly find any other spice in their curries.

Cuyred dried pork is there another staple dish. In Bhutan, pork too leads to different dishes which include pork fing, phaksha pa, kewaphagsha, etc.

The normal consumption per week is five kilograms per head. Rice, being the only crop cultivated, is used in various forms from morning till night.

Either rice with curry or the curry with rice is used. The rice is found in two categories here. The white rice is used by the urban areas like Thimpu, Paro and Phuntsholing. The rural population consumes the red rice

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(the grained variety) and this is grown 8,000 ft above sea level. The red rice is japonica rice, which is semi-milled.

Because some of the reddish bran is still left on the rice, cooking this takes lesser time than unmilled brown rice. The rice gets pale pink, soft and slightly sticky after it is cooked.

Rice-based delicacies range from ‘desi’ and ‘zow’. Desi has a mixture of white rice, butter, sugar, saffron and golden raisins. Zow is fried rice mixed with sugar, butter and seldom oil seeds. His majesty king Jigme Wangchuk loves these two that are served on special occasions.

‘Puta’ or wheat noodles is the staple diet in eastern Bhutan. Kharang belongs to Southern Bhutan. They are made after corn kernels are and dried in bamboo shoots, then they are ground coarsely. Kharang is then used to make thukpa (porridge) style breakfast, after the former is added to the leftover curry.

Bangchung is a special, tightly woven bamboo bowl which is used to serve rice in the Kheng province. For nonvegetarians, meat, especially yak meat is a staple food, yak being a common sight in every household. Like the banana plants in India, not a single part of yak is wasted. Their milk is dried as well to be made into cheese. For some

but chicken and pork momos are the favoured ones.

Now, something about ema datshi which is also called churpi or yakshi, in India. It is popular in Sikkim and Arunachal also but in its Tawang region only. Here’s how it is made:

Phanaeng kai snacks with drinks, their skin comes in handy after it is fried.

The yak is a multi-purpose animal in Bhutan. The yak herders come in autumn from the highlands and they sell meat, cheese and butter to the villagers. On the other hand, they exchange rice to last them a full year.

An adult yak gives 250 to 360 kilos of meat on an average and produces a kilo of butter and an equivalent amount of cheese in three to four days. The thin straps of yak meat is sometimes hung in the courtyard to be dried in the hot sun and stored for use in the winter. The dried variety is said to be more delicious.

Pa, which is a curry, is prepared from meat. Lots of vegetables and large chunks of meat come together along with chillies and they are boiled for a long time to be made into a curry.

Without the use of turmeric or other spices, the curry stays white.

For making cheese, boiling water is poured to the liquid yogurt, which is left in the butter churn after the butter is removed. It must be stirred gently till it turns into a soft yellow paste.

This paste is fried with butter and sugar to get datshi. Chilli and salt are added finally and then cooked with datshi to make a curry.

To make the datshi hard, sometimes it is dried for a few more days and then it’s cut into pieces, then stringed and then kept over fire for three to four months! The stone-hard chewing gum is ready then. The Bhutanese chew this all the time, as according to them, this helps to keep the body warm. Because of its pungent odour, my friends threw it out in no time but I tried and actually liked it. One has to develop a taste for these things.

Drink or tea is used by the Bhutanese to wash down all these hot, spicy delicacies. Suja, the butter tea or ara, a local wine, is consumed by the locals.

Ara is made from any of the three grains cultivated in the region – rice, wheat or barley. In traditional fests, butter is heated with egg and ara is poured over the whole offering.

The yak is a multi-purpose animal in Bhutan In the district of Ha and Lingzhi, yak haunch produces another queer dish.

The haunch is served with chillies and wine after being wrapped in a cloth and kept for two to three months.

In Kheng region, raw meat along with drinks is served on special occasions, where the whole village participates in the feast. In Bumthang, a parasitic plant neshing jurma is used to make a rare tea. This plant grows on oak trees. Sel roti is savoured in Southern Bhutan. Salt and sugar is added to rice flour to make a paste, which is fried in bubbling hot oil.

Now, urban Bhutanese are more inclined towards the western type of food and even the rural population seems uninterested in this rigorous process. Yet, festivals, weddings and other traditional gatherings see the traditional cuisines lined up to enjoy.

The Bhutanese love to cook for their guests and a meal in a Bhutanese home is priceless. They are very spiritual people and their main flavour is warmth and hospitality, the reason that makes the food even better.

Zhasonpa is a dish prepared in the same manner, except the chicken pieces (Zhason) are used. This can be tasted without the chillies. Bhutanese are also fond of momos, though it’s a Tibetan specialty. Momos have a special and permanent place in Bhutanese culinary. Cheese momos are the most common momos found, August 2017

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heritage

Mountain fare

from Ladakh “Even if it’s not the grandest of food, make the best of it and eat with pleasure”, is a traditional Ladakhi way of politely serving food with a smile.

G Tsewang Rigzin The writer is a veteran journalist and a cultural conservationalist.

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iven the region’s distinct geo-climatic conditions and cultural and historical links with Tibet, Central Asia and Kashmir in the past – Ladakh, a landlocked Himalayan enclave in Northern India known for its rich cultural heritage, has its own dishes evolved and developed through centuries having adapted to the region’s uniqueness. Except the locally produced organic ingredients, there has never been a tradition of using tastemakers like monosodium glutamate or fine atta like maida in preparing Ladakhi traditional dishes.

As Ladakh has become an international

tourists’ destination, Ladakhi dishes are in high demand and efforts are being made to revive and promote healthy mountain cuisines.

For centuries, stable food for Ladakhis has been barley which is roasted and ground to make flour. Barley flour is called ngamphey in Ladakhi and tsampa in Tibetan. Barley is also fermented to make a local brew called chhang, a mildly alcoholic beer. “It is quite hard to define the difference between a Tibetan and Ladakhi food. Both have, almost inevitably, been influenced in the past by dishes originating from China,” says Ladakhi Kitchen, a

book on the traditional and modern recipes from Ladakh, developed by Gabriel Reifenberg for Women’s Alliance of Ladakh.

Ladakhi momos

Similarly, the Ladakh Environment and Health Organisation (LEHO) with the aim to maintain the value of the traditional food based on local products has brought out a small recipe book having popular health recipes. The LEHO was founded in response to the changes in agriculture farming, food habits, social values and culture of Ladakhi society. “Some root vegetables were grown, especially turnips, but a variety of exotic vegetables like spinach, cauliflower, tomato and potato are said to have been introduced by Christian missionaries towards the end of the 19th century. They were gratefully adapted by cooks who till then had been obliged to rely on wild growing herbs for seasoning,” says the recipe book Health Mountain Recipe from Ladakh prepared by the LEHO to give an idea of what ordinary Ladakhis might have been eating in the preindependence era. Ladakhi kitchen futher substantiate this claim saying that the missionaries brought with them vegetables such as potatoes, spinach, cauliflowers, radishes, green beans, kohl rabi, brussels sprouts and tomatoes, and also introduced

Some foods like potatoes were introduced by the Christian missionaries

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an improved version of the Ladakhi kitchen stove, making some forms of baking easier, as well as reducing smoke in the kitchen.

Few restaurants in and around Leh serve Ladakhi dishes and many visitors, especially westerners prefer having locally made traditional dishes. Alchi kitchen, a village based restaurant in Alchi about 60km west of Leh, has earned a name for serving various dishes including the Ladakh traditional food. The restaurant has earned a place in reputed international journals. Ladakhi Food Corner is another small restaurant at Moti-Market in Leh where 100 per cent Ladakhi dishes are served. “I have been running this restaurant since 2009 and the demand for Ladakhi food is growing day by day among locals,” Padma Lhamo of the Ladakhi Food Corner claims.

Many employees from government offices also rush to her restaurant for Ladakhi food at lunch. Some Ladakhi youngsters have started making Yak cheese after obtaining trainings in cheese making in Nepal. Yak cheese is in high demand in Ladakhi hotels and is sold in handsome amount of money. Apricot jams and juice, and the famous seaburkthorn berry are also being promoted by the NGOs and local entrepreneurs.

Top: Turnips in Ladakh; above: plant fruits of Ladakh

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The Ladakh Women Alliance and other NGOs in Ladakh have been making efforts to showcase traditional Ladakhi dishes to promote healthy food culture and also to support Ladakhi farmers. It holds food festivals in Leh in the summer as Ladakh itself has different regions with different varieties of food. It is said that elevation of the cultivable land,

vision document of LAHDC aims to encourage organic food in Ladakh which ranges from 2,700m to 4,500m, affects both the length of the growing season and the choice of crops produced. More number of fruits and vegetables like walnut, apricot, mulberries, grapes, melons, tomatoes and peaches are found in Western Ladakh known as Sham than in Central Ladakh. Changthang and Zanskar regions are not very hospitable to many varieties of crops and vegetables but meat and dairy products are famous in these regions.

Popular dishes, considered healthy, such as skyu, thukpa, chhugati, paba and khambir (the local bread) are Ladakhi food still widely used. These dishes are made of wheat and barley flours traditionally grown in Ladakh.

Ethnic food stalls are also put up by local NGOs and village level societies during occasions like the Ladakh Festival. The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) of Leh – the local autonomously

elected government body- has taken a decision to serve only Ladakhi dishes in its Secretariat every Monday. This decision has been hailed by many.

With support from the LAHDC, the LEHO has adopted Takmachik village as a pilot eco-village in Leh district with an aim to promote sustainable and responsible tourism with a focus on traditional cuisine, lifestyle and handicrafts.

Many local NGOs have played a crucial role to promote and improve Ladakhi dishes.

Constructions of green houses, initially introduced by local NGOs, have now been adopted as a policy of the LAHDC to help Ladakhis to grow fresh and green leafy vegetables in the winter months also. Except for few months in winters, green vegetables were not seen everywhere in Ladakh earlier and people would rely on dried vegetables stored for winter consumption.

“There should be increased use of solar energy for heating and lighting purposes, electricity generation,

space heating and food production (through green houses) in Ladakh,” states the Vision Document – Ladakh 2025. The Vision Document was formulated under the aegis of the LAHDC to make Ladakh the country’s best model of hill area development in a challenging environment, with its sustainability embedded in ecological protection, cultural heritage and human development. While stressing on the land-based economy, comprised of the agriculture and livestock husbandry, upon which Ladakhi traditional society was built, the Vision Document cautions that excessive dependence on the outside world for such critical requirements as food could get Ladakh in a crisis situation someday if measures are not taken. It also aims to encourage organic food (both the production and consumption of it) and Ladakhi Hotels have been advised to go organic in the next 20 years. Today, Ladakh has been covered under the Public Distribution System (PDS) of the Government of India for subsidised food items.

Butter tea, native to the Ladakh region

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in focus

Soaring the Indian skies A trained chef, Koustav M Dhar hung his apron and became an airline executive early in his career.

Currently, he is the chief executive officer of the recent most entry to the air traffic, Zoom Air.

K

oustav M Dhar has been synonymous with Indian aviation for the last one and a half decade and has been a pioneer for regional aviation in India.

He has been a part of three domestic Indian carriers prior to Zoom Air, which began in February flying commuters between New Delhi, Kolkata and Durgapur, a smaller city, where no regular services existed.

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The airline is now India’s 10th schedule carrier for domestic skies presently, with others being Air India, Air India Express, Jet Airways, Jetlite, Indigo, Spicejet, GoAir, Vistara and Air Asia-India. “Zoom Air shall fill the gap of sectors which are less catered to, by other scheduled airlines. We aim to bring a new perspective of flying and termed as Premium Commuter Airline, with

onboard Zoom Eat, styled snacks and beverages service, professional crew, a new Initiative to have 1:1 female pilots on-board, operating from premium T3 terminal in New Delhi and T2 terminal in Mumbai,” says Koustav.

Supriya Aggarwal The writer is the Associate Editor of Food and Beverage Buzz Magazine and Defence and Security Alert Magazine.

Zoom Air shall soon also connect from Delhi and Kolkata to Tirupati, Vijaywada, Mumbai, Shillong, Aizawl, Pasighat and Ziro (in Arunachal Pradesh), Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Indore and Bhopal, at least once daily as its route planning. The airline has already been confirmed to operate from Kishangarh Airport, Rajasthan and is the only one at the moment.

The operations, though, will start from October onwards but it is a big achievement for a new airline as the airport has failed to get flights from any metropolitan city except Delhi but Zoom Air will have flights from Jaipur to Delhi and Jaipur to Udaipur.

“We envisage a 18-20 per cent year on growth, on underserved and un-served airports within the country” support of the entire team of officials of the DGCA, Directorate Air and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that has made Zoom Air a reality.

Zoom Air is one of at least 43 businesses to have applied to Indian regulators the past two years to start some form of passenger air transport service in what’s projected to be the third-largest aviation market by 2020 and the world’s largest by 2030.

Zoom Air (licensed under Zexus Air Services Pvt Ltd) had three CRJ200LR aircrafts, under dry lease from the CRJ Aircraft Leasing, Dublin out of which two aircrafts were imported in the first stage. The airline has further acquired two similar CRJ200LR aircrafts from Skyone FZE Aircraft leasing, UAE under dry lease which joined the fleet in April to complete the fleet of five aircrafts, as a required condition by the DGCA. Dhar believes it’s the relentless

Zoom Air imported its aircrafts from Dublin and the UAE and completed its fleet of five aircrafts within a year August 2017

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expert speak

Trek it right and healthy

If you are a novice or a first time trekker, then not only you must have the right trekking equipment but also maintain high energy levels. Taking the right food during trekking is very much important to enjoy the most amazing adventure in your life.

Quick snacks such as nuts and dried fruits are potent sources of stable energy

T

rekking is an exhilarating experience. It is also exciting because it gives the trekker the opportunity to travel to many awe-inspiring regions across the world. If you are a trekker, then not only you must have the right trekking equipment but also carry the right foods, eat right and maintain high energy levels. Trekking consumes a lot of calories, which means that you need to replace some of these calories when you take breaks on your walk. Eating proper food is extremely important before you head on trekking as your body needs appropriate nutrition to complete this hectic task. If you do not eat enough, there are chances that you may experience dizziness, body pain or cramps or other issues. When you are out trekking, your body needs food that will nourish it, strengthen it, revitalise it and the food should taste good too.

Dr Varun Katyal The writer is a renowned diet and nutrition, beauty and wellness expert. He believes that maintaining the right balance between body, mind and soul is the key to maintaining good health and well-being. You can write to him at varun.katyal30@gmail.com.

It is important that you take enough food with you on the trip and try being healthy. After all, you’re out there to enjoy the nature and would need a healthy body and mind to explore it. Mapping out your dietary requirements for trekking is important.

There’s plenty to consider besides simply grabbing an energy bar or a bottle of water. Here are some food and eating tips which you may follow under the supervision of an expert to

Pay extra attention to packing plenty of fluids ensure that you have a nourishing and safe food experience on your next outdoor adventure.

Plan well Your food and water requirements are generally higher than the usual during trekking. Pay extra attention to packing plenty of fluids for hot weather adventures. Some other key considerations before your trekking trip include: • Length of the trip • What foods and beverages you’ll carry • How you’ll eat and drink • Consider bringing a cooler as an option • What food-related tools you’ll need

Considerations for Meal Planning Nutrition: It’s fine to tear into a candy bar during a trip but for the long haul, you want to rely on complex carbohydrates and proteins. Intelligent quick snacks such as nuts and dried fruits provide more stable energy for your muscles than that candy bar.

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are going and can influence what backpacking food you choose to bring.

Fuel: Check the cook time for foods such as pasta, potatoes, rice, quinoa, etc and make sure to plan for enough fuel (some of these dishes take a deceptively long time to cook).

Cost: Convenience has its price.

Freeze-dried meals and energy foods can be expensive but at the end of a long day, when your weary body only has enough energy to boil water such luxuries are justifiable.

Analysis of food options to carry • Complex

Energy boosting breakfast such as muesli is ideal before heading out to trek

Weight and bulk: Stick to the lightweight and low-bulk backpacking food as much as possible, especially on long journeys. Consider repackaging foods into resealable plastic baggies to minimise bulk weight and garbage.

Be sure to clearly label the baggies and include cooking instructions.

Ease of preparation: Unless you are an experienced camp chef, keep things simple. Always include no-cook food items in case your stove malfunctions.

Availability of water: This can vary greatly depending on where you

carbohydrates are one of the important types of high energy food. You may take along dried or fresh fruits and vegetables when going for trekking or doing any kind of extended tiring activity. Beans, whole grains and crackers also fall in this category. These foods are high in fibre and energy.

• Portable proteins are another type of high energy foods. Proteins would make you feel fuller and give you the desired long lasting energy as they take longer to digest than carbohydrates. Cheese, peanut butter, dried meat, nuts and protein bars are some different kinds of portable proteins.

• You can consider any food as high energy food that is rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C has proven to fight both illness and fatigue, and it would do wonders to the body while trekking. Raw broccoli, grapes, small citrus fruits and tomatoes are some foods that fall into this category.

• Packaged milk and juice boxes are highly refreshing. The packaging wouldn’t add much weight for locations where you need to carry drinking water. You can always keep some boxes reserved

Left: Cereal-based breakfast to start the trek; right: one must avoid alcohol while and before trekking for emergencies. At times, you can survive without food in an emergency but not without water or liquids. So, it’s better to carry more liquid and less food.

• It’s absolutely essential to carry water on a trekking trip, though it’s not a high energy food.

Dehydration, which can cause muscle soreness, fatigue and headache, could be prevented by drinking water steadily. Ensure that you carry enough water to last your entire trekking trip.

• You must avoid foods with refined sugar for any strenuous activity like trekking as they aren’t high energy foods. You can get a nice burst of energy due to the easily digestible sugars but your energy could drop down as the sugar level in your blood drops. You need a sustained source of energy for a sustained trekking trip which isn’t food with empty calories.

• Steer clear of alcohol before and during trekking. Alcohol leads to dehydration that could trigger the Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) while trekking at a high altitude.

The following are few other examples of foods which you can carry with you when you are going out for trekking.

dal-chawalsabzi-roti diet is perfect during lunch breaks • Dried fruits: Remember that you would need plenty of nourishment and energy while trekking. And the most seasoned trekkers vouch for dry fruits.

They are a great source of fibre, calories and energy. Fresh fruits like bananas and pears can also be dried and they last longer than the fresh fruits as they get bruised, spoiled or spilled in your gear.

• GORP: The GORP, which means Good Ole Raisin and Peanuts, is called trail mix for a reason. One cup of the GORP (depending on ingredients) can provide as many as 700 calories. In your usual dried fruit tiffin, you can add peanuts, almonds, raisins, crackers and cereals. The GORPs are golden when it comes to keeping your stomach full and your body n o u r i s h e d .

You can keep

munching them as you hike. They can set you up for the day and a great fix to keep your energy levels up.

• Porridge or dahlia: Dried broken wheat known as dahlia can be kept in your gear. It only needs boiled water and a bit of sugar to prepare. Dahlia gets released slowly in your system and thus helps you sustain for a longer time. It contains carbohydrates that you badly need as you sweat it out during hiking.

• The Indian thaali: The usual dalchawal-sabzi-roti diet is perfect during lunch breaks. It’s the lightest and also the healthiest meal that you can eat during trekking as it involves much physical testing.

It is advisable to stop eating junk food and get used to this diet five days before the trek so your body takes it well.

• Disposable • • • • • • • •

• Apples and oranges: These can stay fresh for at least 4-5 days and are great energy boosters while trekking. Apple is a great source of fibre and energy while oranges will keep you hydrated.

These fruits will also boost your immunity and protect you from mountain sickness.

• Brown bread sandwich: At least for the first 24 hours of the trek, it is possible to eat brown bread sandwich with cucumber and tomato filling. However, if the temperature is low right from the trailhead, the vegetables may remain fresh for a longer time and vegetable sandwiches is a very healthy and nourishing way to fill you up.

• Juices and water: In order to avoid any kind of altitude sickness, it is important to keep yourself hydrated. Drink as much water as possible and keep juices handy.

Always follow Proper Food Safety Practices Always follow good food safety practices – from packing to plating.

Remember that perishable food cannot be kept out in hot weather (90°F or higher) for more than one hour; in mild weather for more than two hours.

Carry these food safety essentials:

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Imbibing whole grain stock in meals create great stamina

Remember that perishable food cannot be kept out in hot weather (90°F or higher) for more than one hour

wipes, moist towelettes or biodegradable soap Bowls and plates Kettle or cooking pot Eating and cooking utensils Can opener, if applicable Ice packs Compostable trash bags Portable water filters or water purification tablets Thermometers for cooler and cooked meat, if applicable

And follow these food safety rules: • Wash hands often. This includes before and after eating. Moist towelettes work fine.

• Keep raw meats and ready-to-eat foods separate. Use extra plates that you’ve packed – one for raw and one for prepared foods.

• Cook to proper temperatures. Use a food thermometer to be sure that cooked food has reached a safe internal temperature.

• Refrigerate promptly below 40°F. Of course, if you don’t have a fridge, pack perishable food, including meat or poultry, with plenty of ice or ice packs in a well-insulated cooler to keep the temperature below 40°F. Store leftovers in the cooler only if it still has ice. And keep the cooler in as cool a place as possible.

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radicate smells and air pollution quickly, economically and sustainably with nature’s own powerful air purifier – OZONE. Watership Down Technologies Aquila Series of Ozone generators, powerfully oxidise all smells within minutes. If left on overnight, it will eradicate bacteria and viruses leaving rooms with Pure, Clean Air ready for the next day, all automatically.

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Ozone is the strongest available air cleaner and disinfectant for treating odours. The Aquila generator uses the Corona discharge system, with ceramics rather than coils. These produce a higher ozone concentration in the 3 standard sizes 3g/h, 5g/h and 10g/h.

You could install two or more units in parallel increasing output if required.

Allowed to run remotely during the day in public areas such as dormitories, the Aquila will keep smells and odours at bay. Then, when a deep clean is needed when the occupants have left, this can be done easily using the supplied remote control. Filling the rooms with ozone will mean all surfaces will be disinfected by killing off all pathogens.

The Aquila is ideal for school classrooms, offices, restaurants, cafés, shops and general public areas.

Depending on volume/size of a room, the 10grm model will look after up to 1000 M .

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legend

Like a Diamond

in the Himalayas

Brij Raj Oberoi, fondly called as Diamond, took inspiration from his late uncle MS Oberoi, the founding Chairman of the Oberoi Group of Hotels and started ‘Elgin’. The brand represents fine luxury heritage hotels in the Himalayas of Darjeeling and Sikkim in India.

Brij Raj Oberoi

“E Sarikah Atreya The writer is a foodie based in Sikkim with Dogra and Indian Gorkhali roots. She inherited her love for food and learnt the nuances of Indian Gorkhali cuisine from her late mother.

very wall has to speak to you, embrace you with warmth and engulf you with a feeling of coming home, give to you a sense of belongingness,” Brij Raj Oberoi says, as we settle down for what turns out to be an extended afternoon meeting, filled with light monsoon showers, peppered with short bouts of sunshine and a soft mist playing hide and seek with the lush green hills in the horizon.

Diamond was clear as to what he wanted to do with the Elgin

We are seated in the beautiful lobby of the Elgin Nor-Khill, a heritage hotel in Gangtok, Sikkim. As the Founder and Managing Director of Elgin Hotels Private Limited, the flagship company of Elgin Hotels and Resorts, Diamond is today synonymous with heritage hotels industry in India, and carries with him the unparalleled legacy of his late uncle, MS Oberoi, who was the founding Chairman of the Oberoi Group of Hotels. In a career span that started in 1976, Diamond has cut a fine name for himself, pioneering the development of his own niche brand, of the Elgin Hotels and Resorts, which today represents fine luxury heritage hotels in India and abroad.

Kuldip Chand Oberoi first rented Elgin and later in 1965, bought it from Nancy Oakley. By this time, the Elgin was already a popular hotel, preferred by the British as well as the Indians.

Four outstanding heritage properties, one each in Darjeeling and Kalimpong and two in Sikkim, the Elgin hotels are fine results of single-minded devotion and dedication of Diamond, whose passion for refurbishment and development of heritage properties into luxury hotels, without compromising on their history and significance has worked magic. It is this passion that drove him to take his father, the late Kuldip Chand Oberoi’s offer, who was running the first Elgin Hotel in Darjeeling then to take over the heritage property. The Elgin was a quaint little vintage building built in 1887 that belonged to the Maharaja of Cooch Behar. It was taken on a

lease by an enterprising Scottish lady, Nancy Oakley who converted it into a hotel and ran it for about 44 years. In fact, it was named ‘Elgin’ after a small Scottish village where she came from.

In 1976, the 20-year-old Diamond, fresh out of the Oberoi School of Hotel Management in Delhi, was faced with a choice of either joining the Oberoi Group of Hotels or take over his father’s business in Darjeeling.

“I didn’t even think twice. It was the most natural thing to do. I decided to run the Elgin in Darjeeling,” he says.

Diamond was clear as to what he wanted to do with the Elgin. “The Elgin was steeped in history, it had a legacy. I could say that Elgin inspired me. Having studied and grown up in Darjeeling (he went to St. Joseph’s School and College, North Point), I wanted to give back to this beautiful heritage town by preserving a piece of its soul. It is my tribute to Darjeeling’s glorious colonial history and a conscious effort to retain that old-world charm for the coming generations,” he says. Thankfully, he says, he was given a free hand on how to run the place. And he did it with a passion that has been the driving force behind his success for over four decades.

The Elgin, Darjeeling started with 10 small rooms. Today, it celebrates the August 2017

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Left: The Elgin Mount Pandim, Pelling; right: Diamond Oberoi with his wife, Nimmi Oberoi elegance and grace of the Colonial era.

It is like stepping into a time capsule and reliving the old world charm.

Diamond was sure that he did not want to meddle with the history of the place.

So, deliberate and conscious efforts were made into restoring the Elgin to its original grandeur, complete with an interior decked with period Burma teak furniture, oak floor boards and panelling, crackling fireplaces, candlelit tables, a grand lobby complete with large bay windows and strains of music from the grand piano. “Gradually, more rooms were added as we simply could not keep up with the demands. The property was extensively refurbished with modern amenities without having to compromise on the heritage tag. The Elgin’s heritage legacy was its biggest asset. The idea was to keep the history intact. One had to be able to relive the bygone era when inside the property,” Diamond says.

Interestingly, for Diamond, he never had to go scouting for properties to acquire and develop. Instead, they came to him. “I manage to attract the right property. Some unseen force seems to guide me to a perfect heritage property that I eventually acquire,” he says with a laugh.

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The Elgin, Darjeeling has been refurbished with modern amenities And so came along the Nor-Khill in Gangtok, Sikkim, a beautiful hotel built on five acres of land by Sir Tashi Namgyal, the Chogyal (King) of Sikkim in 1932, around a beautiful garden, with a breath-taking view of the valley below and hills and mountains as a backdrop. The NorKhill served as his royal guesthouse for receiving heads of states and dignitaries. After Sikkim’s merger with India in 1975, the property fell into government hands and

was run by the Travel Corporation of India. In a chance meeting with the then Crown Prince of Sikkim, Wangchuk Tenzing Namgyal in 1976 in the Elgin, Darjeeling, Diamond was pursued by the Prince to run the Nor-Khill. “It was in shambles. The beautiful colonial style building resembled a run-old PWD dak bungalow.

Much work was needed to restore it to its original grandeur. But I saw great potential,” Diamond recollects.

Pulling down the entire structure and building a new one in its place was an option. But Diamond followed his simple philosophy of restoration and preservation and carried out extensive renovations. “It was a painstaking process. We were getting queries from travel agencies even as we were renovating it. It was a race against time.” A lot of thought and planning has gone into turning the Nor-Khill into a property that celebrates the rich tapestry of Sikkim history. The lobby of the hotel is resplendent in the bright Sikkimese art, traditional Thanka paintings, Sikkimese style furniture, Tibetan carpets and curios and splendid collection of Buddhist artwork by local artists.

With the Elgin in Darjeeling and the Nor-Khill in Gangtok running successfully, as if with the same unseen divine force, Diamond was led to this beautiful heritage property in Kalimpong in 1981, which he says, “simply fell on my lap.” The Silver Oaks was built in 1930 and once belonged to a British jute magnate, who later sold the house to famous architect Frederick Desraj who built the old Teesta Bridge, which connects Bengal with Sikkim. “I was once invited to Silver Oaks by Puran Desraj, son of Frederick. I was immediately drawn to this beautiful house, which just

all four Elgin hotels are set in pristine locations had six rooms. I told Puran, ‘If you ever want to sell it, I am there.’ Four months on, Puran came to the Elgin Darjeeling and told me, ‘it’s yours for ` 5 lakh’.”

Here too, Diamond stuck to his philosophy.

He added rooms, renovated the entire property but kept intact its heritage flavour. The Elgin Silver Oaks is now a boutique hotel and provides luxury and comfort by integrating modern amenities tastefully with its heritage décor.

In 2007, Diamond stumbled upon his fourth property in West Sikkim.

Originally built by the Sikkimese Royal family, the property was later converted into a hotel and run by the Sikkim Government. Set in eight acres of virgin forest on a small hillock right next to the 300-year-old Pemayangtse monastery, it offered a glorious view of Mount Khangchendzonga. But it was in a serious need of renovation.

Diamond bid for the property and the rest, as they say is history. All the 30 rooms overlook the Singalila range with a magnificent view from the

windows. Each room is different with subtle tasteful colours to showcase the design elements that surrounded the royalty of yore. The rooms are quiet, elegant and expansive with an air of serenity about them.

Seeped in nostalgia, all four Elgin hotels are set in pristine locations, offering guests a unique and personal tryst with the Himalayas.

Diamond has ensured that more than 50 per cent of each of the properties consists of open spaces and landscaped gardens peppered with local varieties of plants and trees and make almost a consistent theme in all Elgin hotels.

Over the years, the Elgin has played host to dignitaries like the US Ambassador and the Crown Prince of Sikkim, celebrated writers Dominique Lapierre and Mark Tully, the 14th Dalai Lama, Hollywood actor Richard Gere, and most recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With cozy interiors and classical tunes from the grand piano to discreet waiters in uniforms to serve you at all hours, the ambience is perfect to relish some fine selection of cuisines the Elgin hotels has to offer. Indeed, the Elgin hotels appear like little oases amidst the cacophony of hotels in urban areas.

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know your F&B

Different Varieties of

himalayan rice Rice is cultivated in many varieties and it is a staple diet in many countries. Especially in the Asian countries, rice is used as the main dish. India is home to a variety of rice lovers, from steamed rice to biryani and from khichdi to pulao, you name it and India has it. To add to the relishing love for rice, Food and Beverage Buzz has compiled a wide variety of rice along the Himalayan belt. Here are some of the varieties which can enhance your rice fetish.

Red Pearl of the Himalayas One of the many treasures in Himachal Pradesh is its red rice varieties. These are mainly cultivated in high altitude of the state. Red rice varieties originated from the interbreeding of traditional white-grained varieties and annual weedy rice. The Himalayan red rice varieties are available at a higher price because of their excellent texture, aroma, flavour and visual appeal.

Texmati Brown Rice Texmati brown rice is the all-natural, whole-grain alternative to Texmati white rice and a perfect choice for today’s healthy lifestyle. With only the inedible husk removed, it is a good source of whole-grain dietary fibre that, as part of a total diet plan, has been shown to reduce the incidence of some forms of cancer and coronary heart disease.

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Amira White Basmati Amira white basmati has been grown at the base of the Himalayas; this Indian rice has a strong floral, nutty scent and flavour after cooking.

When it is cooked, it seems beautiful and scented also. It’s very soft and easy to chew. It has good aroma also.

Bhutanese Red Rice Bhutanese red rice is grown in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan and it is the chief rice in the Bhutanese diet. It is cultivated on the mineral-rich glaciers of Bhutan. It provides a nutty and earthy flavour.

When it is in process of being harvested, it appears in the form of red russet colour. When it is cooked, the texture of rice is soft and pink.

Black Rice Known with varied names like magic rice and forbidden rice, black rice has always seemed exotic and has recently entered the bandwagon of super foods. Consumed primarily in Manipur where it is known as chak-hao, black rice has high amounts of antioxidants, dietary fibre, minerals and other anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Aromatic Rice The aromatic rice comes in a lot of variety with lengths comprising from medium to long. It is known for its aroma and taste which is instilled by the chemical compound 2-acety 1-pyrroline. It comes in many interesting range which consists of Jasmine, Tulapanji and Wehani, etc.

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News

Cooking up a storm at SuperChefs by The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace hosted ‘SuperChefs’ a week-long cooking course where youngsters honed their culinary skills.

A total of 25 participants between the age group of 9 to 16, took part in this fun filled class of laughter, excitement and general cheer. Each day highlighted a different cuisine, ranging from Italian, Indian, Oriental and Mediterranean to delectable confectionary. The chefs assisted them in a hands-on experience. Post the intense competition, Team Phoenix was declared the winners of the SuperChefs 2017. The event is held every year at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace.

Simarjeet Singh is the new General Manager, The Chancery Pavilion, Bengaluru The Chancery Pavilion, Bengaluru announces the appointment of Simarjeet Singh as the hotel’s new General Manager. His previous assignment was with Hilton Garden Inn, New Delhi. He has held eminent positions with renowned brands like Radisson Blu, Park Plaza and Intercontinental to name a few.

In this new role he will provide leadership and strategic direction to the hotel team and will focus on maximizing revenues and creating personalised guest experiences. He holds a Bachelors’ degree in Hotel Management from Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Bengaluru.

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Marriott Hotels inspires creative thinking with TED salons worldwide Marriott Hotels, Bangkok, Thailand, launched its ongoing partnership with TED in Asia, inviting three inventive TED fellows to share their views on travel and innovation. Hosted at the newly opened Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park on 29 June, the talk is the fourth in a series of TED Salons held at Marriott Hotels in Seattle, London and Abu Dhabi since the partnership was established in September 2016.

Three TED fellows took the stage in Bangkok to share how traveling has sparked new ways of thinking.

Indian multimedia artist AparnaRao highlighted how traveling informed her humorous yet socially poignant artworks, meanwhile Matilda Ho, owner of Shanghai-based online farmers’ market Yimishiji, gave an inspirational talk about supporting local farming communities globally. Travel also prompted Hong Kong-based, French-Japanese TED fellow Cesar Jung-Harada to found startupsMakerBay and Scoutbots. He discussed how advancements in robotics can lead the way to cleaner oceans for the next generation.

As part of Marriott Hotels’ ongoing partnership with TED worldwide, TED Salons have been hosted at key Marriott Hotels properties, with past events taking place at Seattle Marriott Waterfront; Marriott Hotel Al Forsan, Abu Dhabi; London Marriott Hotel County Hall, and the next TED Salon to take place at the Santiago Marriott Hotel in Chile in July.

Currently, TED content is available as part of in-room entertainment in Marriott Hotels globally, with plans of introducing a TED-curated TV channel to in-room entertainment in hotels across Asia in the near future.

Listings

Feel great about what you eat & drink with the New Super Healthy Foods menu at the TGI Fridays™ The TGI Fridays, a global casual dining leader, announced the launch of its New Low Calorie Skinny Cocktails along with the New Super Foods menu. For a limited time, diners can enjoy a whole new menu packed with health and nutrition which is flavourful too. With the New Super Foods menu, the TGI Fridays has also introduced ‘The New Amazing Low Calorie Skinny Cocktails’ featuring - Ultimate Skinny EnLIITenment, Ultimate Skinny Mojito, Ultimate Skinny Margaritais, Ultimate Skinny Electric Lemonade, etc.

‘Bento & Sake’ at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity Thew Japanese believe in raising a toast to the start of a celebration and at Honk, we say ‘Kanpai!’

(Cheers! in Japanese) as our Pan Asian street-food inspired dining destination at Pullman New Delhi Aerocity introduces ‘Bento & Sake’. Honk offers its diners a culinary experience showcasing food in a Bento Box. The items include succulent morsels of tempura, meticulously rolled sushi, flavoured Japanese curries and decadent portions of assorted skewers.

Venue: Honk, Pullman New Delhi Aerocity Timings: 1900 hrs to 2330 hrs (only dinner) Price: INR 2,400 For reservations, kindly contact: Aamodini Roy. +91 9461300450

TGI Fridays has 12restaurants across India For further information please contact – Deep Gupta 9311120208 & Seema Gupta 9999865326

Enjoy the season’s best varieties at Khandani Rajdhani!

This monsoon, Khandani Rajdhani is adding delicious monsoon specials to its sparkling menu!

• Rajasthani KadhiMuthiya: A special from the heart of Rajasthan, this refreshing kadhiis unlike the usual that you’ve had. • Rajasthani Mirch Wada-Khichdi-Kadhi-Papad-Pickle Assortment: Chutneys, pickles and papads that go perfectly with the delicious wadas and khichdi. Just the spice for rainy days! • Assortment of farsaans: Green Peas Kachori, MirchWadas and MogerdalWakahwadi.

What: Monsoon specials at Khandani Rajdhani When: Now until August 31, 2017 Where: All Khandani Rajdhani outlets across India

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FOOD AND BEVERAGE BUZZ

The First and Only ISO 9001:2015 Certified F&B Magazine in India June 2017 Tenure

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` 3740

3 years

` 5400

40%

` 3240

` 1200

` 2100

` 4440

` 5340

1 year

US$ 240

30%

US$ 168

US DOLLARS

120

US DOLLARS

288

2 years

US$ 480

35%

US$ 312

US DOLLARS

240

US DOLLARS

552

3 years

US$ 720

40%

US$ 432

US DOLLARS

360

US DOLLARS

792

Saarc Countries

Rest of the world 1 year

US$ 300

30%

US$ 210

US DOLLARS

240

US DOLLARS

450

2 years

US$ 600

35%

US$ 390

US DOLLARS

480

US DOLLARS

870

3 years

US$ 900

40%

US$ 540

US DOLLARS

720

US DOLLARS

1260

July 2017

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