Narkanda apart from being blessed with beautiful natural beauty is also blessed with tasty Pahari cuisine that gives many travelers more than one reason to fall in love with this place. The flavor and aroma that you will find here are unique. The use of fresh vegies, desi ghee, and local masalas makes every dish more appealing and satisfying. Local food in Narkanda is one of the most distinct and popular cuisines of Himachal Pradesh.
There is a variety of delicious and exotic vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that are prepared with the traditional style. The taste in each and every dish is different and this is mostly due to the way they are cooked.
Also Read: Narkanda – How to Plan a Trip & What to See?
Food lovers from all over the country come here to try the local traditional food every year. There are various local food joints in the villages of Narkanda where one can have local food. According to the local people, the thing that is most loved about Narkanda is its food and nature.
Local Food in Narkanda
Various local dishes you can try in Narkanda are:
- Siddu – Ghee
- Pakain/Babru
- Bathu Kheer
- Khooru
- Chha Gosht
- Guchii ki Sabzi
- Khobdii
- Laaphii
- Kaali Roti
- Dhind De
- Mithi Bhaat
Siddu – Ghee
Siddu-Ghee is one of the most famous local foods of Narkanda. It is basically a wheat- bun which is steamed and has some filling inside it. The inner filling can be of different types like potato filling, mashed black dal filling, sesame seed (til) filling, etc. Siddu can be sweet also. It depends on you what you want to try.
Siddu is served with hot Desi Ghee. It can also be served with mint chutney, curd, and some like it with tea as well.
Pakaian / Babru
Pakaian or Babru, whatever you want to call it, is another delicious local food of Narkanda. Its initial preparation is similar to that of Siddu. At first sight one can even mistake it for Kachoriis, but it is slightly different. It is made by stuffing of black dal paste or with any other stuffing (depends on you what stuffing you want) and then deep fried. It is fried until it gets its brownish color. After that it is taken out from the oil and served with tamarind chutney.
Also Read: When is the Best time to visit Narkanda ?
Bathu Kheer
You must have had a variety of kheer made by following different processes and ingredients. But I bet that you will never have had a kheer like bathu kheer. It is one of the finest sweet dishes in the mountains. This is made up of Chenopodium Seeds commonly known as Bathu, milk, sugar, and some dry fruits. I personally recommend you strongly to try this dessert when you are in Narkanda.
Khooru
Also called Kheru, it is another dish that has its origin from the mountains. It is a 5-minute recipe to make. It can be eaten in breakfast, lunch or at dinner. Khooru is made up of Churned Curd with some basic masalas in it. You can have it with any type of meal.
Chhaa Gosht
It is basically the dish of Chamba district but also prepared here in Narkanda. If you are a Non-Vegetarian then you will love this dish. This dish is prepared by marinating a lamb which is then cooked in the yogurt with the gravy of gram flour. Local masalas make this dish even more delicious. It is a highly recommended dish to eat for all meat lovers.
Guchhi ki Sabzi
Also known as “Cheun” is from the family of Mushrooms that are found in the forest under the trees. It is a very expensive mushroom that cost around 7k to 20k per kg. It is mostly used for medicine purpose. But locals here in Narkanda make a very delicious bhajji of this mushroom which is eaten with love by everyone. One condition for this dish to prepare is that the cook must know the recipe well.
Also Read: What to see in Narkanda
Khobdii
Khobdi is another unique dish that you might not have heard ever before. It is a local food that is made up of churned curd with rice and pieces of wheat flour dough inside it. Local masalas are the king of these types of dishes. It is a lovely meal that one can have with desi ghee.
Laaphi
Laaphi is one of the most famous dishes of mountains that are mostly prepared during the winters by the locals. This dish is hard to find in hotels and restaurants. One has to go deep into the villages to find this dish. This dish is made up of corn and wheat grind with chenopodium seeds (bathu). This dish is served with churned curd and a masala prepared by grinding red chilies, cinnamon, and salt together.
Kali Roti
Also known as Maal poode, this is a dish that is made during the festival like Maha Shivratri, Diwali etc. To prepare this dish the dough of wheat flour is made using sugar water (gud ka pani). After this, the dough is flattened and deep-fried until it becomes brown and crispy. You can it eat it with a Mango Chutney.
Dhind De
Dhind De is one of the most famous local foods of Narkanda that is made of a leaf which is found in the forest. It is a specific leaf so if you don’t have knowledge about it, it is better to not try to get them. These leaves are stuffed with some masala mixed with besan. After this these are steamed in the steamer and when they are ready they are deep-fried in the oil. It is a very good snack that can be served with tea, mint Chutney or with sauces.
Also Read: Thanedar, Himachal – How to Plan your Trip & Explore
Mithi Bhaat
Mithi Bhaat is a sweet dish that is made up of brown sugar (shakkar), rice, desi ghee and dry fruits. This is an instant dish that takes around 5 to 7 minutes to prepare. It is a simple yet delicious dish to eat. You will fall in love with this once you try it.
Conclusion
This is all about the local food of Narkanda. Do let us know your experience of these dishes in the comment section below or at our Community Forum. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will be glad to answer.
