Himachal Pradesh Thali

Between crazy busy work weeks and preparations for Diwali, we haven’t had a chance to post about the Himachal Pradesh Thali that we made a few weekends back. But as they say - better late than never. The Himachal Pradesh Thali was another one of the state cuisines that we had to cook based on research since we don’t know anyone from the state. I’ll be honest - we didn’t know anything about the state other than the fact that Kullu and Manali were holiday destination towns nestled in the Himalaya mountains in Himachal Pradesh. What struck us the most about Himachal Pradesh was the concept of dham. Dham is a traditional feast prepared in various parts of the state comprising of their own trademark dishes. These dishes normally do not include vegetables and instead comprise mostly of lentils and dairy products. I particularly found this article fascinating that highlights it’s historical origins and lists all the different types of Himachali dhams. I hope that one day we get a chance to experience the Himachali dham experience in person. But until then, we have included a few dishes into the Himachali thali. The meat dishes we included in this meal comprise the “pahadi” (hilly) recipes for chicken and trout.

Babru (Link to recipe)

This dish is similar to a Puri but is stuffed with a black gram dal paste. We found this to be quite an interesting combination but our daughter loved this dish the most. The other kind of bread that Himachal is known for is the Siddu which is a stuffed steamed bread, which we will have to try out sometime as well.

Mash ki dal (Link to recipe)

Let me start by saying that our daughter loves Dal Makhni!! But with the amount of butter and ghee that Dal Makhni has, I have always been restrained at making this dish too often. So I was thrilled to discover this recipe which is a much healthier version of the Dal Makhni. This dish is definitely going to be a staple in my kitchen.

Rajma Madra (Link to recipe)

I am flabbergasted and stunned with both this dish and the Chana Madra which I prepared during Diwali and cannot believe how amazing these dishes taste even without onions, tomatoes, garlic or ginger!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! These dishes have definitely added the Dham experience to my bucket list.

Kaddu ka khatta (Link to recipe)

This was a sweet and sour pumpkin side dish which was made extra special with a powder of freshly ground fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds. Being a fan of anything sour, I liked this dish the most.

Aloo Palda (Link to recipe)

You may want to try this dish if you are looking for a new way of cooking potatoes. This mildly spiced yogurt based gravy was quite good.

Tukdiya bhat (Link to recipe)

I’ll be honest - I don’t think this dish came out as well as it could have. I’ll have to give this dish another shot some time. Sharing the recipe in case you have better luck at this dish than I did :)

Meethe Chawal (Link to recipe)

Now this dish is definitely a winner!! Basically a sweet dum biryani - this sweet rice dessert can definitely stand it’s own.

Pahadi Chicken (Link to recipe)

This relatively easy-to-make chicken cooked in a cilantro based sauce is surprisingly tasty in spite of it’s simplicity.

Kullu Trout (Link to recipe)

Kullu is a resort town in Himachal Pradesh that is known for it’s Rainbow Trout. Lightly spiced, this dish is intended to let the natural taste of the fish to shine through.

We finally rounded up the thali with plain steamed rice and a simple salad.

We are glad to be back on our Weekend Thali Project venture and have also started a track called Food for Special Occasions where we have posted about our simple Diwali celebrations this year. As we step into the states that we don’t have much context on, we are excited to discover new facets of Indian cuisine that we have not heard of. Hope you join us in this journey!!