FOOD CULTURE IN DEHRADUN
Food is something that makes a person's heart happy or something that makes your stress go away. It is said that if you want to impress someone, first try to impress their stomach. And if you eat your favorite food, it just vanishes your stress and makes you refresh. Dehradun has two types of food culture, the first is Kumaoni, and the second is Garhwali. Kumaon consists of places like Nainital, Almora, Haldwani, and Ranikhet. Garhwal consists of places like Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kedarnath, and Badrinath dhams.
The Garhwali and Kumaoni food includes a lot of grains such as Ghat (Kulath), Jhangora (barnyard millet), Bhat (black soybean), Mandua (finger millet), and seasonal green and leafy vegetables. Green vegetables such as Amarnath (choli), nettles (Picchu ghas) are also cooked and served by people living there. They use special spices such as Thawe (Kala jeera), Kwacha (Sakwa), and Bhangjeera (it is made from cannabis). These food are not only delicious but also nutritious, they act as antioxidants and has a massive amount of medical benefits.
Foods like Chainsoo, Kafuli, Jholi, Phaanu, Til ki Chutney, Baadi, Roat, Arsa, Aloo Tomato Jhol, and Gahat Ke Paranthe are some famous Garhwali cuisine. And foods like Ras, Bhaang ki Chutney, Singhal, Bhatt ki Churdkani, Shai, Badil, and Thechwani are favorite Kumaoni cuisines. Some foods like Kandalee ka Saag, Bal Mithai, Kulath Phanu, Gulgula, Arsa, Kaafil, Singodi, Sani hui Muli, and Nimbu comes under the cuisine of Dehradun. You can find many of these Uttarakhand's cuisine in JSR Group of Hotels, JSR Inn & JSR Continental with 35 years of experienced chefs.
Here are some famous recipes or cuisines of Dehradun that are mentioned below:
● KALI
It is like a gravy with a thick consistency, which is made from spinach and fenugreek leaves. Traditional people used spinach and fenugreek but now as the time has changed people use any green leafy vegetables.
● CHAINS
This recipe is made from Black Urad Daal, or we can say lentils. It is one of the traditional foods of the Garhwali people. Urad daal or lentils are hard to digest, so if you are known to this daal and can digest it, then it's well and good, but if you are going to taste it for the first time, then it might be a little hard to digest.
● PHANU
The phone is known as the brother of Chainsoo because it is the same except for the ingredients. While making Chainsoo, they use Black Urad daal, but while making Phanu, they don't have any restrictions. They can use various daals like moong and toor daal.
● DUBUK
This dish is usually consumed during winters because it provides warmth inside the body. This recipe requires lentils and some traditional species. It tastes best when cooked in the traditional method that is cooking in handi that too in Chula (coal).
● SANA HUA NIMBU MOOLI
The main ingredient of this recipe is lemon, as the name suggests. There is a special species of lemon, which is larger in size compared to the original lemons that we get in the market. So, this recipe includes those large lemons, white radish (mooli), curd, bhang, hemp seeds (roasted), sugar or honey, green chilies, and salt.
● ALOO TAMATAR KA JHOL
As the name suggests, this recipe considers tomato (tamatar) and potato (aloo). In this recipe, first, the potatoes are boiled, then tomatoes are cut into small sizes, and then their curry is formed. In that curry, they smash the boiled potatoes and put them in tomato curry. At last, it is seasoned with tomatoes, and coriander (dhaniya) leaves.
● GAHAT KE PARANTHE
This recipe consists of Gahat that is horse gram. Gahat is soaked overnight, and then they boil it in a pressure cooker until it becomes soft and easy to smash. Then they make dough out of wheat and then fill the wheat balls with a mixture of gahat which is prepared. Then it is cooked and served.
● ALOO DAAL PAKORA
Again, as the name suggests, it consists of aloo, that is, potatoes, and daal that pulse. Both daal and potatoes are boiled in a pressure cooker, and then the potatoes are smashed. These smashed potatoes are then mixed with boiled daal and creature a mixture out of it. Then taking out small parts, and little by little, those are fried in oil.
● KUMAONI DAAL BADA
In this recipe, the main hero is Urad ki Daal. These are soaked overnight, and then they create a mixture of them. And then, this mixture in the form of bada is then deep-fried in oil. It is so crispy and delicious. It is considered a snack.
● SISUNAK SAAG
Mainly this saag is made from Bicchu saag, but now as the time has changed, people make it with any other green leafy vegetable. This recipe has a thick and dry curry.
● BAADI
This recipe is made out of Buckwheat flour which is then roasted in ghee and given the shape of a ball. Baadi tastes great when served with Gahat ki daal and Phaanu. It is a popular dish of Uttarakhand.