4 Authentic Pahadi Dishes You Can Make At Home

If you have a fascination for exploring a wide variety of cuisines from all over the world, try some authentic dishes from the hills or pahadi (hilly) dishes. From the tinsel towns of Himachal Pradesh to hills of Nepal, here are some of the pahadi dishes you can try cooking at home and enjoy.

Aloo Ki Thechwani

Ingredients- Potatoes, onions, green chilis, garlic paste, mustard oil, salt, haldi, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala.

Recipe- Take a mortar and pestle, to pound green chillies and garlic and smash raw potatoes separately. Remember to not make it very smooth.

Heat some mustard oil in a pan and add some wild mustard.

Add diced onions to the hot oil and sauté for a minute.

Add the chilli garlic paste to it and cook for a minute.

Add the smashed potatoes to the pan and mix while seasoning it with salt, haldi, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala.

Cook the mixture for 5-6 min. Then, add half a cup of tomato purée and cook for another 8-10 min till the rawness of the tomatoes go away.

Now, add 1-2 cups water, mix and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Finally, garnish with fresh coriander and serve with steamed rice.

Bhatt Ka Saag / Black Soybean Saag

Ingredients- Organic soybean dal, 1/4th cup rice, green chillies, ginger, garlic, and fresh coriander.

Recipe- Soak a cup of Bhatt or organic soybean dal and one-fourth cup of rice in water and leave it overnight. Add the soaked dal rice, green chilies, ginger, garlic, and fresh coriander to a blender and blend till smooth. The dal paste is ready to be cooked.

Pour some ghee into a pan and add diced onions and garlic and sauté till translucent.

Now, add the dal paste and mix after seasoning it with salt, haldi, coriander powder, garam masala, and some red chili powder.

Add 2-3 cups water to the mixture gradually while mixing to make sure there are no lumps.

Wait for it to come to a boil and then cook for 8-10 min.

Serve hot with steamed rice and enjoy.

Nepali Chicken- Kukhurako Jhol

Ingredients- Chicken, onion, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, salt, cumin, coriander, red chili powder, and turmeric.

Recipe- Heat oil in a pot and add onion, ginger, garlic and bay leaves. Sauté for 4-5 minutes till fragrant.

Add chicken to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes over medium high heat till it’s brown on all sides.

Add salt, cumin, coriander, red chili powder, turmeric and coat the chicken with spices. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add tomatoes and green chili and cook till the tomatoes are wilted for 2-3 minutes.

Add water, fresh coriander, and meat masala (not mandatory). Cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium low heat.

Serve the chicken with rice, roti, naan, and flattened rice.

Nepali Potato Soup- Rildok

Recipe- Take a mortar and pestle to pound the potatoes for 2-3 minutes till it’s stretchy like a consistency of cheese pull. Roll the potatoes in small balls.

Take a pot and heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions to it and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add tomatoes, garlic, red chilies, and szechuan pepper. Cook until reduced to half.

Add water, scallions and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Drop the potato balls into the soup and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

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Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro and chillies.