The Bhutanese Cuisine
Bhutan offers bewitching destinations. A nation sharing its boundary with neighboring countries of China & India. Bhutan has a distinct culture, tradition and delicacies that can be relished with a lot of red rice buckwheat, and maize.
The character that a traditional Bhutanese food shows is spiciness, with chillies & cheese being an important part of every food.
The following is a list of several delicacies you definitely need to try on your next trip to the mountain kingdom – Bhutan:
Kewa Datshi –
Kewa datshi is a variant of cheese stew prepared by using potatoes as the main ingredient. For a milder version to suit sensitive palate, potatoes can be thinly sliced and sautéed on local butter, added with cheese and sometimes with lots of chillies that can be mixed to arouse a special taste, a great option for those who can tolerate spice in their food.
Ema Datshi –
Ema Datshi, the national dish of the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a popular stew made of chillies and cheese. Undisputed a widespread dish within Bhutan, and a discussion concerning Bhutanese food cannot go without the Ema Datshi.
Shakam Shukam Datshi –
The shakam shukam datshi is prepared using dried beef cooked with cheese and chillies. However, what sets this food apart is the unique flavour imparted from the presence of regional Bhutanese dried white chillies instead of chillies that are sourced locally.
Gondo Datshi –
Scrambled eggs with cheese fried on butter & eaten with red rice.
Shamu Datshi –
For those who are afraid of spicy food, shamu datshi is a good alternative to ema datshi. The dish is prepared using Bhutanese mushroom, that needs to be cooked with butter and a lot of cheese, which creates a wonderful creamy stew.
Shakam Ema Datshi –
A datshi prepared using shakam (dried beef) cut into bite-size which is simmered with a lot of cheese with butter. The beef is spicy in flavour, so food enthusiasts can avoid Shakam Datshi if you want to pass the heat.
Puta –
Puta, or buckwheat noodles, offer a healthy alternative to regular noodles, as the meal is prepared using buckwheat. It is usually served poached; however, it can be stir fried on oil. Serving as the alternative to rice, a staple, nutritious meal in the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Yaksha Shakam –
This yummy Bhutanese meal is prepared of dried yak that can be relished with a number of different ways.
One way of preparing Yaksha Shakam is cooking cut up dried yak meat with fermented yak cheese, one of the delicate dishes that you must have in Bhutan.
Red Rice –
Red rice is a staple food eaten inside the Kingdom. It’s a medium-grain rice abundantly grown in the fertile soil of the Paro valley inside Bhutan. The red rice boils faster than other rice varieties. As a result of being partly polished, i.e. the amount of the bran left on the rice, grains acquires an auburn tinge. The red rice remains absolutely a must-have dish while you are at the Kingdom.
Zow Shungo –
Nothing goes on waste, Bhutanese prepare a dish with the leftover food, mixing vegis with red rice. An easy meal in itself.
Phaksha Paa –
Phaksha Paa is a popular pork dish comprising pork slices that is stir-fried with dried red chillies, ginger, and bok choy. Paa could be a curry with gravy or a meaty stew. The dish highlights the favourite food for Bhutanese individuals – pork. Various vegetable grown on the mountains from radishes with spinach are served as side dishes in Phaksha Paa.
Jasha Maru –
Jasha Maru is a Bhutanese spicy stew or curry dish prepared using diced chicken, onion, garlic, chillies, tomato, ginger and coriander leaves. Ginger provides this dish with nice essence. It should be served with a generous portion of broth and red rice or regular one.
Jaju Soup –
A vegetarian dish prepared using native spinach or even turnips. A broth of milk and butter. Sometimes, cheese is added on Jaju to make it heartier and tastier.
Jasha Tshoem –
Jasha Tshoem is a spicy Bhutanese stew made up of beef and seasoned with ginger, garlic, onions, cayenne pepper with a lot of mushrooms.
Khur-le
A hearty Bhutanese pancake breakfast for cold climates, made out of buckwheat, barley, or flour, that goes well with Bhutanese food like ema or shakam datshi, or Khur-le can be relished with eggs.
Juma –
A Bhutanese sausage made of minced meat and rice mixed with light spices. What makes Juma interesting is the inclusion of Sichuan pepper for its a citrus flavour.
Hoentay –
These are dumplings made with buckwheat flour. The filling is a mix of cheese, spinach or turnip which goes nice with dipping of ezay. Hoentay can be either steamed or fried.
Khatem –
Khatem is prepared with bitter melon or bitter gourd, usually an Indian selection. A side dish which is made of thinly sliced, seasoned and fried with butter.
Goep –
Goep is for tripe enthusiasts as it is prepared from slices of tripe stir-fried with chillies, vegetables and onions. The texture of Goep is quite mesmerising, so taste this dish for experiment’s sake.
Goen Hogay –
This is a traditional Bhutanese salad made up of cucumber, a refreshing dish prepared with sliced onions, cilantro, cucumber, flake sand, tomatoes with a sprinkle of Sichuan pepper & a lot of cheese.
Tshampa –
A dough starch prepared of whole wheat flour. This food is a staple filler eaten by rolling it as a ball with fingers that goes well with other Bhutanese food like datshi.
Lom –
Lom is a dish relished during winters in the mountains of Bhutan, when vegetables are scarcely available. Turnip leaves are dried and stored, which is later prepared by either sautéd or prepared with dried pork.
Zaow –
Zaow or puffed rice is a popular Bhutanese snack that is served with tea. The crunchy texture of Zaow is sometimes relished with butter.
These are just some of the authentic dishes eaten throughout the Kingdom. If you ever visit the Kingdom, do try these, and if you have come across other interesting food, do share with everyone, so that people can understand multiple delicacies of the Kingdom of Bhutan.