As Indian travellers and townies discove r the mysteries of the Northeast which lies shrouded in the mists of cultural exotica, its cuisines have forayed into niche restaurant menus in many cities. Sikkimese food is the brave new fare, after the bamboo shoot, red pepper and pork-based dishes of Naga and Mizo gastronomy became familiar to urban diners.
Since Sikkim borders Nepal, with which it has traditional ties, many preparations have the Nepalese touch. Rice, lentils, leafy vegetables and meats play a vital part in Sikkimese cooking. Take the Nepali thalis of Sang village, an hour’s drive from the capital Gangtok. Customarily served in brass utensils, the thali is a feast by itself, with pickle, papad, salads, chicken curry, sag and yoghurt as the accompaniments; very similar to other Indian thalis. The difference lies in their authenticity of taste since Sikkim is India’s first organic state. Vegetables in the thali are from the kitchen garden or farms.
The milk for curd is from cows at home. The local brews are Chhang, Tongba and Raksi made from fermented millets or rice, and stylishly sipped through bamboo straws. Sikkim is a melange of ethnicities comprising Nepali, Bhutia and Lepcha. The food has strong Tibetan influences, too. Broth, soup and fermented foods are cooked in every kitchen. Since rice is eaten widely, curry is an inevitable match. Sikkimese add fiddle head ferns to Chhurpi (Durkha), a sour cheese made with yak or cow milk, to cook up a curry storm. Chhurpi comes in two varieties: a soft-ish side dish eaten with rice and the hard variety for chewing. Fermentation of foodstuff is standard practice in Sikkim and Nepal.
The popular festive dish, Saelroti, is made of fermented rice batter like in other Northeast cuisines; fresh bamboo shoots are used in Sikkim’s pork preparations. The shoots are fermented to make Khodo (millet pancake) and dalley (hot chilli) pickle. Gundruk, a Nepalese broth, is made with conventionally fermented spinach, mustard, cabbage and radish. Both Sinki (from radish roots) and Kinema (from soybean) are fermented as well. Pork and beef are integral Northeast protein sources. The spicy and colourful Phagshapa made of pork fat strips stewed with radish and dried chillies is a summer dish to be had with, of course, rice. India discovered momos when Nepalese immigrants opened small street kiosks in metros, which soon spread to smaller towns.
Now its exotic versions have migrated to haute menus. Tibetan momos and Thukpa-gyathuk, a noodle soup made with meat or vegetables, are available across Sikkim. The stuffings vary from beef, pork, chicken to shredded cabbage. The crescent-shaped Ha Phaley is a fried dumpling, too, stuffed with meat or vegetables. North of G a n g t o k lies Dzongu valley, 25 km before Mangan where Lepchas, an indigenous tribe in Sikkim, live. In this cluster of tranquil villages with spectacular views of Kanchenjunga, a permit is needed to stay in a Lepcha homestay where salt tea and Khoori (a buckwheat pancake) offer novel tastes. The food comes with exotic challenges; the leafy Sisnoo is never eaten raw being a stinging nettle and a native of Dzongu. Nettle soup is now on many restaurant menus in Gangtok, making Sikkimese gastronomy an adventure of nature and taste.