BENGALURU: Tibet... The name brings myriad images to mind, from mountains and Buddhist monasteries to yaks. But when it comes to food from that region, we tend to not venture beyond momos and soup. In order to help Bengalureans explore more of Tibetan cuisine, HIGH Ultra Lounge, Rajajinagar, is hosting a 9-day food festival with chefs who have come down from the mountainous terrain to cook authentic delicacies at the city restaurant’s kitchen.
Along with a breathtaking view from the 31st floor, HIGH’s dimly-lit ambiance paved the way for a peaceful dinner, which started with Galangal Chang, a welcome drink infused with Thai ginger and lemongrass. The tingling sensation that immediately hit my throat was a direct message of its effective health benefits to cure a sore throat, apart from being a great choice of drink during winter.
Meanwhile, we were served Mokthuk, which is whole meal soup with stuffed dumplings. It is a household tradition for locals from that part of the world to relish bowl meals, which are wholesome and can be eaten quickly while still hot, owing to the cold climate. I tried the chicken variant, but you can try vegetable and beef mokthuk too. The dumplings were soft and stuffed with minced chicken, while the soup had veggies with a soothing aroma.
Next up, we had traditional steamed dumplings, and out of three choices, the potato and cottage cheese one stole my heart. All items have been cooked in the traditional way, which is supposed to be on the bland side, but surprisingly, they have a distinct flavour that is pleasing to the taste buds. Accompanying the delicacies were Ghinzee (green colour - mint chutney), Sepen (red chilli chutney/dip) and Dhangzee (cabbage salad similar to kimchi), which resonated well with the momos as well as the crispy Sha Phaley, best described as half moon shaped fried pie with stuffings like vegetable, chicken and beef.
We were waiting for Thupka, an Eastern Tibetan style whole meat noodle soup, which is a fairly known delicacy. But one sip from the dish and I immediately felt the saltiness touching my palate. Although it has a soothing vibe and the meat was cooked properly, the high level of salt failed to make the cut. We finished off the main course with Shaptra Tingmo, which is stir-fried meat (lamb and beef) with chilli, celery and oyster sauce served with plain steamed bun. The meat, with its ingrained flavour and juiciness, cut in thin slices, makes for a good side dish along with wine or a sweet mocktail, something which I tried and would definitely recommend. Lastly, we were served Tibetan sticky rice cooked with butter and mixed dried fruit. It is said that Tibetans savour this as dessert during festive occasions. The warm, sweet dish put our tummies to rest on a chilly night.
The food festival is on till Jan 26 at HIGH Ultra Lounge, World Trade Centre, Rajajinagar. Cost for two: `1,700 (approx)