Uttarakhand Thaali ~ Palak ka Kaapa

Today, my regional thaali comes from Uttarakhand, a state in the northern parts of India. The region formerly called Uttaranchal is fairly a new state considering that it was carved out from the state of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. 'Uttarakhand' which literally means northern land has been inhibited since prehistoric times. Situated at the foot of the Himalayas, the land is home to some of the most sacred and ancient Hindu temples and pilgrimage sites including Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunothri and Gangothri which are collectively called the chota char daam. It is therefore referred to as the 'Devbhoomi' meaning land of gods.

Uttarakhand is divided into two regions, Garhwal and Kumaon, which in fact were two different kingdoms before the British empire. The recipes can also be classified into two because of the regional diversity, Garhwali recipes and Kumaoni recipes. The cuisine of the state is largely affected by the surroundings and climate of the region and the food here needs to be extremely nutritious to suit the high energy requirements due to the cold, hilly terrain. I read somewhere that the cuisine can be considered organic by default where locally grown herbs and ingredients are used in the cooking which impart a freshness to the dishes.

Kumaoni raita (Recipe here.)

Lentils, grains and vegetables play a prominent part in the cooking though there is non vegetarian food as well in the region though they do not tend to be elaborate preparations. The home cooked meals are usually nutritious, filling and flavorful in spite of using minimal spices and simple ingredients. I happened to notice in  a video that meals are also supplemented by the foraged ingredients in the hills such as stinging nettle (which by the way stings and causes itchiness / pain when touched with bare hands that don't go away quickly), fiddlehead ferns, wild figs, a local variety spinach and so on. Outside Uttarakhand, the dried leaves of fiddlehead ferns are hydrrated and used as a stuffing to momos and greens in omelettes.

Buckwheat (kuttu), finger millet (mandua), barnyard millet (jhangora), unpolished red rice are traditional crops. Gehat ke parathe (flatbreads with horse gram filling), mandua ki roti (ragi / finger millet rotis), lesu are some of the commonly made breads in the region. Dals are made with the easily digestible kind of pulses like pigeon peas, masoor, moong in Summers. Heavier ones like black gram, bhatt, (the local black soybean), horse gram (gehat), kidney beans are preferred in Winters for their warming properties. They are used to make dishes which are unique to the region like phanu, chainsoo, bhatwani, etc. Vegetables are used to make subzis, raitas and chutneys. Aloo jhol, aloo ke gutke, kafuli, kandali saag (the one prepared with stinging nettle), kaapa are some of the common preparations. Mustard oil / ghee is the medium of cooking. Ghee is heavily used to combat the freezing temperatures.

What makes the cuisine distinctive is the use of indigenous spices and herbs though ginger, garlic, asafoetida, chillies are used in cooking. Jakhya is an important ingredient used in tempering. This spice which looks like mustard seed is grown in the hilly areas is believed to aid in digestion and used instead of mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Jamboo, a locally grown herb is one more important ingredient. Aloo ke gutke is prepared with a simple tempering of jakhya and jamboo. Interestingly bhang / hemp seeds are used to make chutney and other dishes. Bal mithai, singhori, arsa, roat, gulgule are some of the popular sweets.

My menu is below. I had made this thaali during our winter and most of the dishes here are suitable for the season. Bhatt ki dal which is normally prepared with locally available black soy beans is a winter dish and gehat or the horse gram is used in winters as well. I have made parathas and pakode with it. Palak ka kaapa is a winter dish and I am guessing that sesame seeds chutney is also one. Aloo techauni, where the potatoes are not cut but bashed to use in the recipe is a common vegetable preparation in the state. Jhangore ki kheer / barnyard millet kheer is one of the popular sweet dishes in the region and I included it in the thaali. In fact I cook a payasam / kheer on Fridays for neivedyam and most of my regional thaalis were made on that day and so I ended up making kheers for most of my regional thaalis. 😀  

Accompaniments:
Salted cucumber slices
Til ke chutney - Sesame and cilantro chutney
Kumaoni Raita - Yogurt sauce, lightly spiced 

Rice and Bread:
Gehath ke parathe - Flat breads stuffed with a spicy horse gram filling
Plain rice

Side Dishes
Aloo techauni - A potato based side dish
Palak ka kappa - A spinach preparation
Bhatt ki dal - Mashed soy bean dal (The dish is made with local black soy bean but I used the regular ones.)

Snack and Sweet:
Kulith dal ke Pakode - Horse gram fritters
Jhangore ki kheer - Millet kheer

I am posting the recipe for palak ka kaapa which I found here, cooked by a pahadi woman. Kaapa is a simple spinach gravy that is served with rice. I like the basic gravies made with greens and that's why I chose it to be a part of my thaali. However it is a commonly prepared dish in Kumaon region during winters. This is a no onion-garlic recipe and is a fine example of the simple pahadi cooking. The consistency of the final dish should be like a dal / gravy recipe that is pourable with a ladle but I had cooked it thicker. 

Ingredients:
2 tsp. rice
2 tbsp. mustard oil or oil of your choice
1/8 tsp. fenugreek seeds / methi seeds
2 dried red chilies or to tatste
4 cups chopped spinach
1 tsp. coriander powder
Salt to taste
2 pinches of turmeric powder

Directions:
* Soak 2 tsp. rice in water for an hour.
* Heat oil to a smoking point if using mustard oil or else just heat the oil. Add fenugreek seeds and red chilies. Immediately add the chopped spinach, coriander powder, salt, and turmeric. Cover and cook until it is half done.
* Meanwhile grind the rice to a paste adding a little water if needed. Add this ground paste and about 1/2 cup water (or more) to the spinach and cook until the spinach appears completely cooked and the rice paste is not any more. (The original recipe mentions to cook for 30 minutes which is not needed if using gas / electric stoves.)

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