Paro and Thimpu are two gems, located just an hour drive from each other – perfect for a long weekend for food and nature lovers.
A less than two hour flight whisks us from the airport in Delhi to Paro, and what’s on the other side of the window makes it the most gorgeous ever, peaks of Mt Everest & Kanchenjunga seem to get ever closer as our plane glides over the majestic Himalayas. The scenic beauty doesn’t end here; we are treated to unbelievable views of a few mountains at the airport and then the river on the five minute ride to Le Meridien Paro, where we are putting up for the next two days before heading to Thimphu.
EMA DATSHI
Thoughts of Bhutan might not immediately conjure its cuisine. Instead, you probably think of the hike up Tigers Nest and Dochula Pass, but even though the simple ‘Ema Datshi’ aka Cheese and Chillies is the National dish, Bhutan cooks up some exciting food. I was introduced to Ema Datshi on one of my trips to Kolkata and became quite fond of it. So the moment we settle in, it’s a no-brainer that I had to go look for the authentic version. I find many variations here like the classic with fresh green chilli and cheese and one with dried red chilli, my favourite is the one perked up with ‘zoidey’ which is a fistful of cheese, crushed garlic and garnished with coriander leaves.
BUTTER TEA
But first a cup of ‘Suja Chai’ which is basically light pink in colour from the processed tea leaves and soda bicarbonate used as a facilitator for the taste and colour. Salt and butter is added and then churned in a plunger, the basic rule being to serve it hot without letting it boil, else the butter would separate, surprisingly far from putting off, I am a convert; I also learn this tea not only boosts energy but the butter helps prevent chapped lips. Suja is my favourite drink through my trip and I love, that it is always ready and kept in a thermos at all times.
MOMOS IN PARO
In the car, there is an awed hush, this passionately lush landscape, has stunned us all. Windows are my new best friends; they keep the nippy weather out and the view picture -perfect. At the market, we decide to first stop by at the bustling ‘Momo Corner’, I have one bite of the beef ones and the juice squirts; it’s moist, full of flavour and decadent. The cabbage and cheese one is equally delicious and six plates of all varieties disappear in no time.
OF CORDYCEPS
The market is delightful and the town area in Paro is a great place to haggle over keepsakes. Akanksha my daughter buys a Kira (traditional dress), and I go for a prayer wheel. Meanwhile Bakshish my husband finds his ‘Cordyceps’, popularly called Caterpillar Fungus or white Gold, the most rare and expensive mushrooms in the world. Of course he buys some and we also try some Cordycep tea in of the local shops.
DOMA
I notice my driver and many other locals chewing on Betel, he says it keeps them warm. This appears quite like the ‘Saada paan’ with lime paste and other additives and is christened ‘Doma’, though strictly speaking only the nut is called Doma. I try one which induces a sort of ecstasy and I guess this sensation of happiness contributes to the popularity and yes it sort of gives me a feeling of heat in the body too, but I know if I have some more, I may get too happy, so I stop at just tasting one.
THE LOCAL STUFF
Early Next morning we are off to explore all the must dos in Paro starting off at the famed Tigers Nest, post which we stop enroute for some ‘wai wai’ and ‘Thukpa’…Aah life’s simple pleasures! There is a splash of colour to my left where roofs of houses have ‘red hot chillies’ drying on them thanks to the Sun; on my right is the temple where flags add more colour. My driver tells me that the biggest chillies are blanched and then sun dried too for a yellowish creamy colour which widens the possibility of a different taste and texture. We also try ‘Singchang’, which is basically the liquid that seeps out of the mass of fermenting grains…quite like the earliest form of alcohol!
MOST POPULAR RESTAURANT
As the sun lowers ‘Sonam Trophel’ comes alive with foreign tourists clutching dog eared copies of Bhutan guidebooks; this quaint restaurant has a basic set up and meals that are local and delicious. We are ravenous after all that walking and go for momos to start with, these are big, juicy and the best I have ever had, followed by ‘Phaksha Paa’, a classic stew of slow simmered boneless pork with radish, ginger, local spinach and red chillies of course, Ema Datshi which is made with yak milk cheese, is many scoops better than the one I have tried before and goes amazingly well with the red rice.
A TRADITIONAL MEAL IN THIMPHU
Chef Sunil Jajoria of Le Meridien Thimpu suggests Babesa Village and food on offer here is intended to be shared and therefore, is very much beneficial with family style service so we ask the chef and our guide Tashi to join in. In a delightful traditional setting the restaurant opens out onto a sort of a three storeyed house, a definite Renaissance influence in the doors, and a nonchalant veranda, keeping its touch of relaxed simplicity giving free lead to decadent reverie. We begin with munching on ‘Zow’, basically rice fried after it being soaked in water, its crunchy and addictive. On the menu there are of course many varieties of Datshi (cheese as we all know by now), we order ‘Kewa Datshi’, and this one has potatoes in it along with chillies, cheese and onions and is yummy, ‘Sikam Paa’ aka air dried pork, ‘Nakey paa’ which are boiled fiddlehead ferns, ‘Mengay’, the first harvest rice mixed with egg, butter, perilla seeds and garlic, ‘Gondu fried’, a tasty crispy fried egg and some local greens. Bhutanese food is heavily cheese-oriented but a meal is never complete without some vegetables and dried ‘thingnay’ a kind of pepper on the side.
A LOCAL BREAKFAST
Jajoria fixes us a local breakfast of ‘Datshi buckwheat pancakes’ with Fresh Banana and Honeycomb Butter, which are as delicious as they sound, beautifully light and fluffy, and the yak cheese really works well in the hot pancake. He also serves us a warm ‘bathup’ a cheesy soup with some vegetables, butter and noodles thrown in and ‘Suja tea’ to wash it down.
TRAVEL EATS
We are ready now to visit the famous Dochula pass where we catch spectacular panoramic views of the Himalayan mountain range that form a grandiose backdrop to the calmness of the 108 chortens gracing the range.
Incredible, Stunning, awe-inspiring, every word is too less, too scant for this landscape; I need new words to describe what is around me; the beauty of Bhutan, its cuisine and culture has completely thrilled me.
My story first published in HT BRUNCH
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