What is the Famous Food of Ladakh?

The bread itself is very soft and fluffy and goes very well with the lightly flavoured stew. Although we went in for a snack, repeat orders of the delicious Tigmo converted it to a full dinner.

Skyu
A traditional dish of Ladakh, this food preparation is made of kneaded thumb sized wheat flour dough. Cooked mainly with water, it is served with meat or vegetables

The staple food of Ladakh is barley, and even wheat is seen used in good quantity. The very popular Momos are also an essential part of Ladakhi cuisine. Apart from this, Thukpa, Sku and Thentuk are some of the common dishes in the region

“Then” could be translated as “pull” and “thuk” means noodles. Hence this is a pullout noodle soup. This food also has its origin in Tibet and then it spread across the Himalayan valleys.

Since the day we started planning a trip to Leh, I had decided on trying Butter Tea in Leh. But on reaching Leh, I couldn’t find it anywhere!

The dough is the crucial part of this dish. The mixture will be required to stay for fifteen to twenty minutes in the soup so that it becomes flexible enough to pull. Yak meat is also often used in Thenktuk.

locals also has an extensive use of apricot with which they prepare squash, wine, desserts and jams. Spices like cinnamon, clove, cardamom and saffron are also used in preparation of several dishes. The milk and meat of yak also plays an important role in Ladakh’s cuisine.

I tried hard until the last day but had to give up. Then the last night our hotel owner told us he was serving us special home-made tea and I realised that it was the butter tea I was so desperately looking for.

Yakhni is a Kashmiri dish which was introduced by the Moghuls in India. It is a problematic preparation using many spices and is often served as a side dish to pulao.

Khambir
The traditional bread of Ladakh is known as Khambir. Shaped like a pan, this bread is served mostly with the traditional butter tea.

Our host then explained to us that this tea is generally made at home and not served in restaurants. The tea looks pink and tastes salty. He explained why the tea is made with butter and salt. The butter helps keep lips from getting chapped in the harsh cold weather and the salt helps to stay away from altitude sickness.

THUKPA:
Amongst the favorite dishes of Ladakhi people is the thukpa, a noodle soup with boiled vegetables, chunks of chicken, pork, beef or mutton served with spicy ‘chutney’ to enhance the zing. A hot bowl of thukpa served with ‘khambir’, locally baked bread,is the best way to beat the chilly weather. It is available in every little cafe or street-stall.

Yakhni has two significant constituents other than meat which is yogurt and saffron. Saffron is added to the color and yogurt for the texture.

It is a crime to not taste momos while you are in Leh. The momos are available in various shapes, one of which according to our driver is shaped like a rat.

It is a Tibetan soup. Due to the Tibetan influence in Leh, Thukpa is quite popular in Leh. It is a clear soup with lots of vegetables. Comfort food for cold temperatures of Leh.

TIGMO OR TEEMO:
It is a flavoured stew that is both consumed as a snack and also as a meal. A lot of vegetables are used in this soup and fermented bread pieces are added to it. One can have a vegetarian and a non vegetarian variant in this too.

This a version of the Thukpa. In addition to the vegetables this soup consists of noodles as well. In cold temperatures, you would love to gorge on hot soups and this variation is quite good.

Cheese from Yak’s milk (Chhupri)
Well, probably for some people, but when in Leh please do not miss on trying out “Chhupri”.
Locals do not understand it when you say Yak cheese, they understand the local term for it “Chhupri”.

MOMOS:
Momo is a type of steamed bun with or without filling. Momo has become a traditional delicacy in most places in the Northern part of India. People of all ages are crazy about momos, but trust me if you eat the Ladakhi momos you would never want to have momos of any other place.Also found all over the place, are golden dumplings and wontons or popularly called ‘momos’

Looking for some momo as well as soup? Mokthuk is for you. It is a Tibetan soup consisting of momos and vegetables. The goodness of momos and warm soup covered in one.

Chhupri is easily available in the main market area, where vendors even sell it on the roadside street shops. They are available in three flavors: Sweet, salty and plain

KHAMBIR:
Their staple, food, their bread, it’s shaped, and almost tastes  like a thicker roti. It can be had smeared with jam, butter or pair it with the butter tea-and it fills up your stomach,  readying you for a day of hard work ahead.

Although we hear of Qahwa more in the Kashmir region, it is in fact, an essential drink in Leh. The day we landed in Leh, we were asked by our host to drink Qahwa throughout the day in small quantities.

The cheese is pretty hard and looks like calcium deposits. It is difficult to bite down on bigger pieces of the cheese, so better buy a pack of smaller pieces.

APRICOT JAM:
Ladakh apricot store has the most famous locally made products from apricot. At this store in Leh, you find everything made from apricots, from jams to pickled apricots to apricot facepacks and scrubs. Enjoy the herbal life by splurging on some of these organic products. The jam is drool worthy and definitely recommended.