The cuisine of Himachal Pradesh is not very popular as the cuisines of the other parts of the country. ITC Royal Bengal under their initiative Kitchens of India series offers delectable offerings from different regions of the country.

This initiative is part of their ethos of Responsible Luxury.

The well-known hotel recently started the Taste of Himachal food fiesta at ITC Royal Bengal’s Grand Market Pavilion.

Taste of Himachal is a feast of regional specialties that highlight distinctive flavors that combine the region’s freshness, zest, and earthiness, stretching from the highlands to the lowlands through its local ingredients.

In keeping with the philosophy of Responsible Luxury, the dishes are genuine, taken from the kitchens of various communities, and offered through ITC Hotels’ project Kitchens of India.

Home chef Nitika Kuthiala from Kangra, Himachal is behind the mouth-watering and amazing delicacies from the unexplored and unique cuisines of Himachal Pradesh. She also runs a home kitchen by the name of Pahadi Pattal.

The Kolkata Mail correspondent Priyanka Dutta got to know about some unique aspects of Himachal cuisine from home chef Nitika Kuthiala. They are as follows:

• People usually cook seasonal vegetables for their food.
• They use simple spices that are locally available for preparing the dishes.
• Ghee and mustard oil are used primarily for cooking. Refined oil is not used for cooking dishes.
• For preparing the different dishes, the people in Himachal Pradesh do not use a large number of spices. They use limited spices.
• The slow cooking method is used for preparing the dishes.
• People in Himachal Pradesh consume fermented foods.

This food promotion will showcase lesser-known recipes.

Local ingredients such as the yellow chilies of Manali, Sepu Badi from Mandi, and Aamchur from the orchards of Pragpur are used in the preparations.

Some of the dishes on offer are:

• Shonali Matar (a local pasta made up of whole wheat, cooked with local seasonal vegetables and sometimes with meat chunks)
• Aloo Chana Tikki (a snack with Chickpea as base, crispy fried stuffed potato galettes with sweet and sour home-made chutney)
• Gol meat (boneless mutton cooked with Faran, a local wild herb)
• Matar Paneer Madra (a curd-based gravy cooked without ginger, onion, and garlic)
• Teliyeh Maah (whole black lentils cooked in mustard oil)
• Khodiya meat (Himachali-style goat meat gravy cooked with Himalayan spices)
• Chaa chicken (lightly spiced chicken cooked in buttermilk)
• Siddu (steamed whole wheat buns stuffed with Poppy seeds)
• Dry Fruit Meetha (Dry fruits lightly tossed in ghee and dipped in sugar syrup)

The promotion will be available as part of the dinner buffet (7:00 pm-11:00 pm) at Grand Market Pavilion, ITC Royal Bengal.

It will be available from 24th February to 6th March.

Price- Monday to Thursday- 1599+ taxes per person, Friday to Sunday- 1799+ taxes per person.

Head to Grand Market Pavilion and savor the fantastic dishes from Himachal Pradesh.

Priyanka Dutta