Embark on a unique culinary journey with the distinctive and lively flavours of Bhutanese cuisine. In contrast to the diverse cooking techniques found around the globe, Bhutanese culinary traditions are more about boiling, steaming, and stewing, which involves fresh herbs and vegetables to flavour the dishes. This straightforward yet impactful method yields dishes that are rich in flavour and steeped in tradition.
While you will find dishes heavily influenced by the neighbouring countries like India, China and Nepal, the hallmark of Bhutanese cuisine is in its spiciness, with chillies at the heart of nearly every dish. Datsi – locally available cheese (with similar taste to feta cheese sans salt) is abundantly used in most of the dishes. The Bhutanese diet is rich in meat, poultry, grain, and vegetables.
Either dried or fresh, chillies are used abundantly to spice up the stew-like curries or as the main ingredient, which accompany steamed rice, a main form of carbohydrate. The locally grown red rice with its nutty, earthy flavour and delicate texture is much cherished and in demand.
Here are a few iconic dishes, which are homegrown and authentic, highlighting the unique flavours of Bhutanese cuisine:
Ema Datsi: A spicy stew of green chillies and datsi is lovingly considered the national dish of Bhutan. The robust combination of the heat of the chillies and the creaminess of the cheese brings alive a perfectly blended Ema Datshi is a spicy stew made from green chillies and a generous amount of crumbled datsi. It is a staple in Bhutanese households, enjoyed with red rice or buckwheat noodles. A must-try if you can stomach the heat of the chillies!
Kewa Datshi or Shamu Datsi: The ‘potato and cheese’ or the ‘mushroom and cheese’ are the milder versions, yet a delightful take on the spicy ema datsi. The potatoes and the earthy taste of the mushrooms soak up the cheese, resulting in a rich and hearty dish to savour.
Phaksha Paa: The king of the dishes accompanying rice is the much-loved Phaksha Paa – generous slices of pork cooked with fresh radish or spinach flavoured with slit, whole dried-red chillies stewed and simmered with a dash of oil, garlic-ginger slices, onion (spring onion) slices and salt to taste. Best served with red rice. The other version is sikam paa – made with thinly-sliced pork belly, air-dried or sun-dried that renders a beautiful smoky taste.
Jasha Maru: Savour the spicy warmth of Jasha Maru, a spicy chicken stew that combines fresh chillies, onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, and bite-sized pieces of chicken on bone. This dish is a flavours explosion that will leave you craving more.
Goen Hogey: GoenHogey is a rich and refreshing cucumber salad mixed with chilli flakes or chopped fresh chillies, coriander, onions, and datshi. Hogey offers a cooling counterpoint to Bhutan’s spicier dishes. It is a great palate cleanser and a perfect side dish.
Suja: No meal in Bhutan is complete without Suja, the traditional butter tea. Made from tea leaves, yak butter, and salt, this beverage is a unique blend of flavours and is especially comforting in the high-altitude cold.
Hoentey: Like the famous Tibetan dumplings, momo, Hoentey is a sweet buckwheat or plain flour dumplings stuffed with a mixture of minced turnip leaves, amaranth seeds (zimtse), datsi and butter, and seasoned generously with chilli powder, onion, and ginger.
Juma: Juma is a common Bhutanese sausage made with minced meat, rice, and light spices, all encased in an intestine wrapper. The main flavour comes from the citrusy zing of thingey – wild Sichuan pepper.
Ezay: Best described as a Bhutanese salsa, ezay accompany every meal in Bhutan. They come in various form and each family would have their own special ezay recipe and combination of ingredients. A common recipe is green chillies, onions, tomatoes, ginger and coriander, all roughly chopped and mashed with salt and crumbled datsi. There are variations with roasted dried chillies or chilli powder and seasoned with a generous helping of grounded thingey. Delicious!
So, while you are in Bhutan, go on a culinary adventure and explore what Bhutan has to offer.
