This Week’s Film: Little Buddha
Cuisine: Bhutanese
For the past few days I’ve been researching Bhutanese recipes and looking over the Bhutanese menu that I made to go with the film Travellers and Magicians in January 2007, my first and only foray into the cuisine of Bhutan. That menu included Momo dumplings, a brilliant pickled red cabbage salad (pictured), a spicy chicken stew called Jasha Maroo with a wild rice medley, and apple blackberry tarts for dessert.
This time, since the film centers around Budddhism, I want to feature a vegetarian dish. Of the dishes I’ve found so far, a spicy soup called Thukpa appears to be the most promising. Thukpa is popular throughout all the Himalayan countries, and there are as many preparations as there are cooks who make it. The best thing is that Thukpa may be made with or without meat, and may include any number of vegetables. So I’m going to make my own vegetarian rendition.
My recipe will be posted at the end of the week, along with my Little Buddha film review.
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In your Bhutanese recipe search, did you come across any recipes for Bhuatanese chili paste? Not the Ema Datsi, but just the little dish of a fresh chopped chili mixture that people use to accompany their main dishes. After our trip to Bhutan in October, my husband has been dying for me to find a recipe and make this. Any ideas?
I love your blog – I am definitely bookmarking it and will visit again!
If the dearth of information available on the Internet is any indication, the answer to your question is a national secret
Like you, I have been unable to find a recipe for that fiery Bhutanese condiment either. However, I did learn that the chili pepper variety is ‘capsicum annuum’, and I have found references to a chili paste made by roasting the chilies and then crushing them into a paste with a mortar and pestle. Whether this would produce the condiment that you seek is a matter of speculation. However, one source you may wish to try is http://www.silkroadgourmet.com. The creator of the site is Laura Kelley, who has written a cookbook series that may feature the recipe you’re looking for. Just look for her contact info on the website. Best of success in your search and do let me know if you find what you’re looking for. I’d love to try it myself.
Hi, my brother-in-law Tshewang Dendup is in that film. We live in Canada and are always very excited when he visits and cooks. I think the fiery condiment is Aize (tomato chile condiment). If you email me I can send you a recipe. We teach a class here on Bhutanese cooking… modified for the Western palate. Hot but not killer. I know how to make the following:
Mango & Apple Punch,
Desai (Ceremonial rice),
Momos (Cheese Dumplings),
Aize (tomato chile condiment),
Ema Datshi (Potatoes and Cheese),
Chile Chicken Stir-Fry.
Beef Shoem (Beef with Mushrooms