Hilton Garden Inn Gurgaon Baani Square organizes “Exotic Uttarakhand” and we just cant keep calm. The idea behind the food festival clicked to Chef Manoj Rawat soon after attending a wedding feast at a remote village in Garhwal region. He decided to bring this cuisine onto the plates of the world so that people could know and explore more.
Uttarakhand has a hospitable culture and food which is simple, flavorful, super nutritious and full of love. Keeping this in mind, a 10 day event with full of music and traditional as well as fusion food from Uttarakhand was curated i.e. Exotic Uttarakhand . This was done along with food connoisseurs Vicky and Maneesh whose immense knowledge about food helped shape the lovely event.
Starting with the “STARTERS”
We started with Mandwa ka Pao with a paneer version of Bhutwa. Mandwa Ki Roti/pao is gluten free and extremely easy to digest. It is rich in protein and calcium. With ample fibers it is good food for diabetes. Mandwa in other places are known Ragi or Finger Millets. In the hills of India they are part of regular diet regime due to which people living in these hills are so fit and rarely fall ill.
Bhutwa with Mandwa Pao
Bhutwa with the pao was absolutely delicious and I ended up having two plates of the same. Other starter that I highly recommend from the Exotic Uttarakhand festival is Bhaang Ka paneer with Bhaang ki Chutney. Bhaang ki Chutney is a tasty sour chutney prepared with roasted Bhang seeds (Hemp Seeds) and cumin seeds (Sauf), mixed with Lemon juice. The chutney was absolutely delicious and one of my favorites of the night.
Obviously “MAINS” are main
Simple food with interesting flavors is the best way to describe the Kumaoni food. Due to seasonal variations, the food extensively uses seasonal ingredients. Some of the dishes that I tried at Exotic Uttarakhand were Bhadoo ki Dal, Chansidu, Kandali ki kaphli, Bhat Churkhani, Aloo ki Thechwani and Jakhiya Aloo.
Ending it on a sweeter note “DESSERTS”
Never have I ever had a better and tastier dessert spread. Each and every dessert had such a unique and different flavor. Some of the desserts I tried were Singhori, Bal Mithai, Burans Kheer, Til Laddoo, Ghughte and Langada.
One of my favorites of the night was Singori. This sweet is made of Khoya (condensed milk) and then wrapped into the leaf of Molu. The fresh smell of Molu leaf and the taste of condensed milk flavoured with cardamom and coconut will leave you asking for more.
