Think Ladakh, think Himalayan magic. Wide open vistas, stark mountains set against bright blue skies and lakes that mirror the powder puff clouds dotting the region. And while the valley might seem like the ideal spot to vacation, there’s so much more about it that we barely know. For instance, the food. Ever heard of Ladakhi mok mok s or chutagi ?
It is to create an awareness about Ladakhi cuisine and make the cold desert seem just a little more familiar that Arjun Nair, ideator, Discovering India, decided to organise Project Apricot Blossom, a three-city Ladakhi food fest by Nilza Angmo, an entrepreneur from the region. He says, “I’d gone to Ladakh for an entrepreneurship conclave in June this year and was mentoring entrepreneurs who were making pitches for a cash prize. Nilza was one of them and she runs her own restaurant in her town of Alchi. Ladakh was new territory for me and I fell in love with the place and its people; they have an innocence to them. We tasted some of Nilza’s food and that was my introduction to Ladakhi cuisine.”
As he continued to communicate with Angmo over the next few months he realised the harsh realities that people of the region face. “They have virtually no work from October to March or April every year as Ladakh is cut off from the rest of the country. That is when I thought we could do something to change things a bit; maybe showcase Ladakhi food. I spoke with some of the hotel general managers in Hyderabad and Chennai and once I had people on board, we decided to put the plan in action. They were all very open to encouraging a woman entrepreneur from a remote region,” says Nair.
Angmo is set to tour Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai with an assistant as they showcase food from their home town. According to the entrepreneur, this is their attempt to introduce to the country authentic Ladakhi cuisine which has not yet travelled out of Ladakh. “Some of our specialities include khambir (local fermented bread), chutagi (bow-tie pasta stew), mok mok (dumplings) and thukpa (soupy noodles),” she says, adding, “Ladakhi cuisine is very different and people trying it for the first time are in for a rather different experience involving new flavours.”
While this is Angmo’s first tour, she is keen to see how the food will be received. “This feedback will also help me expand my restaurant to other parts of the country in the future,” says Angmo. “The idea is that this generates business for the people of Ladakh in some way,” says Nair, who is funding Angmo’s and her assistant’s trip. “It’s just my attempt to do something beyond making the usual. What attracted me was her spirit and attitude. An associate, Anand Rengasamy, a city hotelier, is helping with the hospitality for the duo. This, you could say, is my first attempt to highlight other unknown cultures in the country. In the future it could be something to do with the adivasis or Northeastern India and it does not necessarily have to do with food. It could be about their craft even. Which is why I’ve named the venture Discovering India.”
In the meantime, Angmo and her assistant are also looking forward to doing some discovering of their own. “I’d love to try the local cuisine when I travel the three cities. From biryani in Hyderabad, Chettinad cuisine in Chennai to the bisibele bhaat in Bengaluru. It should be an interesting trip,” she says.
- October 24 to October 30: ITC Kakatiya, Hyderabad
- November 3 to November 6: Crowne Plaza, Chennai
- November 8: Chamiers Café, Chennai
- November 10 to November 16: ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru
