A trip to Bhutan – the kingdom of happiness would make you truly understand the underlying meaning of its so-called unique name. The country lies between the range of the Himalayan, wearing a mystic coat of to the outside world and hiding its beauty under the shield of the enormous mountains. As magnificent as the nature of Bhutan can be, the Bhutanese cuisine is no less charming though it is little known to the world.
In the Bhutanese kitchen, the chili is the star, an elegant touch for a flavorful dish. Most of the foods are cooked with chilis. But do not let that stop you from diving into these tasty dishes. The spicy flavour from the chilis is perfectly balanced in the dish, whether it is combined with cheese, meat or vegetable. Each combination creates and brings to the diner a distinctive flavor, to delight and amaze your taste bud. Bhutanese cherish their food and what they put into a dish when cooking is not only the ingredients, but also their passion and love for that dish.
Learning to cook Bhutanese dishes can be quite an eye-opening and memorable experience, even more so when you are taking lessons from the locals. The recipes and steps of cooking traditional dishes such as the ever famous Ema Datshi, Momos (Bhutanese dumpling), Ara (Bhutanese renowned wine), Buckwheat noodles with spices and veggies and the Hogay salad are introduced by our Bhutanese chefs. Each dish is cooked with delicacy and passion. Step by step, you will come in touch with the culture and the serene life of the people of Bhutan.
One of the dishes that will be presented is Ema Datshi, the national dish of Bhutan. “Ema” means chilis in Dzongkha (Bhutan language) and “Datshi” is cheese. It is a nourishing and spicy mixture of chillies, cheese and onion. Ema Datshi appears in almost every Bhutanese meal, whether it is lunch or dinner, as it is easy to cook and delicious. The chilis in the dish gives it an attractive presentation with the eye-catching red and green colours from different types of chilis, and a dash of yellow from the cheese. The colours play out like a delightful palette on the table. The spiciness of the chilis is not only perfectly mixed with the creaminess but further intensifies the taste once put in the mouth.
For a cool night when you feel like curling up and being cozy inside the house, Jasha Maru (Bhutanese chicken stew) is the dish for you. A warming blend of mince chicken and tomatoes, the two ingredients that you can never go wrong with. The stew has a mild dry spice flavour, and a hint of the ginger taste which is loved by many people.
If you crave for some street food, spoil yourself with the delicious Momos – Bhutanese dumplings. It is a popular food in the Himalayan region, from India to Tibet. The recipe for Momos is similar to Chinese dumplings with various fillings – minced meat, cheese or vegetables and served hot. Bhutanese usually have Momos with Ezay, a kind of pepper sauce. Momos is a light snack but can surely fill your appetite.
We put our heart in designing a cooking class with the interest of our dear customers in mind, to make the class truly unforgettable. And we understand that there is no better way to immerse into the local culture than cooking the warm dishes with your effort and passion in them. The class can be organised at a local house or be taken in the hotel, and the preparation can be done per se our guest’s interest. Further than just doing the cooking, guests can shop for the ingredients from local markets, and our staff will instruct you in choosing the right items. Bhutan has an abundance of local fresh organic vegetables, especially during the summer. In the summer, we will get vegetables from local house’s garden and purchase the missing ingredients at the market. In the winter, most of the ingredients can still be bought from the local market. When cooking, Bhutanese either use traditional stove and heat it with fire wood or modern gas stove. We will guide you to cook the rice, other dishes and make the Bhutanese tea so that at the end of the class, we will have a full course meal to enjoy. All the ingredients are fresh and grown without the use of chemicals or offered to the people by Bhutan’s clean and blessed nature. Bhutanese cooking method is not only an art, but it is also science with the balance between the elements of water, fire and nature. These elements, together with the Bhutanese cooking ingredients, create a unique and elegant flavour of the Bhutan cuisine.
We hope to deliver to you the best experience with our cooking class, from the cooking methods to the preparation of ingredients for you to make the most out this opportunity. It is our inspiration that you can take pleasure in cooking these popular and tasty Bhutanese dishes, and even more so as you can show your skills to families and friends and spread the love for the Bhutanese cuisine.
