Hunza Cookbook [PDF]

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KARA Karakoram KORAM S E R I E S

COOKING I N HUNZA

DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF A HEALTHY AND INNOVATIVE MOUNTAIN CUISINE FROM NORTHERN PAKISTAN

CONTENTS MORE THAN ETHNIC COOKING by Marta Luchsinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .04 HUNZA’S PAST CARRIED INTO THE PRESENT by Dr. Julie Flowerday INGREDIENTS APPETIZERS

. . . .06

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

SOUPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 BREADS

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

MAIN COURSES

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

DESSERTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 DRINKS INDEX The boundaries and borders of this map have not been verified and are approximate only. © Map: Mareile Obersteiner

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

THOSE BEHIND THIS BOOK by Marta Luchsinger & Mareile Obersteiner . . . . . . . . . . .76

View of the Baltit Fort in Karimabad overlooking the Hunza Valley

MORE THAN ETHNIC CO OKING

Project Coordinators Mareile Obersteiner & Marta Luchsinger

by Marta Luchsinger

The elders of Karimabad are tasting our home cooked meals at the final day of cooking.

C

OOKING IN HUNZA is about more than ethnic cooking. It is about more than the cooking heritage of a region in Northern Pakistan mostly unknown to Westerners. For decades, access to Hunza’s valleys in the heart of the Karakorum Mountains (Western Himalayas) was quite difficult, appearing still today as a far away place to most. Hunza’s secluded location determined, among other factors, the ingredients available and the traditional ways of preparing the recipes included in this small book. The platters prepared to reflect the beauty of this mountain desert setting. Here, if you look closely almost everything seems to be shaped like precious stones. The peaks of the mountains share the same geological form as the agates, garnets, and rubies hidden within them. The minuscule rocks of sugar and pinkish salt, on an infinitely smaller scale, are also shaped like precious stones. Quartz explodes everywhere. The mountain slopes and the shadows hanging over them emanate a feeling of longing, as if asking to be touched. In Hunza, it is difficult not to surrender to a full moon painting the Rakaposhi glacier red. This geography also appears to have determined another, yet 04

invisible, ingredient of this cookbook: the strength of Hunzakutz themselves. And it probably was this condition of the spirit that brought together more than twentyfive women from Karimabad in Central Hunza, in an undertaking accomplished few times before, if ever. These women, who work extremely hard both at home and in their fields, gathered together during three days to prepare the recipes in this book, joining in what can best be described as an ‘alchemical operation’. Alchemy, the medieval art of mixing substances and magic

potions to heal both physical and spiritual ailments — if these can ever be separated — is what happened when these women, their spoons, weights, measuring cups, local ingredients and, especially, souls, joined together to prepare the recipes for this book.

first and foremost, among the women themselves and of them towards Mareile and me who proposed the idea of this project and saw it through. These women are the real authors of this cookbook. Although lacking an academic education, they are deeply knowledgeable about the art of caring for others, especially the less fortunate. The women agreed that the funds obtained would be devoted to improve the health service provision for their community. There also was solidarity from the larger Karimabad community and the voluntary participation of many others who were always helpful and inspiring. On the last day of the cooking feat, the village elders were invited to taste the home made cooking: an ad hoc ‘approval committee’. And, approval, was smilingly granted.

Indeed, this book is about more than just ethnic cooking. Through it, all of those who contributed towards making it happen demonstrated how working together for a common purpose can tie the strongest knots of human solidarity. This solidarity was,

Certainly, this cookbook is about more than ethnic cooking. In it there is a lesson to be learnt about how people can work together, mixing good will into a recipe of self-help to improve the well-being of their community. By buying this book you also will be contributing toward this end.

05

HUNZA’S PAST CARRIED INTO THE PRESENT

H

idden from our conscious awareness is a palate of taste governing our sense of well-being and social identity. Food informs us of who we are, how well we are, and even how far we are from home. It nourishes a sense of meaning that mixes and mingles with the sinew and soul of our being. Few things are more intimately linked, more closely implicated, and more sweetly and bitterly sensed in our life’s journey, than food. Just how closely food resonates with other changes in a society is, therefore, an intriguing issue. In the Northern Areas of Pakistan, in the high valley of Hunza, food practices have altered profoundly during the last fifty to sixty years. Following the secession from the Maharajah’s government of Kashmir and Jammu (1947), Hunza shifted from an indentured agricultural economy, anchored by local hereditary rule (Mirdom), to a state-driven national and global market economy. A benchmark of these changes was the completion in 1978 of the international Karakoram Highway (KKH). Traversing the valley, the KKH became a thoroughfare between Islamabad and Beijing, bringing to an end the age-old local practice of restricting transit through Hunza while, at the same 06

time, opening Hunza to extraordinary changes. Food chronicles much of what happened in the recent period and brings to view a new awareness of what traditional means. In creating this cookbook, women from the village of Karimabad in Central Hunza worked with a Venezuelan Development Attorney and a German Graphic Designer to document the art of their traditional cooking. It is somewhat of an irony to document these women’s cooking as traditional because, in 2001, the majority of Hunza households were still making the dishes reproduced in this book. The difference was that older people knew a time (pre-1980s), when rice, chutneys, curries, sugar-processed sweets and other delectable were relatively inaccessible. Now commonplace in local bazaars, younger people accepted the various national and global products as ordinary. They did not know the difference. Strikingly, these new foods were gaining popularity among young and old alike, and the change from local rule to state society was quite tasty.

Pakistani foods over their local dishes. They saw the timehonored dishes that they offered as young brides relegated to side-show events at community celebrations. They also recognized that some part of their own identities was being marginalized as traditional. In displacing traditional Hunza dishes in favor of Pakistani and international ones, the life [history] of those associated with these earlier foods was diminished. Disappearing from view was the earlier context to which – both food and women – belonged. If you were to read the cookbook’s recipes from the perspective of an elder Hunzakutz, you would know the time of year any dish was eaten, as well as its place in a disciplined sequence of annually consumed foods. You would also know folktales to go with different dishes, for example the one of Diram Phitti (recipe on page 67). This bread made from germinated wheat flour was prepared during winter and savored especially at Thummusheling, the festival related to the Vernal Equinox (December 21). The folktale connects Diram Phitti’s sweetness to the ‘seed of life’...

by Dr. Julie Flowerday

“

”

Once upon a time, as tales without historic dates begin, a Mir (Ruler) was warned of a conspiracy against his life from within his own ranks. He was told that the Diramiting tribe would take over his realm and that his only protection would be to slay every single male member of that tribe. This he ordered by decree. From the season this wicked deed was committed, thereafter, all crops became infected with an incurable blight, threatening famine. Repentant, the Mir’s only hope was to find the sole male Diramiting survivor said to be born to a woman who had earlier escaped the massacre with her unborn child. Both mother and Diramating son were found. The Mir was then told that only a seed cast and sown by this child, symbolically pure and innocent, could rid the crops of disease and secure his redemption. So doing, the Mir abided by his promise to protect the seed of the Diramiting and life once again returned to the soil and the soul of the people of Hunza.

Women of Central Hunza knew the privileged position of 07

Thus, diram signifies the sacred seed of life, as well as the renewal of life itself. Such tales, embellished with emotion, were told and retold throughout the dark winter nights. The disappearing context that cradled such stories also included the punishing labor of women’s lives. They tended fields scattered up the mountainside, while at the same time raising babies and feeding their families. They carried loads on their backs that weakened their knees and cursed their joints. They raced against time and shuddered at the tempests of rain and sandstorms to protect their perishable harvests. In their ‘free’ time, they searched for salty tasting earth and hauled it back to enrich their cooking stock.

W

hile preparing the dishes for this book, the Karimabad women lamented that their recipes could never taste the same as they did in the past. Salt, sold in the bazaar as hunks of rock or granulated, had a different flavor than local sources. Flour ground at a local water mill had a different texture than flour produced by an electric mill, and this was different again

08

from flour imported from China. Flour from outside, it was said, might even be mixed with chalk. For the eldest of this Karimabad group of women, the bokhari (small steel oven) had itself been an innovation. They had learned to cook at the shee (hearth) with stone pots, when there was no shuli (pipe) to empty smoke from the single room traditional house. All, however, knew the difference of Phitti (wild yeast bread) buried to bake in hot ashes and Phitti baked in an electric oven. All knew a time when there was only one – or if they were lucky two – cooked meals in a day and when a meal was a single dish sometimes eaten out of a common pot. These women knew from their younger years the incredulity of drinking tea five times a day and eating three meals a day every day of the year! They also knew that their simplicity and their different manners sometimes embarrassed young people. Why offer the same glass of water to others when there were glasses enough for everyone, a younger person might ask. Yet, older people remembered when there was only one glass in their house and it was customary to offer that filled vessel to

everyone present before raising it to one’s own parched lips.

processed foods.

The traditional underlies life-informing experiences. On the final day of the Karimabad traditional cooking "marathon” and in the cadence of a celebratory atmosphere, Mrs. Tamina Ullah Beg rose and thanked Marta Luchsinger and Mareile Obersteiner. She said, "Thank you for recognizing our labor. No one has ever done this before.” Very modestly, she was saying that the past efforts of older women were not without value and were deserving praise; so simple and profound were her thoughts. These Karimabad women, gathering over three days to document traditional recipes, contributed much more than a range of dishes. They added something of their life histories as members of a small community being incorporated into a state system. At some barely verbalized threshold, older people knew the difference between life under the Mirdom (hereditary rule) and life as it was in Pakistan. In contrast, younger people had not experienced the difference. They knew no other existence than living in a nation-state. For them sweetness and bitterness were refined by industrially

The recipes in this book were created out of a fierce labor of love. They were the ones that made women and their fathers, husbands, brothers, sons and daughters happy and well nourished. In recreating these recipes you are honoring the cultural heritage of the unspoken heroes and heroines of Hunza.

BON APPETIT!

09

INGREDIENTS

a selection of some typical ingredients commonly found in Hunza Cooking

INGREDIENTS

WHEAT is Hunza’s number one staple food. As rice cannot be grown in the mountainous high-altitude climate, different breads and wheat-based dishes replace rice, otherwise so commonly found in Asia. Other grains such as buckwheat and barley are also cultivated.

DRIED APRICOTS are MALTASH is the Hunzakutz’s preciously guarded “Aged Butter”. The typical strong taste is an asset of the natural ways of preparing and storing the butter and adds a special flavor to many Hunza dishes.

see also page: 62 recipes: pg 37, 42, 58, 61

a favorite snack and an ingredient for soups and juices in Hunza. The valley is known for its abundance of apricots, most of which are collected in late summer to dry in the sun on rooftops, walls and boulders.

recipes: pg 33, 70

APRICOT KERNELS are very similar to almonds in taste and used in much the same way as a snack and for cooking. Children often crack the hard shell of the apricot pits with a stone to get to the delicious kernel.

recipes: pg 19, 20, 23, 33, 64

TUMURO is a native wild thyme which is found in the mountains surrounding the valley. It is used fresh and dried, mostly to brew it in water where it becomes Hunza’s one-for-all remedy, the Tumuro Chai.

recipes: pg 31, 72

CORIANDER is not actually native to Hunza, but it grows easily in the harsh climate and is a very popular herb to season soups and meat dishes.

recipes: pg 15, 16, 28, 47, 55

TURMERIC usually comes as a bright yellow powder and is also a downcountry import. It is mainly used in small quantities to color soups and other dishes.

recipes: pg 27, 28, 47, 48, 51,

APRICOT OIL is \traditionally extracted from the kernels by hand. This laborious and time intensive process is slowly being replaced by machines. There’s a bitter and a sweet apricot oil. The sweet oil is the one used for cooking while the bitter one serves as a beauty product for skin and hair.

recipes: pg 16, 20, 41, 67

The women of Hunza cook with their hearts. Written recipes, measuring cups and scales don’t exist in their simple kitchens. Keep this in mind when trying some of the recipes collected here. Play with your food and be creative. Can’t find an ingredient? Substitute it with something similar. Your dough is too sticky? Add some more flour. Measurements and quantities specified in the recipes are merely a guide. Feel free to increase or decrease as you wish.

Enjoy the food!

APPETIZERS

APPETIZERS

1

2 3

4

BALOGANZE PITCHU Tomato Dip

INGREDIENTS for 3-4 persons

Cut the chili pepper in half, remove seeds and chop very fine. The spring onions, garlic and coriander leaves should also be chopped very fine. Chop the onion and the tomatoes in medium sized chunks.

1 large onion

3-4 small tomatoes

3 spring onions 3-4 garlic cloves

Mix the chopped tomatoes with the herbs (spring onions, garlic, coriander) and the salt in a bowl and set aside.

1 strand fresh coriander

In an iron pan, heat the oil and fry the onion until transparent and starting to brown. Add the water and then the tomato mixture and simmer on low heat for at least 10 minutes. Add a few minutes cooking time if the sauce is too liquid or add more water if too thick.

1 small green fresh chili pepper

Decorate with a few fresh coriander leaves and eat with chappati (pg. 37). This dip can be eaten warm or cold.

1 tsp salt

20 ml cooking oil 250 ml water

15

APPETIZERS BURUTZ BERIKUTZ Fresh Cheese Chappati

INGREDIENTS for 4 sandwiches 250 gr burutz (see pg. 24) 2 spring onions 50 gr fresh coriander leaves

1

Make 8 chappatis according to the basic chappati recipe (pg.37) and set aside.

2

To make the cheese filling, chop all the herbs very fine and mix together in a bowl. Add the burutz and salt (according to your taste) and mix well. To get a more spreadable filling mix in some lassi (see pg. 73).

3

Spread 4 chappatis with 1/4 of the cheese mix each and cover with a second chappati on top. Generously brush on top with apricot oil. Cut in slices for serving.

50 gr carrot greens or dill 50 gr mint leaves 100 ml of lassi (optional) salt for taste

TIP

apricot oil

Burutz is basically a fresh cream or cottage cheese. Feel free to substitute it with your favorite brand. Other herbs and spices could be added to the filling. The Hunzakutz are flexible about the way to prepare a dish—often it is just a question on what is available. Be creative!

8 chappatis (see pg. 37)

16

APPETIZERS HANEETZE BERIKUTZ Chappati with Apricot Kernel Paste

INGREDIENTS for 4 sandwiches

1

Make 8 chappatis according to the basic chappati recipe (pg. 37) and set aside.

3 medium sized onions (150g)

2

Grind or crush the apricot kernels. Chop the onions and chili peppers. In a blender or coffee grinder mix the apricot kernels, onions, chili peppers and salt to taste until you have a smooth paste.

3

150 gr apricot kernels

3-5 fresh green chili peppers salt to taste 8 chappatis (see pg. 37)

Spread 4 chappatis with 1/4 of the paste each and cover with a second chappati on top. Cut in slices for serving.

TIP Hunza fare is generally not very spicy. Feel free to adapt recipes with chili peppers according to your taste. As a general rule: Leave the seeds for a hotter result, take them out for a milder taste.

19

APPETIZERS DAICHUROOM Chappati Crumble

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons 150 gr apricot kernels 2 chappatis 1 tbsp apricot oil (optional)

1

Grind the apricot kernels into a powder, either in a food processor, blender or with a mortar and pestle.

2

Dry-roast the kernel powder in a heavy frying pan for approximately one minute. Transfer into a large bowl.

3

Dissolve salt in 250 ml of cold water and slowly sprinkle onto the kernel powder, mixing with your fingertips until the kernel powder turns into a crumbly dough.

4

Strip the chappatis (see pg 37) into small pieces and mix with the kernel-crumble. Finally, add the apricot oil, mix well and eat cold. Traditionally Daichuroom is served in a hot stone pot.

1 tsp salt

20

MOUNTAIN WISDOM Almost identical to Daichuroom is Chamuriki, which is nothing more than mashed chappatis with oil. Any traditional edible oil, like apricot, almond or walnut oil or even melted butter can be used. Creating new variations by adding spices, salt, nuts or sugar is common in Hunza and depends on the occasion and on what is available. Chamuriki is usually taken with tea but can also be used in main courses by mixing it into soups or curries.

APPETIZERS COMBING THE GRAIN In the West we are not accustomed to

garden or the field, this “combing” of the

“cleaning out” food grains such as rice or

grain represents a natural aspect of prepa-

wheat to make sure there aren’t any little

ring food for cooking. Let it be mother,

stones or other dirt mingled in. We expect

father, child or grandparent—in Hunza you

our food to be free of such particles. In

will always find some member of the family

Hunza, as in other parts of the world where

hunched over a flat, round basket, sepa-

the food still comes fresh from the

rating the good grains from the bad grains.

HUMANE MINA Linseed Paste

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons

1

Clean the linseeds by combing through them and eliminate any sawdust which may be mixed in.

200 gr apricot kernels

2

Dry-roast (no oil!) linseeds in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over high heat until they start to jump (the smell resembles popcorn). Add the apricot kernels or, if not available, substitute with almonds. Keep stirring. Take off the heat just before the kernels start to burn. Allow them to cool slightly.

3

In a coffee grinder or, traditionally, in a stone mortar and pestle, grind the linseeds and apricot kernels into a thick paste.

4

If using an electric grinder, you might want to add some walnut oil to achieve the right consistency. Humane Mina is very nutritious and is eaten with chappatis. Like certain fish, linseeds are very high in Omega 3, excellent for health.

200 gr linseed or flaxseeds

23

MORE MOUNTAIN WISDOM

BURUTZ FRESH CHEESE FROM THE MOUNTAIN PASTURES Burutz is a fresh cream or cottage cheese and one of the many examples of typical mountain dairy products. Shepherds who spend their summers up on the high pastures have a simple diet. It consists mostly of dairy products, such as milk, burutz, lassi, butter and kurutz, complimented with bread and tea. Apart from herding the animals, the shepherds spent their time producing these aliments which can only rarely be found for sale in the markets. However, the Hunzakutz are a hospitable people, always ready to share the little they have. When trekking in Hunza during the summer months you will most likely come across a shepherd’s hut or summer settlement. Most likely you will be invited in for a cup of tea

and get a chance to sample one or more of these delicious fresh mountain products. There are two ways of making burutz. The process starts with making lassi (see pg. 73). The lassi is then simply filtered through cheesecloth and hung up overnight. If this process is too time consuming, it is also possible to get burutz by boiling the lassi for about 35 minutes on low heat. You will see the cheese curd separating from the water. Strain the water out and there’s your fresh burutz! Burutz makes a delicious, refreshing spread for bread. Eat it plain or mix it with salt, pepper, spices or herbs. Another suggestion is to use it just like sour cream in soups or on baked potatoes.

SOUPS

SOUPS

1 2 3 4

CHAPSAE DOUDO Chunky Meat Soup

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons

In a saucepan, heat the oil and fry the chopped onions until they become transparent and start to brown. Add a pinch of turmeric to the fried onions.

1 big onion, chopped

Cut the meat in small chunks and add it to the onions and turmeric. Continue frying for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the meat is well browned.

chicken will wor;, mutton is the

Add salt and a generous 750 ml of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the meat is well cooked.

pinch of turmeric

Add sliced chappatis and cook for a few more minutes.

750-800 ml water

30 ml cooking oil

200 gr meat (mutton, beef or

traditional choice)

1 tsp salt

2 chappatis, sliced (see pg. 37 )

27

SOUPS

CHAPPATI NOODLES With often only one hearth to cook on, there was a traditional direction to cook onepot-meals in Hunza.

KURUTZHE DOUDO Dried Cheese Soup

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons 200 gr Kurutz, a local dried

A great way to use cold chappatis is to cut them in strips and add them to a soup as

1

cheese (see box pg. 34) 750 ml water

wide noodles.

In a small pot, boil the kurutz in 250 ml of water for about 10 minutes and set aside. The dissolved kurutz will strongly flavor the water and serve as the base of this soup.

A recipe to make chappatis is described on page 37.

30 ml cooking oil

2

Chop the onion and fry in oil until transparent; then add 500 ml of water and bring to a boil.

1 tsp salt

3

With a spoon or fork, remove any big chunks of kurutz from the soup base and add the kurutz-water to the onions. Stir in salt and turmeric and bring to a boil.

4

Cut chappatis into thin strips (see box on the right) and add them to the soup. Boil for 5-10 minutes until the chappati strips are ‘al dente’. Decorate with chives or coriander leaves.

pinch of turmeric (for color) 2 chappatis fresh coriander for decoration

TIP In the West you will not very likely find kurutz. There is no cheese equivalent to it. If you haven’t brought a piece with you (kurutz conserves very well), use a splash of vinegar to flavor the soup.

28

SOUPS CHAPPATI NUGGETS

TUMUROTZE DOUDO Thyme Soup

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons

1

Boil the thyme in water for more or less 5 minutes and strain the water.

fresh thyme

2

Bring the thyme-water to a boil and add about 2 handfuls of chappati nuggets (see left) and cook for about 5 more minutes or until soup has thickened. If desired, the thyme may be left in the soup and not strained out.

Another version of quickly

1 handful dried tumuro tea or

made noodles, are little dough nuggets, similar to German “Spätzle”. To make them, simply put some flour in a bowl, adding water in a sprinkling fashion while mixing the dough with

1 litre water salt to taste for chappati nuggets:

your fingertips. Soon, a crumbly mixture will

flour

form and your chappati

water

nuggets are ready to go!

MOUNTAIN WISDOM Similar to Tumuro Chai (pg. 72), this soup has medicinal properties against headaches and the seasonal colds and coughs of the harsh winters of the Karakoram mountains.

31

SOUPS HANEETZE DOUDO Apricot Soup

INGREDIENTS for 3-4 persons

Wash apricots well and boil in water for 5-10 minutes until they are soft. Remove the apricots from the water and set aside.

200 gr apricot kernels

Finely grind the apricot kernels in a mixer or mortar and mix with the flour in a bowl. Then follow the procedure to make the chappati nuggets (see the box on the previous page).

for chappati nuggets:

3

Meanwhile, place the apricots and the water they were boiled in in a blender and blend to a smooth sauce.

water

4

Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring to a strong boil. Add dough nuggets, turn down the heat and boil on low for 5-10 minutes. Add more water if the soup is too thick.

TIP If in season, you can substitute the dried apricots with fresh ones and skip part 1 of this recipe. If you don’t find apricot kernels, use almonds. The taste will be almost the same.

1 2

200 gr dried apricots

250 ml water

50 gr flour

33

MORE MOUNTAIN WISDOM

A girl in Chapursan Valley, Upper Hunza, tending the fire on a Kurutz-making day.

KURUTZ A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHEESE The Mongolians make it; the Tibetans have known it for centuries; the Hunzakutz swear by it. Kurutz, as it is called in Hunza, is, Burutz aside, the only cheese found in traditional Hunza cooking. Whether or not it should be considered a cheese according to Western standards is a different question. Sour in taste and rock-hard in consistency, it is better to imagine it as a salty snack, something to to train your jaw muscles on than a cheese to spread on a sandwich. In Hunza it is mostly used to flavour soups and children like to chew it.

The process for making Kurutz is long and labor intensive and once again we have to go back to the making of butter and lassi from milk (pg. 73). The lassi is then boiled for a whole day while a piece of last year’s kurutz is added providing the culture or enzymes that start the process of making curd. As the mixture boils down it eventually turns into a soft sour paste, which is then pressed and sun-dried, on the roofs of the pasture huts. The exact recipe of how to make kurutz is passed on from generation to generation and varies according to climate and location.

BREADS

BREADS

1

INGREDIENTS for 8 chappatis

In a large bowl, mix the flour with about 2/3 of the water and start kneading the dough. Slowly add more water until the dough gets firmer and doesn’t stick to the bowl anymore. Knead for at least 10 minutes. Chappati dough should be soft, but not sticky. Add more flour if necessary.

200ml water

2

Divide the dough into 8 even pieces and roll into balls. Sprinkle some flour on a wooden board and roll out each piece with a rolling pin. Flipping, rotating and sprinkling the dough with flour helps to get an evenly round chappati that won’t stick to the rolling pin. Each chappati should be about 20-25cm in diameter and as thin as your skills allow.

3

Place the chappati on a heated griddle or iron pan (no oil!) and brown on each side for not more than one minute.

4

Arrange the chappatis on a plate and place some butter in the middle. Bismillah!

MOUNTAIN WISDOM Burum Hanik has an important meaning in Hunza. It is more than just bread and butter. It symbolizes hospitality and is usually served at the beginning of an event regardless whether there will be more food or not. Traditionally Burum Hanik comes with the precious aged butter (see pg. 10).

BURUMChappati HANIK with Aged Butter

500gr flour

butter

37

BREADS SHURO Festive White Bread

INGREDIENTS for one Shuro Bread 250 gr of white flour

1

Place the flour and the baking powder in a large bowl. Mix in the butter (should be soft or melted) and eggs (optional). Add the milk and knead until a firm dough forms. Let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

2

Roll the dough out in a round shape. Use a fork to make a nice pattern on the top. Cook on a hot crêpe pan or griddle for 1 min. Finally place the bread in a pre-heated (250º˚C) oven for 20 to 30 minutes. When the Shuro turns slightly golden brown it is done.

2 eggs (optional) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder 100 ml milk

INGREDIENTS for two Qista

QISTA Hunza Chappati

250 gr self-rising flour

1

100 ml water 1/2 tsp salt

38

Knead the ingredients into a firm dough. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes in a warm place. Divide the dough into two balls and roll out each piece with a rolling pin. The Qista should have the thickness of a pizza (about 7mm). Cook on a flat iron crêpe pan or griddle on both sides until golden brown.

MOUNTAIN WISDOM Even though Qista is described here using self-rising flour it is actually a yeast bread. Interestingly, fresh or dried yeast as we know today, was not available in Hunza until just recently. Instead, the Hunzakut kept the dough near the fire in a warm place for a long time until natural fermentation produced the desired amount of yeast.

BREADS

1 2

BAROVE GIYALING Buckwheat Pancakes

INGREDIENTS for 8-10 pancakes

Mix the ingredients into a smooth, liquid dough.

450 ml water

Heat a crêpe pan or griddle and spread some cooking oil on top. Sprinkle a bit of salty water on the griddle to check if the pan is hot enough. It should be sizzling.

1 tsp salt

3

Pour a large spoonful of the liquid dough on the griddle and let it cook for two minutes until it turns into a thick crêpe.

4 5

Flip it over and brown a bit more on the other side.

300 gr buckwheat flour

apricot oil

Stack pancakes on a plate and brush each one with some apricot oil.

41

BREADS MALTASHTZE GIYALING Hunza Pancakes

INGREDIENTS for 6-8 pancakes 200 gr sifted white flour 250ml water 30 ml (2 tbsp) oil

1

In a bowl, whisk the flour briskly into the liquid. Add the egg and mix well. Let the mixture sit.

2

Heat a griddle or crêpe iron and spread with some oil. When the oil starts smoking, pour a generous spoonfull of the mixture in the center of the pan and spread it out to a crêpe of about 20cm in diameter.

3

When the pancake starts bubbling, flip it over, lower the heat and bake for another 1-2 minutes. Spread each layer with melted butter and stack.

1 egg (optional)

MOUNTAIN WISDOM Maltashtze Giyaling is the traditional dish prepared when a daughter visits her parents’ home after her marriage. It is taken with Chai (tea).

42

MORE MOUNTAIN WISDOM

A family in Gojal, Upper Hunza, sitting around the ‘bukhari’, the traditional stove on which everything from bread to tea is prepared.

BREAD THE STAPLE FOOD OF THE HUNZAKUTZ In Hunza, as in most parts of Pakistan, bread replaces the ubiquitous rice as the staple food. This is easily explained by the fact that rice cannot be grown in Hunza’s high altitude climate. Wheat is the cereal of choice, but other grains like buckwheat and barley are also grown. Surprisingly, the resourceful Hunzakut do not limit their idea of bread to the basic chappati, but an array of treasured original and indigenous bread recipes. Unfortunately, this Cookbook doesn’t include all of them. Hunza’s equivalent to today’s common chappati, which is more of a culinary import from the south, is a thin wheat bread, the Khamali. Compared to a chappati, it is much larger in diameter, the reason of which was a practical one: In the old days and even now, wood is a very precious commodity and conservation is

essential. By baking a large bread you can take advantage of the heat on the rather large cooking plate of a traditional Hunza stove. Arzok is a festive bread made with flour, eggs and milk and fried in butter. It stays fresh very long and is still delicious when eaten cold, dipped in a hot cup of Chai. Last, but not least, there is Phitti, probably the most famous of all Hunza breads and a common breakfast fare. The thick, nutritious bread with a crusty outside and a soft interior is also rather time-consuming to prepare. Traditionally, the dough was put into a sealed metal container and after all the cooking had been done at night, the phitti was tucked into the ashes/embers of the hearth, and would bake overnight.

MAIN COURSES

MAIN COURSES

1 2

GIRGIR ALOO Brown Lentils & Potatoes

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons

Cook the lentils in 250ml of water for 20 minutes in a pressure cooker or for 1 hour in a regular saucepan or pot. Drain the lentils and set aside.

2 medium sized onions, chopped

300 gr brown lentils (washed)

2-3 tomatoes, chopped

Fry the chopped onions in oil until slightly brown. Then, add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric, chili powder and the chopped coriander leaves (use more or less than indicated according to your taste). Cover with 250 ml of water and bring to boil.

3 big potatoes, peeled and cut

3

Boil for 5 minutes, then mix in the salt, fresh chilies (uncut!) and the potato chunks. Cover and stir occasionally.

1 tbsp red chili powder

4

Finally, add the cooked lentils and some more water if necessary. The vegetables should be barely covered. Boil over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until potatoes are soft. Serve with chappatis.

into chunks 4 tbsp fresh coriander leaves

1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp salt 3 fresh green chili peppers 30ml cooking oil 47

MAIN COURSES HOSARYE HOI Hearty Pumpkin Stew

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons 1 kg fresh pumpkin 2 small onions, chopped 250 ml water

1

Cut the pumpkin in half and take out the seeds before you cut it into bite size chunks. Leave the skin on.

2

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chopped onions and cook until transparent. Then add tomatoes and spices (chili powder and turmeric) and fry on high heat for 5 minutes.

3

Stir in the pumpkin chunks and the salt. Pour 250ml of water over the vegetables and cook over low-heat, covered, for approximately 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.

2 tomatoes, chopped 1 tbsp turmeric powder 1 tsp red chili powder 1 tsp salt 30ml cooking oil

TIP Like most Hunza dishes Hosarye Hoi is taken with chappatis. If chappatis are too much work, get some Naan from any Indian restaurant or simply serve it with steamed white rice.

48

MAIN COURSES SHHIKER...WHAT?!

SHHIKERKUTZE HOI Potatoes and Greens

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons

1

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chopped onions and cook until transparent and turning brown.

1 large onion, chopped

2

Add 300 ml of water and cook a little more before adding the potato chunks, chili powder, turmeric and salt. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.

Shhikerkutz, known as Methi

2 potatoes cut into chunks

to the rest of Pakistan is a leaf vegetable which probably has no comparable counterpart in the West. Standing in the field it looks similar to alfalfa with small leaves,

1 handful methi (see box on the left), dried or fresh

growing close to the ground. With no fresh vegetables available in winter, freshly

3

1 pinch red chili powder Sprinkle on the dried/fresh methi and let it cook with the potatoes until they are done.

1 pinch turmeric powder

harvested methi is often spread out on the roofs and

300 ml water

sun-dried for later use.

30 ml cooking oil

Due to its very special, pungent flavor it is hard to recommend a suitable substitution. Check in an Indian provision store and you might find some dried methi. (see picture on the right)

51

MAIN COURSES HOILO GARMA Hunza Spinach Pasta

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons 600 gr fresh leaf spinach 30 ml cooking oil 1 medium onion

1

Make 4 basic chappatis (see pg 37), but don’t cook them. Let them rest in a dry place.

2

Fry the onion until transparent and add 250 ml water, plus the salt and chili powder and bring to a boil.

3

Add the spinach, which should be well washed. Turn heat to medium low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

4

Lay one uncooked chappati over the spinach and let it cook for 5 minutes. Then, break it up with a spoon in rather large pieces and mix it well with the spinach. Repeat with the remaining chappatis. The dish is ready when the noodles are cooked.

1 tsp salt 1 tsp chili powder 250 ml water for the noodles: 250 gr flour 100 ml water

MOUNTAIN WISDOM The origin of this dish was, once again, the need to conserve fuel-wood. By cooking the chappatis together with the spinach (which can be substituted with any green leafy vegetable) instead of one after the other, the Hunzakutz could maximize the use of their stove while saving precious fire wood.

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MAIN COURSES INGREDIENTS for 2 pieces

CHAP SHUROHunza Meat Cakes 1 2 3

4

for the dough: 300 gr flour

Mix flour with salt and water and make a solid dough. Divide the dough into four pieces and roll out each piece into a flat round cake of aΩ bout 20 cm in diameter

1/2 tsp salt 150 ml water

For the filling, chop the chili peppers, onions, spring onions and fresh coriander leaves quite fine, then mix with the minced meat and salt in a bowl.

for the filling: 2 green chili peppers, chopped

Take one cake of dough and wet the rim with some water (use your finger). Spread hΩ alf of the meat mixture on the dough (leave a space of 1 cm all around) and place a second dough cake on top. Press down the sides and fold over a small rim to seal the chap-shuro. Repeat.

2 spring onions 1 - 2 onions, chopped 1 tomato, chopped

Bake on medium heat in a pan on both sides for 15 minutes each, until golden brown.

3 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped 1 tsp salt 200 gr minced meat 55

MAIN COURSES

HOMEMADE MULBERRY SYRUP To make Mulberry syrup fresh white or dark mulberries, which grow in Hunza in abundance, can be used.

MULL Flour Porridge with Mulberry Syrup

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons 1 litre water

The berries are first squeezed through a cloth and the resulting juice is then cooked

1 2

250 gr wheat flour, sifted salt to taste

3

for hours on a low flame.

In a large pot or saucepan, bring the water to boil.

When the natural fruit sugar Slowly stir in the flour using a whisker. Stir constantly to avoid any lumps. Cook on low heat until the water thickens, obtaining a porridge-like consistency.

starts to caramelize, the liquid turns dark and eventually cooks down to the desired\ syrupy consistency.

Serve the Mull hot and spoon some mulberry syrup (as much as you like) into the thick soup and serve with a piece of fresh butter in the middle. Mull is traditionally given to breast-feeding mothers.

Due to the long time it takes to prepare Mulberry Jam and the amount of precious fire wood needed, this delicious, sweet syrup is prepared only sporadically.

TIP If you can’t find Mulberry Jam, which is more like a thick syrup in consistency, try using sugar cane syrup or honey instead.

56

MAIN COURSES SHARBAT Traditional Wheat Porridge

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons 400 gr whole wheat, roughly ground 250 gr unsalted butter

1 2

Grind the wheat grains in a blender or coffee grinder.

3

Stir in the ground wheat, cover and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for two hours until most of the water is absorbed and the wheat is soft and has the consistency of a porridge. Add some more butter and water if needed.

4

With a spoon, make a hollow in the middle and fill with melted butter.

2 liters water 1 tsp salt

Melt the butter in a large deep-sided frying pan or wok. When it starts to brown, add 2 liters of water and the salt and bring to a boil.

MOUNTAIN WISDOM Sharbat is a very traditional dish often served at weddings and often prepared by men.

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MAIN COURSES

BRUISED WHEAT Unless you live close to a farm, it will be difficult to recreate this dish, as it requires freshly harvested

SUPPRA & HARISA Leg of Lamb on Bruised Wheat

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons

Put the leg of lamb (can be cut into 3-4 pieces) in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover the meat and bring to a boil. Add the salt.

1-2 onions

2

Cut the onions in quarters and add them to the meat. Boil for about 1 hour or until the meat is cooked.

500g bruised wheat (see box left)

3

Strain the broth of the lamb and boil the bruised wheat in it for about 30 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Add chunks of butter for taste.

4

Serve the wheat, now called Harisa with the meat (Suppra) on top. If you prefer, you can cut the meat off the bone before serving. MOUNTAIN WISDOM

grain. To bruise the wheat, the soft grains (alternatively,

1 leg of lamb (about 2kg)

they could be soaked) need to be pounded to release the

1

husks and to soften it a bit more. This helps to absorb the broth more easily, and needs less cooking time. The

2 tsp salt

best way to pound the wheat without crushing it is with a smooth rock in a stone mortar.

butter for taste

A variation on this dish is to cut the meat in chunks and cook it together with the wheat. The result is a slightly thicker dish called Gur.

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MORE MOUNTAIN WISDOM

MALTASH MORE THAN JUST A PIECE OF BUTTER Butter (or Maltash) in Hunza goes back a long time. Prepared in the traditional way from fresh milk, which should be scalded before churning it, maltash is still a favorite amongst the Hunzakutz. Even the arrival and availability of modern factory-made butter could not yet eliminate the labour-intensive tradition of making butter. This is mostly due to the butter’s high value and the important place it has in society. Maltash is presented as a gift at the birth of a son, at weddings and funerals. It is used to bless the foundation of a new house an again later, once the house is completed. Maltash also serves as a thank you token for a favour.

In old times, butter was a means of money and is still used for taxes today. Hunza families who have had a new son still have to send a kilo of butter to the annual channel clearing to feed the workmen. The interesting thing about the Hunza butter (and you might have an idea if you’ve tasted it before) is, that the older the butter, the more valuable it is. Most of the freshly produced butter is not consumed right away, but carefully wrapped in birch bark and then buried in a hole in the ground. There, it might stay and age for decades, even a hundred years, before the head of the family decides: It is time to dig out the good old butter!

DES SERTS

DES SERTS SULTAN Healthy QOQ Fruit’n’Nuts Bar

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons 200 gr apricot kernels (or almonds) 200 gr dried mulberries (or sultanas)

1

In a coffee grinder or mortar, finely grind the apricot kernels (or almonds) and walnuts and set aside. Then grind the dried mulberries (or sultanas).

2

Mix the ground nuts and the fruits and add 2 tbsp water to make a thick paste. This can either be done in a blender or by hand in a bowl.

3

Roll the paste into a ball and shape it any way you like. The Hunzakutz usually just serve it as a ball and pick mouth sized pieces by hand.

200 gr walnuts 2 tbsp water

TIP In Hunza, Sultan Qoq is a dessert, but with all the nutritious ingredients it makes a great energy bar. Try variations with other kinds of dried fruits (like raisins, dried apricots or prunes). If the pure fruit is not sweet enough, you can add some brown sugar.

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DES SERTS DIRAM PHITTI Sweet Bread Cakes

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons

1

Mix the two flours and make a dough by kneading and adding the water. Knead for about 10 minutes.

(see pg 68 for more information)

2

Shape the dough into several round balls (about 3 inch in diameter) and pat them into 2 cm thick patties.

3

250 gr sweet fermented flour

125 gr wheat flour 150 ml cold water

Spread oil on a flat iron or crêpe pan at low heat. Place patties on the grill and brown lightly. Keep turning (so they don’t burn) and bake for 15 minutes until they develop a crust, but are still soft to the touch.

MOUNTAIN WISDOM There is a very tasty variation on Diram Phitti, called Diram Shuro. It uses the freshly cooked Diram patties while they are still warm. Those are then crushed or mashed, fried in apricot oil and finally mixed into a bowl with butter or apricot oil. See picture on the right.

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MORE MOUNTAIN WISDOM

DIRAM PHITTI THE SACREDLY SWEET BREAD If ‘diram’ comes from the sacred seed of life according to Hunza’s oral history, phitti without a doubt reveals that this desert is, yet, another version of the Hunza staple food: bread. But diram phitti is a very special kind of bread. More a sweet, moist cake than a crusty bread, diram phitti was always the region’s sweet dish par excellence and continues to be a special festive treat. What makes this dish so special is that it is sweet without containing any sugar (as mentioned before, sugar is a relatively new import and is therefore not found in any of the traditional dishes). To obtain this natural sweetness, the Hunzakutz use a special technique. Instead of

drying and then grinding the freshly harvested wheat, the grains are kept moist. Only when the grains start to germinate and ferment slightly, they are being ground into flour. This special fermented flour is then mixed with regular flour and used to bake diram phitti. It might indeed be difficult to make this dessert in the West, even though the preparation itself is fairly simple. However, if you come to Hunza, make sure you get a chance to sample this traditional sweet dish. Diram phitti should always be eaten with a certain feeling of veneration, knowing the story behind it (see pg 7) and the time and difficulty it takes to prepare this sacred dish.

DRINKS

DRINKS CHHAMUSHandmade Apricot Juice

INGREDIENTS for 4 persons 200 gr dried apricots 1 litre water or less, depending on desired thickness

1 2

Soak the dried apricots in hot water for about one hour.

3

For an easier and much less labor intensive solution, simply mix the soaked apricots with water in a blender.

Traditionally, this juice is literally kneaded by hand (see picture) for hours until the apricots become soft and finally mix completely with the water.

TIP You can also use fresh apricots, or even a mix of fresh and dried ones.

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MORE MOUNTAIN WISDOM

DRINKS

Traditionally diltar is obtained by shaking milk inside of a goat or sheep skin.

TUMURO CHAI Wild Thyme Tea

INGREDIENTS for 2-3 cups for Tumuro Chai:

1

4 tsp tumuro (dried wild thyme) 500 ml water

Add the thyme to the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Let the tea boil for a few minutes to extract the flavor from the leaves. Strain before serving.

for Balingi Chai: 8 walnuts, shelled 4 tsp black tea

1

500 ml water milk if desired

BALINGI CHAI Walnut Tea

DILTAR

Crush the walnuts in a mortar or process in blender. Mix with the black tea and add to the water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the milk. When the milk starts to rise, take the tea off the heat. Serve with sugar or honey.

People call it buttermilk, Lassi or simply a yogurt drink. Nowadays, the simplest way to make Diltar is to mix yogurt with water (about 1:1) and then blend at high speed for a few minutes in a mixer. You can add salt, sugar or fruits like bananas or mangos for some extra taste. Traditionally, there are two methods of preparing lassi without a blender. One method is called ‘taring’, which uses the hardened skin of an entire goat or a sheep as a container (see picture). Once filled with fresh milk the skin is shaken or rolled back and forth

A REFRESHING YOGURT DRINK MADE IN A TRADITIONAL MANNER

MOUNTAIN WISDOM Tumuro or Wild Thyme is collected in the high mountains surrounding Hunza. The herb is especially valued for its medicinal properties that alleviate headaches, calm nerves and soothe sore throats.

72

on the ground for a long time until butter forms. The watery milk or butter milk left at the end is the pure and original diltar. The second method uses a tall narrow wooden cylinder and a long, thick pole called ‘sagu’ and ‘pader’. Just like churning butter, the stick is moved up and down in the box, a process which looks much easier than it actually is. Finally, the mix of air and foam turns the milk into Diltar. Once you’ve tasted fresh, cold Diltar on a hot summer day, you will know that there’s no better way to quench your thirst.

INDEX

INDEX

A

C

Aged Butter Maltash . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10/62 Apricot kernels: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Chappati Crumble Daichuroom . . . . . .20 Chappati with Apricot Kernel Paste Haneetze Berikutz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Healthy Fruit’n’Nuts Bar Sultan Qoq .64 Apricot oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Apricots: Apricot Juice Chhamus . . . . . . . . . . . .70 Apricot Soup Haneetze Doudo . . . . . . .32 Dried apricots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Chai: Balingi Chai Walnut Tea . . . . . . . . . . .72 Tumuro Chai Wild Thyme Tea . . . . . . .72 Chappati: Burum Hanik Chappati with Aged Butter . . . . . . . .36 Chamuriki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Chappati Crumble Daichuroom . . . . . .20 Chappati Noodles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Chappati Nuggets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Qista Hunza Chappati . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Chapsae Doudo Chunky Meat Soup . . . . .26 Chap-Shuro Hunza Meat Cakes . . . . . . . .54 Cheese: Dried Cheese Soup Kurutzhe Doudo . .28 Dried Yak Cheese Kurutz . . . . . . . . . .34 Fresh Cheese Burutz . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Fresh Cheese Chappati Burutz Berikutz 16 Chhamus Apricot Juice . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

B Baloganze Pitchu Tomato Dip . . . . . . . . .14 Burutz Berikutz Fresh Cheese Chappati .16 Burutz Fresh Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Burum Hanik Chappati with Aged Butter .36 Butter, aged Maltash . . . . . . . . . . . . .10/62 Bread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Barove Giyaling Buckwheat Pancakes . . .40 Buckwheat Pancakes Barove Giyaling . . .40 Balingi Chai Walnut Tea . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Bruised Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

D Daichuroom Chappati Crumble . . . . . . . .20 Diltar Lassi or Yogurt Drink . . . . . . . . . .73

74

Diram Phitti Sweet Bread Cakes . . . .66/68 Diram Shuro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Dried apricots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Dried Cheese Soup Kurutzhe Doudo . . . .28 Dried Yak Cheese Kurutz . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Hosarye Hoi Hearty Pumpkin Stew . . . . .48 Humane Mina Linseed Paste . . . . . . . . . .22 Hunza Chappati Qista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Hunza Meat Cakes Chap-Shuro . . . . . . . .54 Hunza Pancakes Maltashtze Giyaling . . .42

F

K

Festive White Bread Shuro . . . . . . . . . . .38 Flour Porridge with Mulberry Jam Mull .56 Fresh Cheese Burutz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Fresh Cheese Chappati Burutz Berikutz .16 Fruit’n’Nuts Bar Sultan Qoq . . . . . . . . . .64

Khanda Mulberry Jam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Kurutz Dried Yak Cheese . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Kurutzhe Doudo Dried Cheese Soup . . . .28

G Girgir Aloo Lentils and Potatoes . . . . . . .46 Grain, Combing the... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Lamb, Leg of Suppra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Lassi Diltar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Lentils and Potatoes Girgir Aloo . . . . . . .46 Linseed Paste Humane Mina . . . . . . . . . .22

H

M

Haneetze Berikutz Chappati with Apricot Kernel Paste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Haneetze Doudo Apricot Soup . . . . . . . . .32 Harisa Bruised Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Hoilo Garma Hunza Spinach Pasta . . . . .52

Maltash Aged Butter . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10/62 Maltashtze Giyaling Hunza Pancakes . . .42 Mulberries: Khanda Mulberry Jam . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Sultan Qoq Healthy Fruit’n’Nuts Bar . .64

L

Mull Flour Porridge with Mulberry Jam .56

P Pancakes: Barove Giyaling Buckwheat Pancakes .40 Maltashtze Giyaling Hunza Pancakes .42 Pasta, Hunza Spinach Hoilo Garma . . . . .52 Phitti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Porridge: Mull Flour Porridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Sharbat Wheat Porridge . . . . . . . . . . .58 Potatoes: Girgir Aloo Lentils and Potatoes . . . . .46 Shhikerkutze Hoi Potatoes and Greens 50 Pumpkin Stew Hosarye Hoi . . . . . . . . . . .48

Q S

Qista Hunza Chappati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Sharbat Wheat Porridge . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Shhikerkutz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Shhikerkutze Hoi Potatoes and Greens . .50

75

Shuro Festive White Bread . . . . . . . . . . .38 Spinach Pasta, Hunza Hoilo Garma . . . . .52 Sultan Qoq Healthy Fruit’n’Nuts Bar . . . .64 Suppra Leg of Lamb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Sweet Bread Cakes Diram Phitti . . . .66/68

T Thyme Soup Tumurotze Doudo . . . . . . . .30 Thyme Tea Tumuro Chai . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Tomato Dip Baloganze Pitchu . . . . . . . . .14 Tumuro Thyme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Turmeric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

W Walnuts: Balingi Chai Walnut Tea . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Sultan Qoq Healthy Fruit’n’Nuts Bar . .64 Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Wheat Porridge Sharbat . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Wheat, bruised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

THOSE BEHIND THIS BOOK Shown here are the cooks, community members and project coordinators whose combined efforts made this cookbook possible.

I

t is essential to acknowledge the generosity of Matthieu Paley, who contributed the extraordinary photographs in this book. Without his help, this book simply would not exist. Outstanding contributions came from Dr. Julie Flowerday, the Burushaski Scholar who wrote the anthropological introduction; the Baltit Inn Management, who lent their kitchen for the feat and its Manager, Ejaaz Karim; the bazaar shopkeepers whose utensils enhanced the striking photographs in this book; the hotel employees and the Ismaili authorities. Last but not least, there is the Aga Khan Cultural Services-Pakistan, who sponsored the printing of this book and, especially, Mr. Salman Beg, who trusted

76

two foreign women, a graphic designer and a development lawyer, to carry out this project proving that trust works. Marta Luchsinger

T

hank You, once again, to absolutely everybody who has invested their time, knowledge, talent, thought and spirit to make this cookbook happen. Thanks especially to my brother Thilo. Mareile Obersteiner

As promised, all profit made through the sale of this book will go towards the women of Hunza.

Project Coordination Marta Luchsinger Mareile Obersteiner Recipes Karimabad Women’s Organisations Layout & Design Mareile Obersteiner Photography Matthieu Paley Thilo Obersteiner Text Mareile Obersteiner Editing Marta Luchsinger Printing Colorline Sponsorship Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan (AKCSP)

© 2003 Matthieu Paley/Mareile Obersteiner www.paleyphoto.com/[email protected]

All profit made from the sale of this book will go towards the women of Hunza. The women decided to put the money into medical supplies and an ambulance for Karimabad.