Tapu

Apricots are grown widely in Leh-Ladakh. These can be eaten as a fruit or as jam. Tapu is made by boiling wheat flour and mixing it with ground apricot seeds. This dish is mostly prepared on special occasions.

Tapu

Paba

Once the staple food of Ladakhi people, paba is a great source of nutrition. It is made with barley flour or wheat that is kneaded and roasted with peas in it to make a kind of roti (Indian flatbread). This is served with gravy and soup. Tagtur aka butter milk is sometimes served with it.

Paba

Chutagi

Chutagi is essentially a dumpling soup. The bow tie-shaped dumplings may or may not be stuffed and are cooked in a mildly spiced soup with potatoes, carrots and spinach. Each spoonful is a blast of favours in your mouth.

Chutagi

Momos

Momos are steamed dumplings that are stuffed with vegetables or meat. They can be deep or pan fried, and are accompanied by a spicy dip. Sometimes, a little yeast or baking soda is added to the dough to give it a softer texture. Originating within the Tibetan community, the dish is mostly served as an appetiser.

Momos

Thukpa

Thukpa is a noodle soup that has Tibetan origins. A comfort food of sorts, it is popularly served across cafes and restaurants in Leh. Vegetables or minced meat are boiled and cooked in a mildly spiced broth to which noodles are added. It makes for a hearty meal. There are several versions to it like gyathuk, thenthuk and ngamthuk that are equally mouthwatering.

 Thukpa

Skyu

An exclusively Ladakhi dish, skyu is a local version of pasta. Comprising of wheat and root vegetables like carrot and turnip, the diced flour dough is cooked slowly and the resultant wheat dumplings are cooked with vegetables in a soup-like gravy.

Skyu

Chhang

Chhang is local Ladakhi beer. Tibetan in its origin, the alcoholic beverage is made by fermenting rice, millet or barley. The grain is cleaned, boiled, cooled and fermented and the entire process take a couple of days. This drink is present majorly on social events.

Chhang

Butter Tea

Butter tea, also known as po cha, is made by combining butter and salt in a light concoction of tea leaves and milk. It is salty rather than sweet and tastes more like a creamy soup. It is the perfect drink for Leh's dry and cold weather and is sometimes also called gur-gur chai. A special black tea is boiled and used with butter and milk to make this beverage.

Butter Tea