Dalhousie travel guide

Himachali dham

Himachal's festive complete meal—rice, rajma, sweet rice, curd and a sequence of curries served on leaf plates by the Botis (caste cooks); made exclusively on ceremonial occasions like weddings; the smell of mustard oil and fenugreek is the memory of every Himachali childhood

Madra

Himachal Pradeshs Chamba and Kangra district festival dish—chickpeas cooked in a smooth yogurt gravy with ghee, dried spices and a specific blend from the region; part of the traditional Himachali dham; the technique of stabilizing yogurt without curdling is the defining cooking skill

Siddu

Kullu and Shimla's renowned stuffed roll—wheat bread stuffed with poppy seed-walnut paste and baked in an oven or steamed; softer than Sidu; served with ghee and dal at dhabas throughout Himachal Pradesh; made fresh to order and sold at most hill-station bakeries

Rajma chawal

North India's most universally loved comfort meal—red kidney beans slow-cooked in a tomato-onion-ginger masala, served over steamed white rice with raw onion; the specific Jammu rajma variety is considered the finest; eaten every Sunday at every North Indian household

Maggi

India's beloved instant noodle comfort food—cooked with extra vegetables, egg or cheese at homestays, mountain cafés and chai stalls across the Himalayas; so deeply embedded in Indian culture that it survived a 2015 national ban and returned triumphant; eating Maggi at altitude is ceremonially Indian