While climbing up the hilly terrains, not only does the altitude and language change, it is the food that also gets influenced by its surroundings. Since most hill places aren’t well-connected to cities, most of the pahadis are dependent on local produce for their survival. In northern India, mornings often begin with a flatbread called paratha. It could be a plain flattened piece of dough with only salt or could be stuffed with a certain vegetable or lentil. Parathas are usual suspects on the breakfast table in the northern region of the country.
You would find people consuming some kind of bread in the morning, be it the double-roti or English bread or parathas. That’s the case with the Garhwalis too. Uttarakhand is home to both Garhwalis and Kumaoni people. Their culture, tastes, habits etc. coincide with one another, except for a few distinctions. Usually, they start their mornings with a plate of gahat ka paratha along with some raita. Gahat, for the unversed, refers to horse gram and is commonly grown in the region.
The use of lentils and grains in Garhwali cuisine is quite extensive. From vegetables to pulses, everything is used for all the meals of the day. While meat is not a strong aspect of the fare, you might find a few significant dishes. Since lentils like soybean, rajma and horse gram are such a huge part of their diet, it is only fair to assume that they add it to their breakfast meals too.
Also known as kulath, the horse gram is a special kind of lentil that is brown in colour and stuffed in the parathas. It is mixed with another flour called mandua i.e. finger millet. You know how your mother makes dal ke parathe at home whenever you have leftover dal? Well, these parathas are just that. The rich and nutritious flour that is used in the dough is really good for health. Along with this, the protein-packed lentil is added and it gives us a delicious breakfast staple from Uttarakhand.
To prepare gahat ke parathe, horse gram dal is kneaded along with finger millet flour. You can use wheat flour if you want. Along with this, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and a few other spices are added. Some chopped spring onions are added for the crunch. Once the dough is ready, a small portion of it is flattened into a circular shape with the help of a rolling pin. The paratha is tossed on the tawa with some ghee and flipped on both sides. When it is cooked properly, it is taken out and served with bhang ki chutney (another favourite of Uttarakhand) along with some cucumber raita.
In the mood to try Gahat ke parathe today? Here is the recipe then.
