A Food Journey
Have you ever driven somewhere far just to eat? The people of Pemaling told me that we can drive further into Chusegang village where there are Lhotshamp families that make the most delicious shelrotis with Alu Dum.
Shelrotis are Nepali snacks like pretzels made with rice flour and sugar, best paired with potatoes and lentil gravy curry. And I loooooove em.
Sunsets and Shelrotis
We drove during sunset and arrived at a small cottage that belongs to Hari Daju (brother) who lives with his small family. His laid out two wooden benches in his backyard and served freshly made Shelrotis with tea and Alu Chana. The delicious evening tea snack is a highlight during Deepawali celebrations but he said it’s also something that Lhotsham families cook for guests as a welcome treat. “We make them for our Khengpa neighbors regularly when they visit, which is quite often,” he said laughing.
But I was more interested than just eating it. So Hari daju and his neighbour aunty set up a “chula” wood burning traditional kitchen stove to cook some shelroti. Let’s just say cooking the snack is a whole another adventure.
Shelrotis are originally made of rice flour, jaggery and spices as per one’s preference. They are mixed and kept overnight. The next day a chula is set up (because it tastes best when made on fire) and a tai ( a flat cookware) is placed directly over the fire. Fill the tai with oil and then the actual work begins. The circular shape of the shelroti is hard to achieve while frying, hence the process of keeping the shape is an art in itself and not to forget, staying away from the oil splatters.
If you’re interested to try these homemade shelrotis like I did, you can contact Hari Daju at 17573840
Travel partner, Mercury Bhutan Travels
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