HCBlayout.doc (Page 1)

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.
52
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.
58
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.
61
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.
64
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.
67
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.
70
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/design@paleyphoto.com
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.