Indian cuisine bustles with a mind-boggling range of dishes perfect for comfort food during winter. They are wholesome, nutritious and enriched with the goodness of seasonal produce. One such culinary preparation is Chutagi, a native wheat-based pasta of Ladakh. Instead of loading it with spices and sauce, the locals keep the recipe simple and make a soupy meal by adding vegetables of their choice. At times chunks of meat are added to hike its protein quotient. Chhutagi is one of the famous foods of Ladakh. And it has all the legit reasons to be popular.
Chhutagi might remind you of Italian counterparts such as Cappelletti, Conchiglie, Agnolotti and Garganelli due to its appearance. This hand-rolled Ladakhi pasta has a bow-tie silhouette, which captures the essence of other ingredients while being cooked together. One can add components of their preference and the list includes radish, fresh green peas, spinach or any seasonal leafy greens, broccoli, sweet potato, carrots and so on!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups wholewheat flour
- Water for kneading the dough
- 2 finely chopped onion
- 2 tbsp minced fresh garlic cloves
- 1 cup cubed boneless chicken or mutton
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped cauliflower
- 1/2 cup diced potato
- 1/2 cup chopped tomato
- 2 tbsp mustard oil or vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 2.5 cup water
- Salt to taste
Vegetarian chhutagi dish, Image Source: StockFood
Method
- Make a medium-soft dough by mixing whole wheat flour with just enough water. Take out four equal pieces of dough and roll out rotis
- Cut roti into little discs using a cookie cutter or a small, sharp bowl
- Pick up one disc and shape it into a pipe by rolling it over the index finger in the proper manner.
- To prevent them from separating, firmly press the overlapping ends together. Put your fingers inside the hollow and tighten the pipes' sides to unite them. It gives Chutagi its pocket-like shape.
- Follow the same procedure for the rest of the discs
- Add salt and a pinch of turmeric to boiling water and cook pasta for 10 minutes. Set apart.
- In the meantime, in a wok, heat the mustard oil
- Add the chopped onions and garlic and saute them for a while
- Next, introduce the chopped tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder and salt to taste and fry for a few minutes
- Blend in the chicken cubes and cook it for 4-5 minutes
- Introduce the rest of the vegetables and keep stirring them on high heat
- Pour in 1-2 cups of water, mix thoroughly, put the lid on and cook on a medium flame for about 8-10 minutes
- Now introduce the Chutagi into this boiling broth and check the consistency of the water and seasoning. Adjust them accordingly
- Cover it and cook for another 5-8 minutes on the low-to-medium flame
- Turn off the gas.
Serve it hot; you may garnish it with chopped fresh coriander leaves!