Sikkimese Food

Sikkimese cuisine is full of flavors and is based on rice and maize mainly. It is one of the reasons that most of the dishes made in Sikkimese cuisine have rice and maize in some form or the other. Here are some of the most popular dishes apart from Thukpa and Momos, that are surely worth a try.

Dal Bhat

It's a traditional Nepalese dish which is popularly known as Dal Chawal in the rest of India. It's considered as a comfort meal for many and consists of boiled rice and lentil soup that can be made with any variety of lentils.

Sael Roti

It looks just like pretzels and is made using fermented rice. Though this bread is popular in Nepali festivals, it is also enjoyed in Sikkimese cuisine with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items.

Chhurpi Soup

Chhurpi is a popular cheese of Indian-origin and is made from yak's milk. This is a traditional soup of Sikkimese cuisine which is often served as a welcome drink.

Bamboo Shoot Curry

It's a staple dish of Sikkimese cuisine and is made from fermented bamboo. To remove the bitterness of bamboo, turmeric powder plays a key role and the dish is also called Tama Curry and is best enjoyed with steamed rice.

Dhindo

If you are a vegetarian, then Dhindo is the dish you need to try when in Sikkim. Made of cornflour, buckwheat and ground millet, it is best enjoyed with millet stick and veg soup. It would surprise you but Dhindo is also a part of their staple diet.

Gundruk

This is another vegetarian Sikkimese specialty and is made using fermented radish and cauliflower leaves. It's a fermented dish which can be enjoyed as it is or with soups and curries.

Kodo Ko Roti

It's a Nepali bread, which is typically enjoyed with tomato pickle. The batter of this bread is made with kodo or finger millet flour which is spread on a banana leaf. The leaf is then covered and the bread is baked on a tawa.

Kinema Curry

This curry is one of the most popular dishes of Sikkim and is made of fermented soya beans, which increases its nutrition quotient. Served with rice, it's a treat for vegetarians.

Thukpa Gya-Thuk noodle soup

A very popular Tibetan noodle soup usually served with meat and typically prepared in Tibet, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and also other parts of the world. Thukpa or Gya Thuk is an excellent ideal hot savor soup especially made to beat the cold weather of North Eastern states of India.