Traditional Pahadi food spread on the Pahadi House deck under warm lighting

Pahadi Food Experience

A slow, guided dive into the kitchen of the Garhwal hills — mandua rotis on a wood fire, kafuli in an iron kadhai, and stories behind every dish, told by the people who grew up eating them.

Freshly prepared Garhwali dish with local ingredients at Pahadi House

Taste the mountain, not a menu

Pahadi food is almost unknown outside the hills — and even in the hills, it’s quietly being replaced by paneer-butter-masala chains. We started this experience because our kitchen team missed the food they grew up on, and guests kept asking “what is this, it’s incredible.”

Over two and a half hours you’ll cook three or four iconic Garhwali dishes alongside our cook Shanti didi. Nothing fancy — a kafuli of green leafy vegetables, thechwani with radish and potato, mandua (finger millet) rotis rolled on a slab of granite. The finale is a sweet jhangore ki kheer made with locally-grown barnyard millet.

You’ll taste things along the way, chop, stir, flip rotis on a wood fire, and sit down to the meal you’ve just made. Recipe cards in English and Hindi go home with you, so you can try it all again in your own kitchen.

On the menu

Dishes vary slightly by season — Pahadi cuisine is deeply tied to what’s growing that week. A typical session covers:

Kafuli

A thick green curry of spinach, fenugreek and bathua leaves, tempered with garlic and hill mustard oil. The cornerstone of any Garhwali meal.

Main

Thechwani

Radish and potato smashed (not chopped) and slow-cooked with ginger and local spice. Surprisingly complex for three ingredients.

Side

Mandua Roti

Stone-rolled finger-millet flatbreads, roasted on a tawa over a wood fire. Earthy, gluten-free, and a perfect partner for kafuli.

Bread

Jhangore Ki Kheer

Creamy barnyard-millet pudding with jaggery and cardamom. Cooked low and slow — the best Garhwali dessert you’ll ever try.

Dessert

Your afternoon in the kitchen

A typical session — exact timings adjust if you book the evening slot.

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11:00 AM

Welcome & market tour

Quick walk around our kitchen garden and spice store. Shanti didi introduces the grains, leaves and oils you’ll cook with.

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11:30 AM

Prep together

Washing, chopping, grinding. You’ll use a sil-batta (stone mortar) for the spice mix and learn why nothing beats freshly ground.

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12:30 PM

On the fire

The actual cooking begins on a wood-fired chulha. Expect a smoky, aromatic kitchen and plenty of tastings along the way.

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1:30 PM

Mandua rotis

The skill station of the session — rolling finger-millet dough on stone and flipping on the tawa. Harder than it looks, forgiving enough for everyone.

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2:00 PM

Sit and eat

Plates up on our wooden deck. Eat the lunch you’ve just made, with fresh buttermilk and a tomato-garlic chutney on the side.

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2:45 PM

Recipes to take home

Printed recipe cards and a little spice sample to try it again at home. Hugs optional but likely.

What makes it special

Unique experiences crafted for guests of Pahadi House.

Local grainsMandua, jhangora, madua

Wood-fire cookingProper chulha

Garden ingredientsPicked that morning

Shanti didi40 yrs of hill cooking

Recipe cardsTo take home

Small groupNever more than 10

Your package at a glance

What’s included

A complete hands-on afternoon in a proper hill kitchen.

✓Hands-on cooking session with Shanti didi
✓All ingredients sourced locally or grown on-site
✓Welcome chai and garden walk
✓The full Pahadi meal you cook together
✓Printed recipe cards (English + Hindi)
✓A small sample pack of local spices to take home

Not included

Extras you can arrange on request.

✗Alcoholic beverages (can be arranged separately)
✗Dietary-specific ingredients outside our pantry
✗Heavy non-veg dishes — we focus on traditional veg
✗Dinner on the same day if booking afternoon slot

Gallery

A glimpse of the experience.

Traditional Pahadi cuisine served on the Pahadi House deck

Freshly cooked Garhwali dal and rice in a cozy setting

Rustic wooden serving platter with local Uttarakhand delicacies

Spices and ingredients for traditional Pahadi cooking

Hot chai and snacks served in the garden at Pahadi House

Guests enjoying a traditional Pahadi meal together

Local vegetables and ingredients for Pahadi cooking

Wood-fired cooking setup at Pahadi House

Traditional dessert and sweets from Uttarakhand

In the kitchen

A few simple guidelines to get the most from your day.

✓ Good to do

✓Tie back long hair — the chulha uses open flame
✓Tell Shanti didi about any allergies or dislikes
✓Taste everything — the only way to learn balance
✓Ask questions — nothing is too basic
✓Wear clothes you don’t mind smelling of woodsmoke

✗ Please avoid

✗No open-toed shoes near the fire
✗Don’t touch the iron kadhai handles without a cloth
✗Avoid very strong perfumes — they overpower aromas
✗Skip if you have a severe mustard-oil allergy
✗Don’t rush — the joy of Pahadi food is slowness

Frequently asked questions

Is this vegetarian only?

Yes — traditional everyday Pahadi food is almost entirely vegetarian, and we wanted to showcase that. For non-veg Garhwali dishes (chainsoo, gahat ki dal with meat) we can arrange a separate session on request.

Can kids join?

Kids love it — there’s always a little job for them, from grinding spices to flipping the smaller rotis. We’ll pair dangerous stations with the adults.

Do we get a full meal afterwards?

Yes, the dishes you cook become your lunch or dinner. Big enough to fill even the hungriest guest.

Can you handle allergies?

We can work around most common allergies if you tell us in advance. Gluten-free is easy because mandua (finger millet) is naturally gluten-free. Dairy-free needs a heads-up.

Cook the hills with us

Sessions run most days for house guests and can also be booked as a day-visit. Message us with your dates and group size.

Book on WhatsApp Call +91 75006 82731

Starting soon