Culinary Chronicles
By Yasmin Rahul Bakshi
Tagi Khambir or Skyurchuk – Fermented leavened flat bread from Ladakh and Tibet which is complimented by butter and noon chai. Skyur means sour and chuk implies mixed. Ages ago when yeast and baking powder were not common the natives of this area used the local soda from the Nubra valley called “Pul”.
Indebted to the Indian Army for the multi-regional exposure it bestowed me with. No matter how safe or perilous the settlement of the area would be, it would magnet me towards the inhabitants. Speak to them, know them!
All that was required was the humane touch, especially in the northern and eastern states where the natives are simple, warm and welcoming. I would walk down to any close by habitation as a tourist for an interaction with the locals.
Learnt the art of baking Tagi Khambir from Boshey – a village lady from Nubra valley in Ladakh. Years ago I sat with her in her kitchen next to the wood fire which just seems like yesterday.
A breakfast bread from Ladakh and Tibet believed to keep the highlanders warm in extreme cold. Whole wheat flour fermented overnight with BAK or YAK – Buttermilk added khambir or the yeast added khambir!
Slight hints of sourness in a cushiony texture are its attributes, which are enhanced when served with butter and “gur gur chai”, the pink salted tea.
Classically cooked over hot stones and then directly roasted over flame, but here I do it in an electric oven or over a griddle with YAK.
The traditional bread is richer in flavours and a shade darker due to the high grade of flour that is produced by grinding wheat in “Rantak” or the watermill.
Ingredients:
- Whole wheat flour – 2 cups
- Instant dry yeast – 1 tsp
- Buttermilk – ¼ cup
- Salt – according to taste
- Water – for kneading
- Oil – 2 tbsp
Method:
- Mix all the dry ingredients.
- Add the oil and buttermilk and mix well.
- Knead into soft dough by adding water.
- Cover the dough with a cling film or with a tight lid and let it ferment for 5-6 hours in warm months or overnight in winters.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal sized balls.
- Roll into round discs (a little thick).
- Heat the oven to 250 degrees and bake the discs for 2-3 minutes. Or cook over a hot griddle flipping both sides until golden brown.
- Serve hot with butter or a curry of your choice.
(Yasmin Rahul Bakshi is an accomplished senior consultant Chef and a food historian. A widely travelled Army wife from the Mussoorie hills with exposure to international cuisines & preserving recipes with the medium of food photography and digital content creation in the form of stories.)
