A Yummy Gift Idea for Valentine’s Day

You’re Our Valentine

Without your love and generosity, we couldn’t bring education and opportunity to the children and families of Ladakh, India. Your support is the heart of our mission, and today, we send you our warmest thanks and endless gratitude.

Wishing you a day filled with love, kindness, and the joy of knowing you’re making a difference. 

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A Nicely Cooked Meal Makes a Good Valentine’s Gift! 

For Valentine’s Day, we’re featuring some hearty winter meals straight from the kitchens of Ladakh, India. Ladakhis don’t use cookbooks, instead they cook intuitively according to their tastes and the seasonal vegetables available. Feel free to adjust the dishes to your liking. (Note that the italicized words are the Ladakhi names for the ingredients or dishes.)

Everyday meals in Ladakh focus on a single dish: mokmoks (dumplings), hearty vegetable noodle soups, or dal and rice with vegetables or yogurt. Formal meals for special guests or celebrations are more elaborate and may include

• kidney beans (rajma dal) or lentils (dal); 
• plain white rice (ḍas) to accompany the dal; 
• a stewed meat (usually lamb, goat, or chicken; sha); 
• cooked vegetables (ṭshodma); 
• hard-boiled eggs (ṭhul); 
• plain yogurt (curd; zho); 
• a homemade bread cooked on the stovetop; 
• a platter of sliced red onions (tsong), cucumber, tomato (ṭamaṭar), and carrots (sarak turman); and 
• a dessert (while not common, desserts could be a thin custard with fruit or, for special occasions, a cake from a bakery).

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Pakthuk (Wheat-Flour Noodle Soup) 

Dough 

• about ½ cup water (chu) 
• 1 cup flour (pak-phe) 

Soup 

• 5 cups water (chu) 
• 1 tsp salt (tsha) 
• ½ cup carrots, roll-cut into thin pieces (sarak turman) 
• ½ cup green cabbage, cut into 2-inch squares 
• 2 cups chard, stems removed, cut into 2-inch squares (mongol); or 2 cups baby spinach; or 8 bok choy leaves, cut into 3-inch sections
• ¼ cup peas 

SEE THE REST OF THE RECIPE HERE.

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Rajma Dal (Kidney Beans)

• 1 lb dried or 3 cans (about 6 cups) kidney beans  (rajma dal) 
• 2 cups onion, chopped (tsong) 
• 3 TBSP oil (mar) 
• 1–2 black cardamom pods, crushed so seeds come out (see Notes; lirgot) 
• ½ tsp turmeric (yumphe) 
• 1½ cups diced tomatoes (canned diced or chopped, or fresh ground or chopped; ṭamaṭar) 
• 1½ tsp or to taste salt, divided (tsha) 
• 1¼ tsp cumin powder (kornyot) 
• ½ TBSP coarsely chopped garlic (about 1/8-inch dice; gogpa) 
• ½ TBSP coarsely chopped ginger (about 1/8-inch dice; chazga) 
• 1/3–½ cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnish (usu) 
• about 1 cup water (chu) 

SEE THE PREPARATION NOTES HERE. 

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