Tingmo, Chicken Shapta and Ema Datshi

My brief stay in Kolkata for my under graduation has me awfully drawn towards Bhutanese Tibetan and Nepalese food. From Tiretta Bazar near Lalbazar to Tibetan Delight in Elgin, I have grown this kind of weakness towards soulful, light and the bursting flavors of herbs. One rainy day at home, I was so bored and felt this urge of cooking something warm and hearty with whatever ingredients I had left in the fridge. Suddenly I remembered reading about the famous Tingmo of Blue Poppy Thakali, which is right opposite to my college in Park Street, and immediately started to crave some warm buns. So here is my little take on Tingmo with Chicken Shapta which is best paired with Ema Datshi (everything made from readily available stuff!), which serves two people.

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TINGMO

INGREDIENTS

• Maida (flour) 250g

• Salt 5g

• Sugar 10g

• Instant Dry Yeast 3g

• Warm Water 1 cup

• Salted butter (melted)

• Coriander leaves

PREPARATION

• Mix all the dry ingredients first and slowly start pouring the warm water and kneading the dough.

• Make sure that the dough is not too dry, it must be slightly sticky.

• Once the kneading is done, set it aside in a bowl and cover it with a wet cloth.

• Let it rest for 1 and a half hours for the yeast to rise.

• Once the dough has risen, give it a one good knead and pour flour lightly on to a big surface.

• Start rolling the entire do into one big rectangular piece.

• Fold the rectangle three times along the length.

• Now, cut the dough with a knife three times, in order to form 4 mini rectangles (this will give us 4 ting momo)

• Cut each mini rectangle into 6 thin strips and stack three strips on the other three. This will give us in total 12 doubly stacked strips.

• Take the first three double stacked strips, stretch them as much as you can, twist them and then swirl them around your fingers to form a flower shape.

• Once all the strips are used, it will give you 4 swirled momo.

• Now, steam the buns for 15 mins.

• Once done, brush some salted butter and coriander leaves all over the buns and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds for flavor.

SHAPTA

INGREDIENTS

• Boneless chicken 200g

• Garlic 5 cloves + Ginger (as per your liking)

• Onion 1 medium (cut in cubes)

• Tomato 1 medium (cut in cubes)

• Capsicum 1 medium (cut in cubes)

• Green chillies 3 (or more according to your preference)

• Oil 1/2 cup

• Salt (as per taste)

• Pepper ( as per taste)

• Light soy sauce 2 tbsp

• Dark soy sauce 1 tbsp

• Water 1 cup/ chicken stock 1 cup

• Cornflour slurry (3 tbsp cornflour + 6 tbsp water)

PREPARATION

• In a pan, heat oil and after a few mnutes add garlic.

• Once the garlic cloves turn golden brown, add onion and cook for a minute.

• Then slowly add capsicum, green chillies pepper, all the soy sauce and give it a good mix.

• Now add the chicken and quickly give the entire pot a good mix and pour the chicken stock/ water. Cover the lid.

• Once the chicken is cooked (it has softened), slowly add the cornflour slurry. Be mindful to keep stirring the pot continuously so that the slurry doesn't start to curdle.

• Add more slurry if you want a thicker curry.

• Now on low heat, add the tomatoes, let them cook for a minute, then turn off the flame and put the pot aside. Let the tomatoes cook in the residual heat. Sprinkle some finely chopped garlic in the process.

EMA DATSHI

INGREDIENTS

• Cheese slices 3

• Green chillies 5

• Onion (thinly cut) Half

• Capsicum (thinly cut) Half

• Pepper

• Salt

• Garlic (chopped) 1 clove

• Butter 2 tbsp

• Water Quarter of a cup

PREPARATION

• Heat up some butter in a pan and add garlic, in high flame.

• After the garlic turns golden, add the onion and cook them for a minute.

• Now, add capsicum to the pan, along with pepper and a dash of salt (since cheese already has salt in it)

• Let them soften in the heat for a minute or two.

• Pour water slowly and cover the lid.

• After a minute, add the cheese (crumbled them in your hand) and mix the entire pot as quickly as possible.

• Let the water get absorbed a little.

• Set it aside for a few seconds.

• Your Ema Datshi is ready.

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The specialty of Bhutanese food is that everything is cooked in high flame. So, you must keep in mind to work as fast as you can. Serve all the dishes hot, however Ema Datshi can be served warm. My suggestion would be to serve this platter with a warm cup of lemon tea. This was my attempted at simplifying the recipe with items easily available anywhere and I tried my best to maximize the authentic experience. If you do try this recipe, do let me know how you liked it! Or if you have any suggestions, you are more than welcome. Happy cooking!