A feast from the mountains

Sarson aur cholai ka saag, arbi and makki ki roti

Himachal, for many Indians, has been the ideal state to escape to. But this hilly place has more to it than mountains, chef Sherry Malhotra says. Malhotra aka A Girl From The Hills hails from Shimla and has been running a catering service out of Pune called Kanak. But in a bid to spread more awareness about her cuisine, she often hosts pop-ups in Mumbai.

Sherry Malhotra

Taste of the Hills is a Himachali food pop-up curated by her and put together by Connesiour Hospitality. It will feature authentic dishes like gandhiyalee, a tikki made with akhrot, mooli ki chutney, chha meat, or slow-cooked mutton simmered in yoghurt, sarson aur cholai ka saag, and makki and arbi ki roti.

Malhotra's love for her native cuisine can be traced back to her childhood, where she would amble around her grandmother and watch her refine heirloom recipes. "It made me fall in love with the kitchen. Apart from me, no one has access to her secret ingredients," she shares, adding, "The cuisine is exquisite yet simple. Since vegetables are not always readily available, it makes use of ingredients like lentils, yoghurt, and whole spices. Also, most dishes are slow-cooked on a charcoal angithi, while the locals sit around it to ward off the cold weather."

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