Paba was once what Ladakh lived on and it is now close to disappearing. Roasted flours are worked into a stiff dough and boiled: barley, which is called ngamphey here, with wheat, buckwheat, brown peas, black beans and lentils in whatever proportion a household kept. It is dense, nutty and filling in a way that suits fuel scarcity, since a single pot feeds everyone and the stove is lit once. It is eaten at lunch, torn or pinched, and almost never alone. Tangtur is what goes with it: buttermilk or whisked yoghurt loosened with water and stirred through with boiled local greens, cool and sour against the heaviness of the dough. There is a third partner, zathuk, made with the wild nettle they call zatsot. Rice arrived and paba retreated, and it is now a dish people describe as one their grandparents ate.
INGREDIENTS
- 150 g barley flour
- 100 g wholemeal flour
- 50 g buckwheat flour
- 50 g gram flour
- 500 ml water
- 1 tsp salt
- 400 g natural whole milk yoghurt
- 250 ml cold water (for the tangtur)
- 200 g mustard greens (or spinach)
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1 green chilli (sliced)
- ½ tsp salt (for the tangtur)
METHOD
- Dry-roast the barley, wholemeal, buckwheat and gram flours together in a heavy pan over a medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until they darken a shade and smell nutty. Tip out and set aside.
- Bring the 500ml water to a boil with the salt.
- Add the roasted flours in three stages, beating hard with a wooden spoon after each until no dry pockets remain.
- Lower the heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, beating once or twice, until the dough comes together as one stiff mass that pulls from the pan.
- Turn it out onto a plate and shape it into a mound. Leave to firm up while you make the tangtur.
- Boil the mustard greens for 5 minutes until soft, drain, squeeze dry and chop finely.
- Whisk the yoghurt with the cold water and the half teaspoon of salt until smooth and pourable, then stir in the greens.
- Heat the ghee in a small pan, add the cumin, garlic and chilli, and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour this over the tangtur.
- Serve the paba warm, torn into pieces, with the cold tangtur alongside to dip into.