Ladakh sits in the rain shadow of the Himalayas, where the growing season runs about three months and winter takes half the year, and skyu is what that arithmetic produces. Wheat or barley dough is rolled into ropes, pinched into pea-sized pieces and pressed against the palm with a thumb until each one curls into a small ear, then dropped into a broth of root vegetables and cooked until the whole pot thickens. Families still slice turnips, carrots and cauliflower in summer and lay them on bamboo trays across flat mud rooftops, where the dry air and hard sun finish them in days, and the dried stock goes into cloth bags in the warm kitchen loft for the cold months. Roads bring fresh vegetables now, and the drying carries on anyway. In many villages fresh milk goes into the pot instead of water, and then it is called oma skyu, oma being milk.
INGREDIENTS
- 300 g wholemeal flour
- 180 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 1 medium tomato (chopped)
- 2 medium potatoes (cut into 2cm cubes)
- 1 small turnip (cut into 2cm cubes)
- 2 carrots (sliced thick)
- 100 g spinach or other leafy greens (chopped)
- 1.2 litres water
- 1 tsp salt
- 200 ml whole milk (optional, for oma skyu)
- a few coriander leaves
METHOD
- Mix the flour, salt and water into a firm dough, knead for 5 minutes and rest, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough into ropes about as thick as a finger and pinch off pieces the size of a pea.
- Press each piece against your palm with your thumb so it thins in the middle and curls into a small ear. Spread them on a floured tray as you go.
- Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until soft. Add the tomato and cook it down for 3 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, turnip and carrots and turn them through the oil.
- Pour in the water, add the salt, and bring to a rolling boil.
- Drop the dough pieces in a handful at a time, stirring so they do not stick, and boil for 15 minutes.
- Add the greens and simmer for a further 5 minutes, until the pasta is cooked through and the broth has thickened.
- For oma skyu, stir in the milk now and warm it through without boiling.
- Scatter the coriander over and serve in deep bowls.