Back from the Garhwal Himalayas with a quiz

Okay, I’m back. But that was not a trip designed for 40+ city dwellers with sedentary jobs! Will give you details after full recovery. Just kidding. It was a swell trip. The mountains are always beautiful and the Garhwal Himalayas wear their beatious cloak of green with such grace.

Food was, sadly, not the high point of the trip but I managed to put on a couple of pounds anyway. Garhwali cuisine, like many a cuisine of the world, is not for public consumption yet. One of the hotels we stayed at I was able to convince the staff that we had had enough of the dal makhni-matar paneer-kadhai paneer-jeera aloo routine and would really love some homey stuff of veges that were obviously plentiful. And he obliged with a simple dish of (home cooked!) bottle gourd, some dal and, on his own initiative, added a delicious dish of stir fried rai (mustard greens).

Now to the quiz: Can you guess what ‘fruit’ is in the following picture?

While I will not be able to supply any recipes for Garhwali dishes, you may take the opportunity to drool over these pictures…a feast for the eyes.

on way to Joshimath

ginger tea at Joshimath

puff, puff..from Govind Ghat to Ghangri

in the Valley of Flowers