FROM THE HILLS TO THE CHEF'S PANTRY

'Jakhiya', an integral part of 'pahadi' cuisine, has gone from obscurity to culinary fame in just a few years

- Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal

Breakfasts of hot rotis topped with freshly churned white butter, accompanied by leafy green sabzis tempered with crunchy jakhiya (wild or dog mustard), welcomed me to my in-laws' place in Uttarakhand two decades ago. These were followed by meals of basmati rice topped with ghee and paired with dal spiced with the garlicky notes of jambu (Allium stracheyi).

As a Gujarati married into a Garhwali family, Uttarakhand food has fascinated me since. Given the increasing interest in regional food in the post-pandemic world, I began to notice that Uttarakhand's spices-from jakhiya, bhangjeera (Perilla frutescens), bhaang seeds (hemp seeds) and gandrayani (Angelica glauca) to lakhori chillies-had started gaining prominence in chef menus and were being listed on shopping websites.

In my opinion, if there is one spice that went from complete obscurity to culinary fame, it is jakhiya. It is the tiny seed of a plant known as Asian spider flower, cleome, and dog or wild mustard, and is foraged from fallow land where it grows in abundance. Today it has become a culinary ambassador of the state.

Chef Manish Mehrotra recently shared pictures on Instagram of his Kodo millet and potato salad with a jakhiya tadka. In a nod to his home state of Uttarakhand, chef Rahul Rana of the Michelin-starred Avatara in Dubai has introduced a millet-based dish that he serves with jakhiya aloo, a simple potato preparation spiced with this pahadi ingredient. Saransh Goila showcased jakhiya aloo as part of his popular #74DishesOfIndia video series. Nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar shared a video on Instagram for a raita that uses jakhiya.