[Recipe] Kewa Datshi

Off late during my trips to familiar towns, I make it a point to do something different.. Last time I was in Delhi, I explored not one but nearly 5 book stores and this time I decided it was going to be all about food. 

In the morning I went to Lunch at Whiskey Samba [DLF] and had a fabulous lunch with Chef Vikram for company... And then from there I headed all the way to East Delhi [ well, it is the other end of town from DLF, took me an hour plus one way to meet with the lovely Anita [a_madteaparty] who I have been following and interacting with for a while on Instagram [ i love that platform, it comes in super handy when you are travelling to a new town or connecting with interesting people]...  

Anyways, without digressing, by the time I reached her place it was past 3pm, and we sat down to yap a bit.. Her sourdough breads and bakes, her workshops have always fascinated and I kept wishing I was in Delhi during one session... That afternoon we spoke about her breads, her garden, the kitchen and soon she went on to talk about her love for fermentation as well. 

I tried two kinds of Kombucha she had made- black grapes and green grapes. It tasted a lot like wine  [distinct difference between the two was there].. She showed me her sourdough starter, how it blossoms during summer vs the time it takes during winter.  We chit chatted with her husband for a bit, before moving on to talk about some food dishes she had cooked recently, which had caught my eye.. One of them was Kewa Datshi.. I asked her about it and she explained the the Bhutanese dish is the easiest to make.. Traditionally it is just Cheese & potato, but her version was slightly different... 

I came back to Chennai and since then have made it a couple of times and it is quite a hit at home and with friends as well. Here is how I made it... 

Ingredients
Butter/oil

Garlic - 2-3 pods [ smashed/ Chopped up]

Green chillies- 2 [ Chopped up]

Onions - 2*

Tomato - 2*

Potato - 2*

Salt 

Cheese slices - 4-5

Water - 1/2 cup

Psst-  * Slice the vegetables in rings [ like you would for bhajji]

The process

In a pan, add the butter/oil

Next add the garlic and chillies, giving it a few mins to saute

Now add the tomato slices

On top of it layer the onion slices 

Gently place the potato slices on top

No stirring ~

Add the water

Place the cheese slices on top 

Cover with a lid and let it cook for 5-8 mins [ till the potatoes go soft, again no stirring]

Serve or just eat from the pan directly... ta da... There is something comforting about this dish. Oh and there is a variation to this, called Ewa datshi, which has tonnes of chilli