Sikkim is a state that will offer you a wide array of cuisines, tastes and flavors that will help you eat to your heart’s desire. Sikkim cuisine showcases a blend of Lepcha, Nepali and Tibetan dishes that uses organic and healthy ingredients to bring the taste to your plate. There are some dishes that you must try when you visit Sikkim, which will offer you tastes that you have never experienced before. The Sikkimese cusines are primarily non-vegetarians, but at preset there are options for vegan and vegetarians also, as well as uses fermented vegetables that extends the shell life of the products.

Here is the List of 9 Types of Sikkim Cuisine You Must Try while in Sikkim:

Momo’s
Thukpa
Phagshapa
Sha Phaley
Gundruk and Sinki
Sael Roti
Thenthuk
Dhindo
Chaang

Types of Sikkim Cuisine You Must Try

Momo’s

Momo is a popular Tibetan food that has reached different parts of India serving as a scrumptious snack, which are served both in restaurants as well as stalls in the streets. Momo is a dumpling that is made out of flour dough and stuffed with either veg filling like cabbage, onion, carrots or non-veg filling using minced chicken, mutton or pork. It is then steamed to perfection and served with sauce. It also has a fried and sauteed version of the dish that is equally preferred by the locals.

Thukpa

Thukpa or Gya Thuk is another must try Sikkim cuisine that you should try while spending your holidays in Sikkim. Thukpa is seen to be a popular dish among the locals as they savor it with satisfaction. This noodle soup is served at both high end restaurants to the street kiosks. The noodle soup has a rich taste of green chillies, chopped onions and garlic chips. This dish has both vegetarian and non-vegetarian version of the dish that is liked by both the tourists as well as the locals. The vegetarian variant has chopped vegetables in it, whereas the non-vegetarian version has meat and poached or boiled eggs.

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Phagshapa

Phagshapa is a culinary delight to non-vegetarians who are in love with pork. This Sikkim cuisine highlights pork fat that is accompanied by red chilies and radishes. First the strip of pork fat is cooked and then the stew is prepared with red chilies and radishes, after which the pork is added to it. This helps in offering a spicy and hot taste to the dish. The entire preparation of this dish has no oil usage and is considered to be a popular option among the Sikkimese people.

Sha Phaley

Sha Phaley is a fried savoury filled with minced meat that will offer yu a mouthful of flavours and richness. Sha Phaley is actually a Tibetan dish where the pastry or bread is being stuffed with ground beef/ pork/ chicken/ mutton, onion, cabbage and spices. After folding them into semi-circles they are being deep fried in oil to offer you a finger-licking taste. There has also been a vegetarian version of this dish, where tofu ha replaced the meat product, helping the vegetarians savor this dish. You can also considered as a fried momo but of a large size.

Gundruk and Sinki

Gundru and Sinki are two different dishes of Nepalese origin. Gundruk is a leafy dish tat is purely vegetarian and is made with the leaves of radish, cabbage and mustard. This dish helps in maintaining the metabolism of the body and is mainly cooked in an earthen pot. On the other hand, Sinki is a traditional dish that is made out of radish taproots. These taproots are chopped and transferred in the hollow tube of bamboo stem, covered with straw and then buried in the ground for a period of 1 month. This dish can now stay fresh for a year and can be used as pickle and used as accompaniments with roti, parathas and other dishes.

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Sael Roti

Sael Roti is yet another traditional ring shaped deep fried bread dish that is a popular Nepali snack made from fermented lentil and rice batter. This dish has its unique taste and flavor, wich is obtained by fermenting the mixture of lentils, rice, fat and spices overnight. Next day it is being poured in circular molds and fried deeply in oil till the exterior turns golden, which results to a crip exterior and spongy interior. It is generally served with pickles and serves as an appetizer. This dish also considered as famous and traditional food of Sikkim, which has its own cultural significance and is known for its texture and tastes.

Thenthuk

Thenthuk is a traditional noodle soup that has Tibetan origin and is a famous cuisine of Sikkim, which can be observed to be consumed by the local people during dinner. The dish has acquired its name from the process of making hand pulled noodles. The noodles are rolled and then pulled into strips that gives it an unique texture. The flavorful broth of is made with vegetables and meat and then seasoned with herbs and spices. This dish is versatile, as it will offer more number of choices based on the taste and preferences of individuals.

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Dhindo

Dhindo is another popular local Sikkim food options you must try that is popular among both locals and tourists. The dish has its roots of origin from Nepal and is now a popular dish in different parts of Sikkim and Darjeeling as well. The dish is prepared by stirring flour with boiled water in a continuous manner, use of better or ghee is optional. The paste is then rolled into balls and then consumed by dipping the balls into chutney or lentil soup. This dish is consumed by the people of Nepal and Sikkim on a daily basis.

Chaang

Chang is a millet-based alcoholic beverage of Sikkim that has traditional significance. This fermented drink is made using rice or millet, which produces a mildly fizzy and alcoholic nature. The process for preparing Thai beverage requires soaking and sprouting of grains and then grinding them to a paste, then mixing water and letting them ferment for days, which converts the water into alcohol. After completion of feremention, the Chaang is served in tongbas or bamboo containers. This beverage has a slight sour taste and a bit of sweetness.

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