Garhwali food dishes explained: kafuli, phaanu, chainsoo and jhangora kheer

What Garhwali food is

Dehradun district is part of Garhwal, the western part of Uttarakhand. Garhwali food grew out of hill farming: small terraced fields and cold winters. So it leans on grains and pulses that grow on slopes and keep well through the winter.

The Indian Institute of Millets Research describes this as subsistence terraced farming, with millets at the centre. It also notes that barnyard millet is grown mostly in Uttarakhand, more than anywhere else in the Himalaya. Most of the harvest is eaten at home rather than sold.

It is everyday home food first, plus a few dishes kept for guests and festivals. India’s tourism ministry lists mandua ki roti, phaanu and jhangora ki kheer as traditional Garhwali dishes. Uttarakhand Tourism’s master plan, in its ideas for village homestays at Kherasain, names kandalee ka saag, jhingore ki kheer, phanoo and kafuli as the local food to offer visitors.

The three ingredients to know: mandua, jhangora and gahat

Learn these three words and most Garhwali menus make sense.

• Mandua is finger millet, the same grain as ragi. It is ground into a dark flour and made into rotis. The Hindu called it part of the staple diet in many parts of the state, grown in both Garhwal and Kumaon.
• Jhangora is barnyard millet, a small pale grain that grows in the rain-fed hills. It is cooked like rice, made into a savoury porridge with buttermilk, or turned into kheer.
• Gahat is horse gram, also called kulath. It is a hardy pulse of the drier hill areas, and it has a long history in Ayurveda. Gahat dal is preferred in the winter months.

All three were among the 18 Uttarakhand products handed GI certificates in Dehradun in December 2023, along with lal chawal (red rice from the Purola area), kala bhat (black soybean) and pahari toor dal.

Garhwali dishes, one by one

Kafuli

Kafuli is a thick, green gravy made from leafy vegetables. Spinach or mustard (rai) leaves are the most common base, so it is closer to a saag than a curry. You may also see it written as kafali or kafli.

Phaanu

Phaanu is a dal dish, but the dal is soaked first, for about four to six hours, before it is cooked. Gahat is a common choice, though arhar or green moong are also used. Hot phaanu with baadi, a dish made from mandua flour, is a popular pairing.

Chainsoo

Chainsoo is made from urad dal that is ground and roasted before cooking. It is high in protein. Made in a similar way with black bhat (a local black soybean), the dish is called bhattwani.

Jhangora ki kheer

This is a kheer made with barnyard millet instead of rice. It is made across Garhwal and Kumaon, and it is one of the dishes traditionally served to welcome a guest. The Indian Institute of Millets Research also records the name madira ki kheer, after another local name for the grain.

A few more to look out for

• Mandua ki roti. A dark flatbread of finger millet flour. Uttarakhand Tourism’s own Pauri itinerary describes a hill breakfast of hand-rolled mandua rotis cooked on a wood fire.
• Gahat ki dal. Horse gram dal, tempered with hing and a local herb called gandhrain.
• Aloo ke gutke. Boiled potatoes tossed in mustard oil with spices. In Garhwal they are made with jakhya, a local spice.
• Kandali (sisunak) ka saag. A saag of stinging nettle, the plant locally called bichhu ghas. Only the tender leaves are used. Leave the picking to people who know the plant.
• Thechwani. A curry of pahadi radish or potato. The vegetable is crushed, never cut, which gives the dish its name.
• Arsa. A sweet made for weddings and family functions. It is also among the dishes served to welcome a guest, with jhangora kheer and puris.

What to eat when

Garhwali food follows the weather. A few things are tied to winter: gahat dal, which is preferred in the cold months, and til (sesame) chutney, which is mainly made in winter and goes well with gahat parathas. If you come in January, that is the food to ask for. Greens such as nettle depend on what is growing, so ask what is fresh rather than ordering from memory.

A note on names: spellings vary a lot. Phaanu is also phanu, phanoo or faanu. Jhangora is also written jhingore. Kafuli is also kafali or kafli. If a dish sounds close, it is probably the same one.

How to try Garhwali food in Dehradun

Some practical advice from us, as people who live here:

• Start with a combination, not one dish. Mandua roti with gahat dal, or phaanu with rice, shows you more than any single plate.
• Ask what is in the phaanu or kafuli that day. Both change with the dal or greens on hand, and that is normal.
• Take the grains home. Mandua flour, jhangora and gahat are dry goods and easy to pack. Ask for them while you are out in the old city; our Paltan Bazaar guide covers the market.
• Plan ahead if you cook. Phaanu needs its dal soaked for a few hours first, so put it in water in the morning if you want it for dinner.

Our pahadi breakfast at Fyonli Nest

The easiest way to taste the basics is breakfast at the house. On request we make a pahadi breakfast of mandua roti, aloo and seasonal fruit. It is ₹350 per guest per morning. Tell us the night before.

Fyonli Nest is our two-bedroom homestay in Dehradun, with a full kitchen if you buy some gahat or jhangora and want to try cooking it yourself. It sleeps 4 adults, or up to 6 guests with children aged 2–12. We meet you at the gate. See the rooms and the kitchen, then send us your dates. We’ll confirm on WhatsApp, with no payment until we do.

Sources: eUttaranchal: recipes of Uttarakhand; ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research: Millets in the Indian Himalaya (2019); Incredible India: Gangotri (Garhwali dishes); Uttarakhand Tourism: Trip to Pauri and Khirsu; Uttarakhand Tourism: Final Master Plan Report; IP India: state-wise registered GIs; The Hindu (2023): products from Uttarakhand bag GI tags; Times of India (2023): 18 more Uttarakhand products get GI tag.