Options on staple North Indian and Kumaoni food are available just like any other hill station in Uttarakhand. A description of traditional/ local dishes that one would find there along with a description of popular eateries and food markets in the area is as follows. Traditional dishes and local specialties you might encounter, along with some popular eateries and food markets in the area are:
The dining experience features Chinese locally grown traditional dishes popular with the local people.
Kumaoni Raita:
Yogurt is prepared from crushed vegetables mixed with cucumber, and spices and it sometimes has the addition of mint. Many a time, it is taken as a relish together with other main meals.
Bhatt Ki Chudkani:
Prepared with black soybeans (bhatt) the preparation may incorporate a number of spices and occasionally potato. It is prepared using Kumaoni local food.
Aloo Keema:
This is a heavily seasoned dish that is normally prepared using potatoes and minced meat and cooked in spices and herbs readily available locally.
Singori:
A sweet made from khoya and fresh coconut enclosed with a colocasia leaf. This is the normal sweet consumed in the areas of the Kumaon.
Chainsoo:
A spicy preparation of roasted black gramudradal cooked with onions and tomatoes and a mix of spices. It is often accompanies by rice or chapati.
Phaanu:
A preparation made from different varieties of pulses including kid kidney beans, black beans all cooked under one pot and seasoned to form stew like preparation.
Kumaoni Raita:
It is a type of cold side dish made out of yogurt and accompanied with the chopped raw materials like cucumber and at times flavor added with regional spices.
Gulgula:
A variety of flat fried cakes prepared by using wheat flour and jaggery and if desired at times added with cardamom. Normally eaten and enjoyed during snack times or during sweet times of the day.
Celebrities and Common Meats
While Naukuchiatal itself may have a more limited range of dining options compared to larger towns, here are some places and types of eateries where you can enjoy local cuisine:While Naukuchiatal itself may have a more limited range of dining options compared to larger towns, here are some places and types of eateries where you can enjoy local cuisine:
Local Restaurants and Cafes:
The Lake View Restaurant: Situated in the lake side this restaurant serves Kumaoni food as well as other Indian as well as continental foods.
Sakley's Restaurant & Pastry Shop: Patisseries, bakeries & cafeterias are its specialties but it also offer local as well as North India cuisine.
The Naukuchiatal Café: This place happens to be popular amongst the tourists, offers different types of cuisines which range from local to exotic meals with special emphasis on the freshness of the produce.
Food Markets and Local Stalls:
Local Market in Naukuchiatal: The local market tends to have numerous small food-based stalls/ kiosks that cater to various confectioneries and other locally made perishable food items. It's the ideal destination to try street food and snacks that the states of Malaysia have to offer.
Nainital food markets: If one walks down to the nearby city of Nainital, then he/she will find even bigger food markets besides local restaurants too that can offer a broader range of Kumaoni as well as North Indian Foods.
Street Food :
Chaat Stalls: For the mouthwatering traditional Indian chaats, be on the lookout for street vendors and kiosks that deal in them; items such as samosas, pakoras, and aloo tikki. These can be found near the tourist hotspots and commercial hubs like bazaars.
Examples:
Kumaoni Thali at Lake View Restaurant: A three-course meal with an appetizer of bhatt ki chudkani, main course of aloo keema, and raita as a side dish.
Singori from Local Sweet Shop: Small duration rand-wrapped sweet that is made from coconut and colocasia leaves. Buy it from local grocery stores or from a sweet shop. Soo from a Traditional Eatery: It is spicy and delicious and can be taken with thick bread named chapati or even obligatory staple food in Indian kitchens- rice.
These dishes and dinning options help the tourists to get a view of how the people in Naukuchiatal, this beautiful hill station, live.