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Paba
པ་བ: Ladakhi dough of roasted barley, pea and wheat flours, eaten with tangtur
IndianPaba is the plain, sustaining staple of Ladakhi farm kitchens, especially in Zanskar and the Nubra valley, where roasted barley, dried peas and wheat are ground together and stirred into hot water with a little butter. It is eaten at lunch with tangtur, the cool curd-and-greens side, or with a thin vegetable soup, pinched off by hand. The texture is dense and earthy, with a nutty taste from the roasting. The most common mistake is adding the flour all at once, which leaves dry lumps in the middle; sprinkle it in while stirring hard. Chef's tip: toast the flours in a dry pan until they smell like biscuits before you start, even if the bag says roasted, because fresh toasting makes all the difference.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the paba
- 2 ⅛ oz pea flour or gram flour
- 2 ⅛ oz wholewheat flour
- 2 cups water
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter or ghee
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 4 oz barley flour (or sattu), 2 ⅛ oz pea flour or gram flour and 2 ⅛ oz wholewheat flour in a dry heavy pan over medium-low heat and stir for 6–8 minutes until the flour turns a shade darker and smells toasty. Tip into a bowl.
8 minStep 2: Bring 2 cups water and ½ tsp salt to the boil in a heavy pot and add 2 tbsp butter or ghee.
4 minStep 3: Lower the heat. Sprinkle in the flour a handful at a time, beating hard with a wooden spoon after each addition so no dry lumps form.
3 minStep 4: Keep stirring and pressing against the side of the pot for 2–3 minutes until the dough comes together in one smooth, stiff mass that leaves the pot clean.
3 minStep 5: Wet your hands and shape into four rounds. Serve warm with tangtur or soup, pinching off pieces to scoop.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does paba take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter or ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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