Chapshoro/Chapshurru- The Ultimate Traditional Dish of Gilgit-Baltistan (A food blog with a complete guide by Farah Uzair)

 

Chapshoro/Chapshurru- The Ultimate Traditional Dish of Gilgit-Baltistan

A food blog with a complete guide by Farah Uzair

Gilgit-Baltistan is one of the most beautiful, charismatic, fascinating, and worth-seeing provinces of Pakistan. This alluring north side of our country deserves to be explored locally and internationally. Nature bestowed this place with countless bounties. The clean environment, fresh air, and the sound of the crystal clear river water that directly comes from the mountains containing lots of minerals make the ambiance mesmerizing. The larger area of this province is covered by snow-capped mountains like Himalaya, Nanga Parbat, Rakaposhi, K-2, and many more. 

Gilgit-Baltistan is famous for its unique culture, traditional dishes, and the hospitality of the people living there. The traditional dishes of Gilgit are Immensely popular among tourists, whether they are Pakistanis or foreigners. The earthy flavor, mild spices, and organic ingredients in the food take the taste to the next level. These dishes are not only flavourful and delicious but healthy as well. This pure and healthy diet is the main secret behind the long lives of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Traditional Dishes of Gilgit-Baltistan:

 Many traditional dishes are famous in this place, and all are divine. Some of them are:

• Chapshoro/Chapshurru

• Dao Dao Soup

• Mamtu

• Hoilo Garma

• Go-lee

• Chamus

• Harisa

• Molida

• Berikutz

• Diram

• Mull

• Suppra

• khamuloot 

The most interesting traditional dish I found in the above list is  Chapshoro. It is relatively similar to our locally available stuffed parathas in Karachi. However, you do not need to get confused between Paratha and Chapshorro. They look just a little bit alike. Of course, they are different because they both belong to distinct regions and cultures.

Some Interesting details about Chapshoro:

Chapshoro is a delicacy found in Gilgit-Baltistan. Chap means meat, and shoro means onion. It is a savory meal. This traditional dish is a Naan bread, stuffed with a smooth mixture of raw mince, onions, and other seasoned vegetables with mild spices, organic herbs, and walnut or apricot oil. You can cook it on the skillet or bake it in the oven, it's up to you. 

Chapshoro can be made with any meat of your choice such as chicken, mutton, beef, or yark. You may consider it as a PIZZA of the north.

Let’s start making Chapshoro!

This recipe has two parts. First, we have to prepare dough to make the bread, and then raw mince filling. 

Ingredients for Dough:

• Whole wheat flour sifted 2 & ½ cups

• Salt 1 tsp

• Water 1 cup or as required 

• Apricot or Walnut oil 2 tbs

Method of making Dough:

• In a bowl, add wheat flour, salt, and oil. Mix them all.

• Gradually add water and knead until the dough becomes smooth.

• leave the dough to rest for 15 minutes.

Ingredients required for the marination of mince:

• Raw mince of your choice ( Chicken, beef, mutton, or yark) ½ kg

• Ginger garlic paste 1 tbs

• Salt 1 tsp or to taste

• Cumin seeds (roasted & crushed) ½ tbs

• Black pepper crushed 1 tbs 

• Tomato chopped ½ cup

• Saffron 1 pinch 

• Onion chopped 1 cup

• Fresh coriander & Mint leaves chopped 2-3 tbs 

• Apricot or Walnut oil for frying or cooking oil of your choice 

Method of Marination:

•  Take a bowl and add all the above ingredients in it except oil. Mix them all very well with your hands, and leave the mixture aside for at least 1 hour.

How to fill and seal:

• Make small balls of flour dough.  

• Take one small dough ball and roll it with a rolling pin to make a 6-inch round bread.  

• Make two of the same size. 

• Fill the filling on one round of bread, spread it on the center, and leave the edges for folding.  

• Cover it with the second round of bread and turn the edges like pie style or by the technique Press, Pinch, and Turn to seal it. 

Method of cooking Chapshoro:

Now heat the skillet or relatively heavy-based pan. Put the bread on a preheated skillet. First, on a low to medium flame, cook the filled bread with raw meat for 8 to 10 minutes on a low to medium heated pan/skillet while the bread is covered with a lid. Do check the bread sides occasionally and change the sides to ensure consistent heating/cooking.  Add walnut or apricot oil and shallow fry on both sides until golden color. You may add the oil of your choice. Some people prefer to eat it oil free. In that case, ensure both sides of the bread are well cooked. 

Filling/Stuffing of your choice:

Chapshoro is a traditional dish. However, you can use the filling of your own choice in it. For instance, some people like cheese, some don’t like vegetables, and many of the people I have seen are not fond of mutton or beef. But they are fond of chicken. Usually, north-side dishes are mild and less spicy. Though, you can manage the spices according to your taste buds. Different varieties of fillings can be used in it with lots of variations. 

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with raita or tamarind sauce. You can opt to serve with a dip of your choice. Any vegetable Bhujya can be served with it. It can be served sliced or whole with walnut, apricot, or olive oil. You can also keep the yogurt dip on the side, depending if it is the main course or side dish. Tomato ketchup and mint coriander chutney are good options as well. 

The traditional Value of Chapshoro:

• Chapshoro is one of the best dishes in Gilgit-Baltistan.

• It is the all-time favorite dish of the locals out there.

• People prepare this traditional dish with keen interest, particularly at special events such as for some special guests and every joyful moment.

Nutritional Value of Chapshoro:

• Its nutritious value is tremendous due to the presence of meat.

• It is a good source of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

• The organic herbs that are particularly used in this traditional dish are extremely beneficial for human health.

• Locals mostly use walnut or apricot oil in it. Both of them are inordinately advantageous and fully nutritious for us.

• The yark meat is ideal for this dish. It has warm efficacy because, in cold weather, the locals use it to maintain their body temperature.

Restaurants that have Chapshoro on their Menu:

If you are going on a trip to Gilgit-Baltistan and want to have Chapshoro,  then you can check out these restaurants.

• Hunza Food Pavilion

• Thole Nagar

• Rakaposhi View Point

• Kapal Hotel

• Gouwar

• Nagar (Khas) Chapshoro Hotel

Some Useful Tips:

• Chapshoro always cooks on medium to low flame. So keep this in mind while cooking.

• The high flame will burn its outer crust and the raw mince filling inside will remain uncooked.

• You can use white flour or all-purpose flour for making the dough though the wheat flour will give you the ultimate taste of this traditional dish.

• Baking is another way of cooking Chapshoro. So if you are going to bake it, make sure your oven temperature must not more than 160 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit or Gas mark 3 for 15 to 20 mins.

The Verdict:

 If you want to see the piece of heaven on earth, you must visit Gilgit-Baltistan. The forests, desserts, wildlife, mountain, valleys, heritage, culture, and tradition all are spellbinding. The traditional dishes of Gilgit-Baltistan are full of real flavors of nature and purity. Chapshoro is one of them. Its earthy flavor and beautiful blend of raw mince with vegetables and herbs make it apart from other local dishes. It is a perfect snake for travelers when the weather starts to cool. Although you can easily get different cuisines there, still it's always better to give a chance to the traditional cuisine and delicacies.

Blog Written by:

FARAH UZAIR