Ladakh · 30 min · Vegan · Main course · For confident cooks
Paba
In German: Mischung aus geroestetem Weizen-, Gersten- und Erbsenmehl
For 3 servings · US units
A firm dough of roasted barley, wheat and pea flour, everyday food from Ladakh
Paba is everyday food from Ladakh: a firm yet soft dough made from roasted barley, wheat and pea flour, nutty and hearty with a hint of caraway. It's eaten with tangtur (buttermilk with green vegetables), zathuk (a nettle soup) or tsamik (a chutney of radish, mint or coriander). It's a nourishing meal, often recommended for kids too, and it's on the table in half an hour.
Ingredients
- 7 ozpaba flour (yoches)mix of roasted barley, wheat and pea flour, some add buckwheat
- 2⅛ cupsWaterfor boiling
- Saltto taste
- 1 tspcaraway seedswhole seeds
Method
- Toast the flourTip the paba flour into a dry pan and toast it over medium heat, stirring, until it smells lovely and toasty. Set it aside.
- Boil the spiced waterBring the water to a boil with the salt in a large pot, and add the whole caraway seeds.
- Add the flour graduallyTurn the heat down and add the toasted flour to the boiling water a little at a time, not all at once.
- Stir into a firm doughKeep stirring with a wooden spatula the whole time, working the flour into the water until you have a firm but soft dough.
- Let the dough cookLet the dough cook over low to medium heat for 5 to 15 minutes.
- Shape into a moundTake the pot off the heat and use the spatula to shape the dough into a compact mound.
- Plate and serveDivide the paba between plates and serve with tangtur, zathuk or tsamik.
Tips and variations
You can put the caraway straight into the cooking water or stir it in later while you're working the dough. There's another method too: scatter the flour over the top of the water without stirring, pour off the excess water, and only then stir everything into a dough. Some flour blends include buckwheat as well, and if you like, you can shape the dough into a triangle. Paba isn't only good warm: it's just as nice cold, and goes well with vegetables, milk or yogurt too.
Allergens
Contains: Cereals containing gluten
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
