At Shel Ladakh each dish is a memory; meal, an adventure, and bite, a story. The property’s home-grown ingredients flourish in their greenhouse through nutrition from organic compost. Most of all, the homemade produce takes the baton owing to bespoke formulation methods. From prepping an in-house peanut butter to squeezing out ghee above a wood fire – their culinary arts mindset is beyond the ordinary.
As the location of Shel infuses a sense of vastness for travellers, the watchful eyes of master chefs ensure that the dishes speak the language of the land.
Local sourcing supports the neighbouring agricultural community and promises each dish is imbued with the authenticity of Ladakhi produce. The global aspect comes into play with how these ingredients draw ideas from international culinary trends. For example, a traditional barley dish could be reimagined with a risotto technique, infusing it with local herbs and spices for a Ladakhi essence.
The home turf produce comes with tantalizing bread, herbed butter and a one-of-its-kind granola that marries tastefulness and nutrition. Chemical-free components deck your breaky with seasonal tastes and flavours from local farms, not factories. Dig into a Ladakhi-styled shakshuka or maybe indulge in cooking classes to prepare the coolest variation of mokmok ever.
Note that the growing season in this high-altitude Himalayan region is fleeting. Thus, an exhaustive catalogue of veggies and fruits is sun-dried and packed in for the freezing months. Seasonally relevant menus keep taking form – veggie quiches, protein-loaded salads, juicy
apricot dishes, pink ravioli – all make your afternoon siestas pleasant.
The chef’s special banana bread surpasses the mainstream standards of European and Middle-Eastern bread, while the homemade pizza batter fits people with the choosiest regional palettes. Be it winter, summer, or rainy seasons, the suji halwa is one more recipe that sets your immunity for unexpected weather changes.
Those with a sweet tooth can bite into a salted-cum-crispy caramelly banana bread waffle. If you’re looking to observe intricate farming techniques, step into their open-air gardens and watch plant babies growing in dozens of rows. And if coffee and baked goods are your calling, the hot cuppa and homespun cookies will do your caffeine and sweet cravings good.
Shel Ladakh’s chefs are conquerors of culinary spontaneity. Each week’s veggie loot comes with innovative preparations suited to the guests’ personal preferences. Step away from hard and fast menus; their on-demand service caters to the most nuanced dietary choices.
Call it farm to table or earth to plate, the greens at Shel are prepared in delicious forms and tastes. Guests are showered with endless choices of continental and local dishes that come to their final product from backyard produce.
Munch into a breakfast for champions or indulge in slow-eating lunches curated for timeless foodies. The culinary preparations at this boutique property also offer rainbow meals dotted with the colours of bell peppers, cauliflowers, peas, lettuce, etc. How they prioritize presentation and cooking materials culminates into dishes that visually fill you up.
Though the focus is on local sourcing and seasonal menus, some staples like French toast and caramelized bananas are a regular affair. Rest assured, their desserts, spread across Kashmiri mulberry jams, chocolate ganache, and chilly chocolate tarts – are suitable as anytime meals.
