Mud Stove (Chulha)

Cooking is all about people. Food is the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. I’m not chef but I’m passionate about food, different spices, radiation of cooking and sharing it. I believe that people who love food are always the best and nice people.

In our village Bandrai we use traditional cooking stoves made up of mud for cooking. These cooking stoves are designed to have an enclosed flame and having two or three burners to decrease cooking time. In Dogri these two extra burners are known as (Olha ) and the main centered big burner is called (chulha)

It is very cheap and easy to build, by using local materials and it take only two hour to build. As it is made up of simple mud and straw/rice paddy husks it can be easily repaired by women’s when broken. Women’s also apply cow dung (choka) on the stoves, walls and floor of the kitchen. Cow dung is act as an anti bacterial. It also acts as natural mosquito repellent. After choka women’s apply lime (Parolla) as white wash to draw drawing of flower, peacock, ets to highlighting the chulha.

When food cooked on chulha the smoke from the burning wood adds additional flavors to it. The aroma can change the flavor of food and make it tasty. I love food cooked on chulha is completely different from the food cooked on a gas stove or on an electric stove, especially      dishes like mutton curry, chicken biryani,Rajma, Meethe Chaval, Ambal, Kaladi, Desi Murga, Khatta Meat, Dahin wale Allu, Babroo, Madra and Chaval, Makki Ka Toda and fish curry are very delicious and mouth- watering.

Bakarwali chulha (nomadic tribe of  the Pir Panjal and Himalayan mountains)

Dogri chulha