After that wonderful stay at Lungchock farm stay in Kewzing, we are heading to experience the food and scenic beauty of the place at the Barfung village. Our destination here was the Barfung retreat, a popular homestay that sits amidst the verdant, rugged yet breathtaking landscape of South Sikkim. The sustainable architecture, the cozy interiors, and the warm reception here signaled another delightful experience.
On reaching there we straight away headed to the kitchen to find out what food was underway for lunch. Anil, a young and genial chef, and chef Karma introduced us to the Nepalese dishes that were being whipped up here. There was Nakima ready to be stir fried, rayo saag, dung dung saag, kalo dal and chicken to be cooked into a simple curry along with potatoes. Soon the lunch was served. We loved everything but our favorite was the rayo saag. Moreover eating out in the open in the pleasant weather was a different experience.
After this, we set out to explore the area around the retreat. Our manager took us to the sacred Seven Mirror Lake and the Doling Monastery. The latter one is one of the popular monasteries in the state. After a brief chat with the head lama over SoJha and Zheyro, we moved on to explore the monastery. There were around 15 pupils in the monastery. Soon we followed them to the prayer hall for evening prayers. The ritual included chanting along with trumpet blowing.
After this divine and tranquil meeting, we went back to the kitchen. Evening snacks and dinner preparations had started with the making of Chyang from fermented millets. Next, we tried our hands in making some amazing steamed chicken momo and chutney. It was such a fun task to roll the momo together. As the momo went up into the steamer, Karma got the dried red chillies, tomatoes, and freshly made churpi ready to make the accompanying chutney. The right combination of the above-mentioned ingredients resulted in the most amazing momo chutney that we have ever tasted. It was so irresistible that we right away finished a plateful of chicken momo with Chyang.
After those amazing momos, we resumed the dinner preparations in the kitchen. Dinner was a humble Nepalese meal consisting of Gilo Roti, Kinema curry, and Gorkhe Chutney. Kinema is one of the most notable ingredients in Nepalese cuisine. It is fermented soyabean that has an awful smell but when it is made into curry it transforms into a delicacy. The Gorkhe chuntey won our heart. The food that was prepared with so much warmth and a smile was so gratifying. Barfung is a place for all nature lovers. Till next time keep walking and keep exploring.