Nakay Tshoem

Bhutan's produce is in many ways similar to what is available in the US. However, there are also some unique items available. I always have an urge to buy them at the market so I've decided to do periodic posts on cooking with these items. 

First up: a Bhutanese dish called Nakay Tshoem, which means Fiddlehead Ferns with Cheese. True, fiddlehead ferns are available in the US so this doesn't quite fit the unique criteria. But they are currently plentiful here and available at many market stalls. Contrast this to the limited early spring availability in MN (and probably other places), not to mention the price difference!

This recipe comes from a cookbook Matt and I purchased in Thimphu called Authentic Bhutanese Cuisine, by Punap Ugyen Wangchuk. We wanted to learn to cook Bhutanese food and given our current lack of adoptive Bhutanese grandmother, this seemed like a good way to do it. Many of the recipes require very few ingredients and are very accessible.

Photo: http://junctionbookstore.wordpress.com/

Now to the preparation. Below is a picture of the fiddlehead ferns as they were purchased from the market. They were wrapped with with a straw-like material - eco-friendly!

First, the fiddlehead ferns, onions, and chiles were chopped. Below are the fiddlehead ferns.

The recipe stated that "if you are unsure about the fiddlehead ferns, then stream them before cooking". Nope, definitely wasn't certain of the origin of these little guys. Given that we have no means to steam things, I opted to boil them.

Next, fry ferns with onions....

Matt works on ema datse (chiles and cheese; on right) while I work on the nakay tshoem

Then add water, chilies, and cheese and let cook.

You're done! Serve! We chose to put it over Bhutanese red rice. 

Matt with our dinner creations

This recipe turned out to be very easy and delicious. The complete recipe is below. Happy cooking!

Nakay Tshoem (Fiddlehead Ferns with Cheese)

From Authentic Bhutanese Cookbook by Punap Ugyen Wangchuk

Ingredients:

• 8 fiddlehead ferns
• 2 chilies
• 1 1/2 tbsp oil
• 1 ball of cheese (datse) [this is the traditional yak cheese that is sold at the market and is formed into balls; we didn't use this type of cheese and guessed at the correct amount]
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 onion
• Salt 

Preparation:

Shred ferns into halves or about 3 inches. Chop onion and cut chilies. Fry ferns with onion and a little salt. Continue frying until the color turns brownish. Further cook with 2 cups of water. Then add chilies and cheese, cook for about 5 minutes. Just before taking it off the stive, add salt to taste.

Note:

You can prepare the ferns without cheese. Many Bhutanese love to use ferns (nakay) as a supplementary vegetable with beef and pork. If you are unsure about the fiddlehead ferns, then steam them before cooking.