This recipe has been excerpted from Stories from a Kargili Kitchen (2026) written by Yash Saxena, in collaboration with Sneha Nair and Muzammil Hussain. Blending memoir, travelogue, and cultural history, the book is part love letter and part act of remembrance—a tender, sensory journey through Kargili kitchens, whose flames fight to keep centuries of wisdom alive against the winds of change.
Tucked between some of the most forbidding folds of the Himalayas, Kargil is a land too often seen only through the lens of war—yet its valleys hold a tenderness, resilience, and faith that endure through food.
Born from years of travel, cooking and friendships, foodways researcher Yash Saxena gathers voices from mountain kitchens and firesides—of shepherds, monks, farmers, and mothers who feed a world shaped by both faith and frost. From slow-simmering broths to shifting borderlines, from ancient Bon rituals to the echoes of Bofor gunfire, each story reveals how a community sustains itself through ritual, memory, and the quiet grace of everyday cooking.
One such recipe from the book is Chuli Chhu—a nutritious beverage made by boiling and soaking dried apricots in water overnight. The concoction might be blended for a thick, homogenous texture or the apricots left whole as little treats at the bottom of the tumbler.
Chuli chhu is made more often in winters as it cools the stomach down while being a great source of energy. Ingenious Kargili wisdom understands that the body doesn’t just need warm foods during the harsh winters. Being packed inside their homes through most of the days and consuming hot liquids throughout, the gut is at the risk of overheating, leading to a rise in blood pressure. This cooling beverage then becomes important to maintain the gut microbiome whilst providing it with essential nutrients.
Kargilis swear by the many health benefits of khumani (apricots), and chuli chhu might be the easiest way to consume them apart from eating the dried fruit itself.
Ingredients:
| Dried apricots | 10-12 |
|---|---|
| Water | 1 litre |
| Honey or sugar (optional) | to taste |
What You Will Need
Medium-sized saucepan, strainer
Instructions
Start by washing the dried apricots thoroughly to remove any dust or impurities.
Bring the water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the dried apricots to the boiling water and let them simmer on low heat for about 15–20 minutes. This will allow the apricots to soften and infuse their flavour into the water.
After simmering, remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool down.
Let the concoction soak overnight and release its goodness into the water
If you prefer a sweeter taste, you can add sugar or honey to the strained apricot water, adjusting the sweetness according to your preference.
Pour the chilled chuli chhu into glasses and serve. Do not forget to collect the khumani giri (apricot kernel) to enjoy with your chuli chhu, or for later use in other dishes.
Variations:
Add sattu to taste for a nutritious, thicker drink.
Yash Saxena is a storyteller and mountaineer whose practice blends storytelling, art, and philosophy to understand how people find meaning in what they eat and create. ‘Stories from a Kargili Kitchen’ is the result of three years in Kargil, where they lived, listened, and cooked alongside its people, tracing the region’s foodways and the quiet beauty of its people.
This is an excerpt from ‘Stories from a KargilI Kitchen’ (2026) by Yash Saxena, published by Penguin Random House India. Excerpted with permission from the author and publisher.
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