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paneer and add cashew nut powder, cornflour and salt to it. Knead it nicely and then roll out balls that look similar to big pearls.
    3.  Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry these paneer pearls on medium heat till light golden brown. Drain onto an absorbent paper and keep aside.
    4.  Cover these balls with silver varq (beaten gold or silver edible leaf adorning many desserts). They will almost look like pearls now.
    5.  Heat ghee in a kadai. Add cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks and green cardamoms. Once they start to crackle, add the rice. Gently sauté for two minutes.
    6.  Add two cups of hot water and salt to taste. Cover and cook till rice is done. Cook it on low heat.
    7.  Crush saffron in warm milk. Add this to the rice to give it a beautiful flavour and colour.
    8.  After rice is done. Let it cool down for 15 minutes; if you open and mix it when hot, the grains tend to break and rice becomes mushy.
    9.  Now, toss half the paneer motis with saffron rice. Serve this rice garnished with more silver pearls and dry fruits on the top.

D AY 6
    11 August / Dharamshala
    Covered with dense forest, filled with pine trees, Dharamshala has to be one of the most beautiful and unexplored hills in the northern part of India. Until the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket happened, not many people even knew about it. Actually, the scenic cricket stadium of Dharamshala, which has hosted many international and 20-20 matches, has attracted large crowds from different states and cities resulting in an influx of tourism here. After taking a morning stroll in the hills, with rains following me wherever I stepped, it was time to visit Norbulingka. The Norbulingka Institute was established in 1988
to teach and preserve the traditional Tibetan art forms, including woodcarving, statue making, thangka painting and embroidery. It is a part of upper Dharamshala, known more commonly as McLeod Ganj, which is the seat of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The artwork depicting their culture, a beautiful spiritual garden, and excellent souvenirs are what you’ll like about this place. But, what I loved the most was visiting the Norling Café that served traditional Tibetan food. I don’t know if my words can do justice, or these pages can give you a whiff of the aroma, but the thenthuk here is a must-try. It is basically a cold-weather soup made with noodles and various vegetables. The spices were controlled, herbs were balanced, a bittersweet symphony was playing in my head with the pretty rain outside. Perfect lunch I would say!
    Next mission of the day was to visit a momo place in Dharamshala. It would have been a sin had we not tried some Tibetan cuisine while in McLeod Ganj. Numerous Tibetan street vendors sell momos here and they sell it pretty cheap; Rs. 20 for four pieces. One of my dear friends, who had visited Dharamshala earlier, suggested I go to Mama’s Kitchen, run by a middle-aged lady Neema. It is a cute little café overlooking the valley, orange in colour, with posters of her sons who perform as a popular rock band called J.J. Exile Brothers. As I entered the kitchen there, it ended… It was perhaps the smallest kitchen I’d ever visited, so much so that it was difficult for two people to fit in at the same time. But, because it overlooked the valley, it had a breathtaking view which any chef would gladly accept.
    Now came the moment that I had long been waiting for; it was time to eat the famous aloo (potato) momos. Yes, you read it right! The only tip I could gather from Neemaji was not to make the dough very soft else it would be difficult to handle and shape the momos. The potatoes were yellow because there was turmeric in them. Apart from that not many spices went into the stuffing, as it was rather bland. The chilli sauce served was super hot. So, that balanced the subtle potato flavour extremely well. They were delicate and had a wheaty taste to them. Potatoes though weren’t doing much for me. Regardless, I