Food · Haa, Bhutan
Make hoentoe in a Haa farmhouse
Spend an evening in a Haa farmhouse kitchen learning to fold hoentoe, buckwheat dumplings stuffed with turnip leaves, cheese and chilli, then eat them with ezay, red rice and butter tea by the wood stove.
Photo: Bhutanese_hemadatsi_and_rice.JPG: ShashiBellam… · CC BY 2.0 · CommonsHaa sits high enough that buckwheat does better than rice in many fields, and hoentoe is the valley's signature dish. The dough is buckwheat flour and water, rolled into thin rounds. The filling is dried turnip greens, datshi or soft cheese, spring onion, chilli and a little butter. The dumplings are steamed or fried and are made in quantity for Losar and festivals.
Your host will show you how to pleat each round into a half-moon. Expect your first few to burst. While they steam, the family may make ezay, a fresh chilli and tomato relish, and suja, salted butter tea. Dinner often includes red rice, a datshi stew and greens from the kitchen garden.
Farmhouses in Haa are two or three storeys of rammed earth and timber, with a prayer room at the top. Leave shoes at the door and accept tea with both hands. You can stay the night if your operator has booked the house as your homestay. Bring a small gift, such as fruit, tea or sweets, for the family.
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Questions
Before you book
What is hoentoe?
Hoentoe are buckwheat dumplings from Haa, filled with dried turnip greens, cheese, chilli and spring onion, then steamed or fried. They are a festival and Losar food, and the dish Haa is best known for.
Is the food in Haa very spicy?
Many dishes use chilli, but you can ask for less. Hoentoe filling is usually mild; ezay relish is hot. Tell your host early if you need a mild or vegetarian meal.
Is butter tea safe for vegetarians?
Yes. Suja is tea, butter, salt and sometimes milk. It contains no meat. It is salty rather than sweet; sip slowly and leave some in the cup if you do not want a refill.